[Mirella McGee] The apprentice stonemason Interview Date: 24/04/2014 Location: Drawing board office Length: [00:31:31] Interviewee:

Mirella McGee Interviewer: Andrei Allen Transcriber: Andrei Allen Note: []

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Transcribed Q. What made you decide to become stonemason? A. It was chance really that I became a stonemason. My sister and I went to this site in Suffolk called Sutton Hoo, which is an AngloSaxon burial site and there was a man there who used to work at Lincoln cathedral whom carved a sceptre from stone, and he said he did courses, my sister wanted to go because shes quiet practical and just enjoys working with her hands and stuff, and she made me go with her and I had absolutely no idea what a stonemason was and no interest in become one and I just went on this course and I really enjoyed it, and then, I just started going on more and more courses and getting worked experience and stuff and then I thought why dont I just try and pursue this properly. And I found out about apprenticeships, and that cathedrals were pretty much the best place to do one because of the standard of work and quality of teaching and stuff, and so yea, just started getting as much work experience as I could and then applied. Q. What sort of experience did you get from doing this work? A. Patients probably, I was quiet, I dont know, impatient when I started, and you cant really be like that, because everything takes time, and if you rush something it just goes wrong. Q. How does it feel to work in the workshop, as opposed to doing an office job? A. Umm, the thing is Ive never really had an office job, I cant say a 100%, its more relaxed than an office job would be, it doesnt feel like work, it just feels like, your coming to a place and doing something you enjoy doing, and you get paid for it, and your learning always, I dont know, I dont think it has the same monotony that an office job would have. Q. How long have you been a stonemason apprentice for? A. I have been an apprentice stonemason for almost two years now, I started in august of last year

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Q. How hard was it when you first started stonemasonry? A. It was difficult when I first started becoming a stonemason because it was a bit of an alien environment, for someone whos always been at school, and done school things with people your age, and suddenly you come to a place, Q. How hard was it when you first started stonemasonry? A. When I first became a stonemason, I think, there were a lot of things that I didnt, Q. How hard was it when you first started stonemasonry? A. I think, when I first started, various aspects of it were slightly more difficult, like the accuracy side, and working to set tolerances of like 2mm and yea, and having not really worked stone before, so that was always going to be difficult, but thats like a given, and you have to be patient and do as your told and the abilities will come. So that side of it was hard, but then, everyone here is really supportive and always willing to help you, so you have, so many resources I guess which you can use hear in terms of people, if your struggling with something so, I think its a really good place to learn. Q. What sort of tasks do you have to do? A. The tasks we have to do are basically the same as the other qualified masons, accept, we work stones for the buildings, but we wont do the most difficult ones, because our abilities arent that good yet, at the moment were doing mullions for the great south window which is the same as lots of other people are doing. Its all about learning, so we spend time working stone obviously on site fixing, we dont rally do any drawing yet, we set out stones for ourselves if we want to do a specific one, but other than that we dont really do much drawing, and conservation, we do a lot of conservation that is good, and general maintenance of the workplace and our tools Q. Why do you have to do these tasks? A. We have to do these tasks to make us rounded stonemasons I guess, because if you could only do one aspect of it your not really that useful, because everyone here is taught how to use a tool, which I think they do at some places, but not all of the cathedrals, some of them will focus on banker masonry, or carving or fixing I guess, so its just good because it means, if some fixing needs to be done anyone can do it, and if banker masonry needs to be done anyone can do it Q. How much work is there to be done on the cathedral? A. The cathedral is sort of an ongoing project, so the amount of work here is never ending, its like the 4th bridge when you finish painting and have to go back to the other end and start again. Provided we get funding and stuff, well always have work here, which is whats so nice about it because, the stones that were replacing are from 1200s and were last worked by someone 800 years, so hopefully in 800 years someone will be taking my stones out, and that is part of history like what we do, and its just nice.

