Lost in…History
You never know where stone carving will take you. Recently I’ve been lucky enough to work on a series of commissions arising from a long standing interest in local history.
Maritime Museum (Maryport) : Door Surround Corbel
Completed 2024
A chance visit to Maryport gave me the idea of combining my interest in history and my passion for stone carving.
The town’s quayside church is being converted into a maritime museum and, while there, I noticed that the corbels supporting the door surround were very weathered, one almost beyond recognition; following some discussion it was agreed that I would carve a replacement, and the completed carving will be ready to set in place in Spring 2025.
The photos below record the project from start to finish.

Senhouse Roman Museum (Maryport) : Wild Boar Plaque
Work in Progress 2024
Although the town’s heyday was in the 19th century it’s origins stretch back much further, notably to when the Roman fort of Alauna and its harbour were developed to supply Hadrian’s Wall and to act as key part of the coastal defences.
I’ve long been fascinated by the unique collection of Roman altars housed in the Senhouse Roman Museum and discussions with the museum led to a link-up with their Reimagining Roman Maryport event and included a demonstration carving event.
The carving is my modern interpretation of a wild boar carving on display in the museum. Carved in St Bee Red Sandstone it also displays the Roman and present-day name for the town.

Roman Bathhouse Excavations (Carlisle) : Replica Roman Head
Completed October 2024
Change encounters often lead to interesting collaborations and so it was in September 2024 when I visited Roman Bathhouse excavations at Carlisle Cricket Club. I had the good fortune to talk to volunteers and archaeologists about the two large Roman heads discovered in 2023 and, within half an hour, it was agreed that I’d carve a two-thirds size replica of one the heads.
I enjoy every carving project but this has to be one of the best. The stone I carved is a piece of dressed Roman stone from the site (from an unstratified layer) and the carving was entirely completed on site; the very place the originals were carved some 1700 years ago!
