The Stonemason's Gospel According to Ian Cramb

By Ian Cramb

The Stonemason's Gospel According to Ian Cramb is a complementary book to Ian's first book, The Art of the Stonemason. Many methods and materials are shown and discussed in this book, which incorporates some of the same beautiful sketches of masonry detailing that are found in his first book. As each biblical Gospel tells a story, each book also complements the others with different details. The Stonemason's Gospel According to Ian Cramb reinforces the precepts behind the old craft in its authentic form. This is the author's compilation of a lifetime of experiences, caught in his drawings, and explanations which are offered to those who attend to the sacred work of building and repairing masonry in the traditional way and who practice sound historic masonry building conservation work. Ian Cramb began his apprenticeship at the age of 14 in Dunblane, Scotland. He was surrounded by large estates, farm buildings, a ruined thirteenth century bishop's palace, two large fifteenth century castles, and a Gothic cathedral. Dunblane was an apprentice stonemason's paradise. In 1957, Mr. Cramb took over as Master Stonemason on the restoration of the monastic buildings around the Abby on Iona. He rebuilt the cloisters, restored St. Michael's Chapel, and also restored St. Oran's Chapel in the Cemetery of Kings, built in 1075. In 1950 Mr. Cramb moved to the US where he set stone on the US Capitol and other buildings in Washington D.C. Proverbs 22:29 "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings..." "The men of the Iona community, and the few tradesmen, including myself, had all to be dressed in the community rigout, dark blue suit with a dark blue shirt and tie, and those being presented to the Queen. We had to be trained to bow and shake her hand. It was a very pleasant experience, and good to be able to say you met the Queen and did shake her hand, along with Prince Phillip, and Princess Margaret." ... Ian Cramb Ecclesiastes 5:19 "Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his workthis is a gift of God." "The religious part of my life on Iona began to change me, I knew through my work, that something great was behind my way of life guiding me along, and with all the jumping around I was doing on different jobs, it all seemed to fit into Gods plan he has set out for us. Iona does this to you, it draws you back, it was like coming into another world with peace, with an ever presence of something great being with you in all you do. You look at the Abbey, and you think of all that must have gone on, all these years ago. The men who gave their lives to the Church and built the Abbey, all to the Glory of God. As long as I was building with stone, I was happy. I began to realize what these bygone masons had so many years ago in building these large Cathedrals- Faith and a Love in what they were doing." Words of Ian Cramb found in other personal journals.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0615496555
• ISBN13: 9780615496559
• Release Date: July 2011
• Publisher: UpRight Contracting Management Systems, Incorporated
• Length: 148 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.