The core of the trade

Stonemasonry is the broad craft that everything else on this site grows from: selecting, working and laying natural stone so that it is structurally sound, correctly detailed and right for its setting. Some of our work is restoration; this page is about the rest — new stonework, built well.

Around Winchcombe, Cheltenham and the north Cotswolds that almost always means Cotswold limestone, laid on its natural bed in lime mortar, coursed and finished to match the local vernacular. New stonework here has to sit comfortably next to buildings that are sometimes centuries old — which is exactly the standard we build to.

What we build

  • Extensions and new-build stonework — facing and solid stonework for extensions, garden rooms, garages and new houses, matched to the existing property or the local vernacular.
  • Porches, plinths and bays — stone porches, plinth courses, bay surrounds and entrance detail.
  • Fireplaces and chimneys — stone fireplace surrounds and hearths, and chimney stonework rebuilt or built new.
  • Gate piers and entrances — stone piers, caps and copings for driveways and garden entrances.
  • Garden structures — steps, seats, plinths, outdoor kitchens and bespoke landscape stonework in mortared stone. (For mortar-free walls, see dry stone walling.)
  • Dressed stone features — cills, heads, mullions, quoins, string courses and copings, worked to profile by hand on the banker.
A rounded stone coping running along a roof verge beside newly laid stone slates, seen from the scaffold
Coping along a verge, set against new stone slating.
  • Stone slate and coping work — wall heads, verges and copings detailed to shed water and last.
Charlie in ear defenders cutting a large block of limestone with a petrol disc saw, dust billowing across the grass
Cutting a block down on site. Most stone arrives close to size and is worked the rest of the way by hand.
Before and after: a stone doorway with its moulded hood and jambs rebuilt in matched dressed stone
Before and after on a stone doorway — the moulded hood restored and new dressed stone pieced into the jambs. The fresh stone will mellow to match within a few seasons.

The work itself

Photographs show the finished piece. These show it being made.

Working at the banker outside, with the hills behind. Most dressed stone is still finished this way.
Working a block down in the workshop, where most of the dust stays.

Working with your architect or builder

Much of our new-build work comes through architects, main contractors and landscape designers who need the stonework on a project done properly. We're used to:

  • pricing from drawings and schedules;
  • advising on stone selection, coursing, joint widths and mortar specification at design stage — decisions that make or break how a stone building reads;
  • producing sample panels for approval before the main work starts;
  • coordinating with the wider trades on programme.

If you're a homeowner managing your own project, we're equally happy to work directly with you and keep it simple.

Materials and detailing

The difference between stonework that looks right and stonework that never quite does is mostly decided before the first stone is laid:

  • Stone selection — the right quarry and bed for colour, texture and durability, matched to what's around it.
  • Coursing and bonding — course heights, bond patterns and the size mix that gives a wall its character.
  • Joints and mortar — lime mortar as the default on traditional work, with joint width and finish matched to the local style; nothing dates new stonework like wrong joints.
  • Natural bedding — stone laid on its natural bed so it weathers as it should, not face-bedded to fail early.
  • Weathering details — drips, copings and cills shaped to throw water off the wall, because detailing is what makes stonework last.

We're happy to explain the reasoning behind any of it — an informed client makes for a better job.

What stonemasonry costs

New stonework is priced from drawings or a site visit: the stone specification, the area and complexity of the work, and access all drive the cost. We provide written, itemised quotations — free and without obligation — and we're straightforward about where money is well spent (stone quality, detailing) and where it isn't.

Where we work

We take on stonemasonry projects across Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds, including Winchcombe, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Gloucester, Broadway, Stow-on-the-Wold and Cirencester.

Frequently asked questions

Can you match new stonework to my existing house? Yes — that's most of the job. We match the stone, the coursing, the joint widths and the mortar so the new work reads as part of the same building. New stone starts brighter and mellows; we can also source weathered reclaimed stone where an immediate match matters.

Do you work from architect's drawings? Yes, routinely — and we'd rather be involved early, when stone, coursing and detailing decisions are still open.

Lime or cement mortar? On traditional solid-wall construction, lime — it's breathable, accommodates movement, and is what the buildings around here were built with. On some modern cavity construction a different specification can be appropriate; we'll specify what's right for the build-up.

Do you do small jobs? Yes. A repaired cill, a rebuilt pier, a stone hearth — small, well-made jobs are welcome, and they're how many of our longest-standing customers first found us.