Fellow’s Profile
Nicholas Durnan
Fellow’s Profile
Nicholas Durnan
Stone restoration
Fellowship
Themes
Countries
Fellowship year
1980
Locality
South West
Biography
I am a stonemason, stone carver, artist, teacher and conservation consultant. My conservation speciality is conserving limestone sculpture, such as the beautiful 13th-century statues on the west front of Wells Cathedral. My sculpture is inspired by the beauty of Romanesque and medieval sculpture and the order of geometry in nature.
My Fellowship took me to France, Germany and Italy in 1981 to study stone and sculpture restoration and conservation techniques and approaches for repairing historic buildings. It was a truly inspiring trip which set me up for a career working at some of the most beautiful cathedrals, churches and stately homes in England.
Stone is a fascinating material to work with and the challenges of finding solutions to stone decay problems is rewarding work. As an artist working with stone, the colours and textures of limestone and alabaster, and the different working processes, fire my imagination. As a teacher and tutor I run conservation courses at West Dean College and stone-carving courses at my studio in Somerset. In 2021 I created a unique, blended part-online and part-workshop-based masonry repair and conservation course for West Dean College.
Disclaimer
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
Disclaimer
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.