Maison Dieu Re-awakening.
30 August, 2025 – 8:23 pmOver the last three years, I have been working with the Maison Dieu re-awakening programme, you will have seen my posts from all the wonderful days that I have spent with them, whether demonstrating and running have a go sessions or carving my beastie for the handling objects.
https://www.maisondieudover.org.uk/
Creative Careers Café at Dover College.
Activities at Dover Castle in conjunction with the Maison Dieu and Christ Church University College in Canterbury, for SEND, an organisation for youngsters with special needs. I don’t have any photos of the children carving but I had a lovely set up in one of the historic buildings at next to the Keep at Dover Castle. Photos courtesy of Nastia Photography.
It was very exciting driving up into the Castle Keep area.
I also ran activities for the Heritage weekend last September at the Biggin Hall in Dover, in conjunction with the Maison Dieu and Future Foundry. Members of the public were invited to come and try their hand at stone carving with me, watch and meet the conservation teams involved with the restoration of the Maison Dieu.
This is my most recent commission from the Maison Dieu and I had to wait to show off the photo of my as it was a gift.
At the opening weekend on the 10th and 11th of May, I spent Saturday sitting outside in the sunshine. I was given a piece of stone from the original fabric of the building. (I could only do one of the days as I was still recovering from my broken ankle at this point).
I had cleaned and sanded the stone and then drew out the design on the stone in my workshop. I wanted to make sure that it fitted beautifully in the shape of the stone.
The Wyvern and the letter type is from the original William Burges designs, this font can be found around the walls of the stone hall and the Wyvern is found on the painted walls of the Mayors Parlour.
It is used as the logo for the Maison Dieu.
The carvings that I created were finally used for the purpose that they were commissioned for.
Above photos and the one of me carving, courtesy of Nastia photography and Martin Crowther.
It’s so exciting to know that my carvings will be inspiring and delighting young and old for generations to come.
I was within an hour of finishing and so I completed the carving in my studio.
I look forward to the continuing collaboration with the Maison Dieu, the next big thing is a stonemasons festival in May 2026, we’ve already sorted out some blocks of stone for the carvers to choose from.
I will be designing and carving something inspired by the grotesques of this wonderful building which will be raffled to go towards the upkeep of this magnificent building.
