For a craft to thrive, it must be taught.

Training is a vital aspect of workshop life; we need the skills and understanding we have gained to survive for future generations. Our workshop culture is one of open discussion and excitement for beautiful things – an ideal classroom for those passionate about lettering and ready to learn.

Apprentices are taken on full-time for three years, fully paid. We take on a maximum of one apprentice per year and all tools and safety equipment will be provided by us.

The first months of apprenticeship are spent concentrating on learning letterforms while becoming familiar with the workshop, its routines and its tools – there is a lot to learn. These first steps are watched closely and there is continuous guidance (draw, and draw again) until it is cutting time.

If you visit the workshop you will notice the walls adorned with slate alphabets – each one cut by a different apprentice. This first step into stone choosing, masonry, layout, lettercutting and finishing is carefully mentored and corrected at first until confidence and skill builds. Once the alphabet is complete it is time to move onto a commissioned work and the journey truly begins.

Our trainees learn on the job; we take on a wide variety of commissions meaning each apprentice will have a completely unique education and we ensure they will leave the workshop ready to run their own business.

Everything done in stone at any time needs to be the best it can possibly be – after all, it will continue to exist long after we are gone. This core principle becomes engrained through the process of refinement – drawing and correcting until the best possible design is reached every time. We hold ourselves to impeccably high standards and expect the same from anyone who wishes to learn from us.

If you would like to be considered for a 3-year apprenticeship please get in touch by post or telephone in the first instance.

No previous experience of stone carving or lettercutting is necessary, nor an arts education. If you know you are to be a lettercutter then you need only come with your passion and interest – we will teach you everything you need to know.