A name cut in stone
A house sign is the smallest piece of masonry most people ever commission, and the one they look at every day. We cut house names and door numbers by hand in Cotswold stone and other British limestones, to whatever specification suits the building.
Lettering is its own discipline within the trade. A carved name is drawn out full size before a chisel touches the stone, because letter spacing is judged by eye rather than measured — optically even spacing and mathematically even spacing are not the same thing, and the difference is obvious once it is cut.
What we make
- House name signs — any length of name, in a lettering style chosen to suit the house.
- Door and gate numbers — cut on squares, rectangles or round discs.
- Date stones — marking a build, an extension or an anniversary.
- Plaques for gate piers and porches — sized to the opening they sit in.
Built in, or fixed on
Two ways to fit one, and it is worth deciding early:
- Built into the wall — the plaque is set in as the wall is laid, so it sits flush and becomes part of the structure. This is the neater result, and it is only possible if the wall is being built or rebuilt anyway. We did exactly this on an eight-foot dry stone wall, where the name plaque went in as the courses went up.
- Fixed to an existing wall — the plaque is mounted on the face of a wall that is already standing. This is what most people need, and it works on stone, brick or render.
Painted or left plain
Cut lettering can be finished either way, and they read very differently:
- Left plain, the letters read by shadow alone. The sign changes through the day as the light moves across it, and it is quieter — better on a house where the sign should not shout.
- Painted in, usually black, the lettering carries from the road. Worth it where the sign needs to be found by a visitor or a delivery driver rather than admired up close.
The carving does the work either way. Paint only changes how far away it can be read.
Choosing the stone
Stone is chosen to sit against the building rather than compete with it. Cotswold limestone next to Cotswold limestone; a paler, finer-grained stone where the lettering needs to be crisp and legible at small sizes. We will advise on what suits — it is a short conversation and it makes a large difference to how the finished sign looks in place.
Ordering one
Tell us the name or number, roughly the size you have in mind, and what it is going on. We will come back with a quotation and a suggestion on stone and lettering. See our house signs and numbers for examples, or ask for a quote.