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Q. What do you enjoy about doing this work? A. Working here, I like that it doesnt feel like a job, its a nice environment to work in and Ive made friends here, and I feel that Ive improved so much since when I first started, and that hopefully by the time that I qualify I will be a very able stonemason, and would be able to continue here, or I dont know, who knows? Q. What are you currently working on A. At the moment Im doing a copy of the 12th century lion that is on one of the capitals in the crypt which is being given to some people that donated some money to the cathedral to support the apprentices here, so its my first bit of carving that is really exciting, but also really scary, but Im really enjoying it at the moment and its going ok, well mostly! Q. Can you give me a brief example breaking down the stages of how you would achieve the work that youve done so far? A. So, first of all I went and looked at the lion in the crypt and I took photos and just examined it really to see how the previous masons had done it, and then I came back to the drawing office and took photos off the internet and my phone n stuff and then drew a version of my own that was based on it, I mean they look pretty similar but there never going to look exact, erm, and just added a few details myself that I thought were fitting, And then I gridded it, and put and then I casts, no I didnt I then done a clay model from the drawing, which was quiet, difficult because Ive never done anything in clay, but it was ok, it looked quiet like the drawing, which was a relief. I cast it in plaster, which was messy, but fun, and yea, at the moment Im chipping away the waste cast, to get the actual plaster cast that I want, so we do that so I can get the dimension from that and transfer it onto the stone so that I can carve, and once Ive done that ill start roughing out the stone and working it really. Q. And how long would this process normally take? A. I think I have until June, so hopefully it will be done by June Q. How long have you been working on this piece of work for? A. I think Ive been doing this piece for two weeks, so Ive been doing it for two weeks, and I finish the cast this week, and start roughing out the stone probably tomorrow Q. How do you feel that youve improved on this apprenticeship in comparison to when you first started? A. Well I think since first starting Ive definitely improved, but everybody is going to if they work solidly at something for two years, unless their actually bad at it, and its pretty difficult not to do well here because our teachers are really good, Steve and yea, the standard that is expected is really high so we have to push ourselves to achieve this. My bank works probably my stongest thing, just because we having really done that much on site, because weve just focused on bank work, so yea I think I could almost work almost any stone with a bit of help if I needed it.

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Q. What motivates you to continue working as a stonemason? A. I think the fact, I want to continue being a stonemason because I enjoy it, and I dont think its like any other job really thats out there, I think its quiet unusual to find something Im still quiet young, so I think to of found something that I probably want to do for the foreseeable future is quiet unusual, but I mean, its good because how many people are coming out of UNI and having to go into jobs that have nothing to do with their degree because there isnt that much work Yea, so I think working at the cathedral and um, I like the work, and its part of something that is massive I guess, and has been around for ages, for thousands of years, and your I guess becoming part of that, so its just a really nice job. Q. What do you want to achieve by the end of the course? A. When Ive completed the apprenticeship here, I want to be a good stone I want to focus I think on conservation, because Im quiet interested in conservation, so I really enjoy working with stone I want to carry on with that, but also branch off little bit into the conservation of the building and start maybe working on that side a little bit more. Q. How do you feel doing work thats contributing towards the cathedral? A. Working on this building is a privilege really, because I mean, how many people can say that the work they do is probably going to probably be around for at least the next 600 years, and I just think its permanent about it I guess, which is really nice, because were not going to be here for ever, so something at least will hang about a little bit longer Q. How do you get on with everybody whom you work with? A. I think everyone at the cathedral gets on really well, I mean. Theres your standard banter I guess, umm Yea we all get on very well I think, really Q. Why do you prefer working here instead of studying at college? A. I prefer working the cathedral because I think its just a really good environment to learn in, and you get a lot of one to one tutorials i guess, from people whom are basically at the top of their craft, and so you know that what theyre saying is going to help you, and I think just because your working with adults more and people that really want to be here, it just makes it a nice environment Q. Currently, who is your master apprentice? A. Steve Manual is the apprentice master of Yea Steve is the apprentice master, and he basically teaches us everything, and yea Hes the best Q. How do you feel that his teaching skills are towards you? A. I think Steve is a really good teacher, I mean, yea I couldnt imagine anyone else really, his very patient, he never gets mad, even though I do dumb stuff, yea I mean, even when things go wrong, its fine, he just explains how to fix it and how not to make that mistake again.

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Q. Soap box question A. I think that apprenticeships are probably the way to go at the moment, just because so many people are going to UNI, and running themselves into debt, and they dont know that theres going to be a job out there for them afterwards, so I think at the moment, if youre interested into going into something more vocational I guess than academic, then do an apprenticeship, and I mean theres nothing to stop you from going to UNI afterwards, and you could do a course specific to what you trained in, which would make you really useful I guess to companies, because youd have the hands on experience, and also the academic side of it as well.