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What is a Stone Banker?
QUESTION
Stone Banker - What is a Stone Banker?ANSWER
ANSWER - According to Matthew Merrett of Israel, a banker mason is the mason who receives the stone in a square or rectangular shape, then with drawings, sections top bed moulds and bottom bed moulds etc the banker mason will begin to carve out the shape of the stone to be. Whether this is a piece of cornice, a pediment springer or a piece to a tracery window from a cathedral or a window cill, mullions etc, some work is extremely intricate and can take months to carve out e.g. lettering and plaques and fountains. Probably the name is synonymous with a stone carver in the modern world; a banker is the name for the stone table on which the mason works. This may be old English. I was trained in Bath, UK where there was a very old tradition with regard to stonework.A fixer mason will be the type of mason who takes the carved stone from the banker mason and much like a bricklayer fixes it into the building, however stone buildings require a different fixing and building technique from brick and fixer masons normally oversee all the type of modern restoration work, basic face cleaning, ie, taking off pollution from stone facades.
Mostly I have found the term stonemason to cover anyone who works with and builds with stone, however here in modern Israel which is were I am now, they have a old tradition of building with stone but in a very basic manner; as in Jerusalem, its very plain . I was hoping to pass on my banker masonry skills here in Israel and commence some training or teaching base in this old skill.
4 thoughts on “What is a Stone Banker?”
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strictly speaking I suppose a stone banker is the table on which the stone that the banker mason works is placed upon rather than the banker mason per se.
A short, wooden, rotatable table with sturdy legs upon which portable stones are carved
My banker was formed is 10″ X 5″concrete kerbs, stood on edge, and the surface was formed by a large slab of York stone, about 4″ thick, I worked at Red cliff wharf, Bristol, uk, mostly I worked York, pennant, and Irish pennant
After reading your interesting article on Banker Masons. I am the 3rd generation of banker masons in my family. I started my apprenticeship in 1957 worked at Station yard Corsham Wiltshire. Yes my banker was my work bench. All masons had various blocks of stone to choose from in the workshop. And depending on the size of your job. You banked up or down to suit. Hence the word Banker.
Regards. Terry Bright.
PS. My grandfather was George Bryant Jefferies. His son was Jack Bryant Jefferies. Then myself. My son now currently runs our old building business.
In Bradford on Avon David Bright.