Watch Dragons, Lions and Gargoyles Emerge from Stone at the Stone Masonry Festival!

A cross‑channel Stone Masonry Festival is set to bring hands‑on creativity and historic craftsmanship to the Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall) later this month.

Running from Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May, visitors will have the opportunity to meet talented stonemasons from the UK and France, as they carve fantastic creatures from blocks of Maison Dieu stone, inspired by animals that appear in the building’s carved stonework, stained-glass and decorative scheme.

The festival encourages visitors to learn about Dover and its history through the ancient art of stone masonry.  They can try new creative skills and discover opportunities for working in the heritage crafts and cultural sector.

It’s being organised by the Maison Dieu and Cats Eye Carving in partnership with the Kent Downs National Landscape and Cross-Channel Geopark and a host of local partners.

The festival is a free drop-in event suitable for all ages. It will take place both outside and inside Dover’s Maison Dieu, and in the nearby Biggin Hall. It also includes the opportunity to visit nearby venues, including historic St Edmund’s Chapel and St Mary’s Church, where alabaster monumental plaques have recently been cleaned and conserved.

The carving will begin on Saturday morning with each stonemason working on a piece of recycled stone from the Maison Dieu. The winning pieces will be decided by a public and stonemasons’ vote announced on the final day.

There are plenty of fun activities across the weekend. Some will be at set times and further information can be seen at www.maisondieudover.org.uk

Activities will include:

• Hands‑on stone activities — stone carving, stone rubbing, chalk carving
• Creative workshops — Create a character in clay, inspired by the Deal Man - an Iron Age chalk figurine on display at Dover Museum, clay gargoyles and mini stained‑glass windows
• Geology & heritage — geology tours, fossil finds, quern stone flour grinding and  activities linked to the Cross-Channel Geopark.
• Family fun — graffiti wall, sketching and animal spotting with medieval beasts expert Dr Diane Heath. Dragon storytelling with Steve Pamphilon.

Some of the stonemasons from the UK and France who are taking part include:

• Carrie Horwood, from Kent and joint organiser of the event, will be carving a dog chasing its tail inspired by examples in the Bayeux Tapestry.
• Gayle Lazda, from London, will carve a dolphin inspired by one on medieval Constable of Dover Castle, William Peveril’s shield, in the Connaught Hall’s stained-glass windows.
• Emily Guest and Alex Jubb from Stonewest in London will be jointly carving a lion with its tongue sticking out, which appears in a Royal Coat of Arms in the Stone Hall’s stained-glass windows.
• Candida Wright, from Kent, will carve St Martin, Patron Saint of Dover on horseback, as inspired by the Maison Dieu’s stained-glass windows.
• Marguerite Le Brusque, from France, will carve a Wyvern dragon inspired by the painted frieze on the Connaught Hall balcony.
• Adam Billaut, from France, will carve a fantastical animal inspired by the lion wyvern and griffin designs by William Burges.
• Thomas Kenrick, from Loughborough, is inspired by the dragon grotesque from the Maison Dieu parapet.

Notes to editors

The Maison Dieu Stone Masonry Festival takes place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May, 10am to 4pm and Monday 25 May, 10am to 2pm.

Adults and children age 8 plus (with parental permission) will be able to have a go at stone carving, on Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 3.30pm, provided they’ve completed permission forms in advance and are wearing the correct footwear (robust shoes or boots, no sandals, trainers or crocks). This is a drop-in activity with sign-up on the day.

There will be a public vote and a stonemasons’ vote for the best carving, with the announcement of the winners and a prize-giving at 1.30pm on Monday 25 May in the Maison Dieu’s Stone Hall.

Refreshments will be available at the Maison Dieu bar from 11am to 3pm (Saturday and Sunday) and 11am to 1.30pm (Monday) and at St Mary’s Church, which will open 10am to 2pm on Saturday 23 and Mon 25 May.

All venues are buggy and wheelchair accessible (except historic St Edmund’s Chapel) where there are four steps down from the pavement.

The £10.5m reawakening of the Grade I Listed Maison Dieu has seen the restoration of internationally significant decorative schemes by the renowned Victorian neo-Gothic architect William Burges.  The project was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, DDC, Dover Town Council, The Dover Society and the Wolfson Foundation.