Last year saw four of our members return to Portland Bill in Dorset to once again pick up their mallets and chisels, honing their operative stone masonry skills. This time they were joined by our Master, attending for the very first time, who – as is tradition in his first year – was tasked with creating his own Rough Ashlar.
First into action was our Director of Ceremonies, W.Bro Roy Coenye, carefully refining the Rough Ashlar he had begun the previous year.
Then came our Master, W.Bro Tony Jacobs, stepping up to the challenge of shaping his first Rough Ashlar – a rite of passage for any new Master.
Meanwhile, our Lodge Secretary, W.Bro Alan Campkin, took on a more ambitious project, making excellent progress on a carving of the two knights on one horse, the striking image found on the column at Temple Church in the City of London.
Our Lodge Treasurer, W.Bro David Hiscock, impressed us all with his patience and dedication, producing the remarkable creation of a cube within a cube – no easy feat!
Finally, our Immediate Past Master, W.Bro Robyn Murdo-Smith, pressed on with his intricate and symbolic piece representing the Five Noble Orders of Architecture.
This marked our second year at Portland Bill with Learningstone.org, and once again the experience proved both hugely instructive and thoroughly enjoyable. It was a weekend of skill, concentration, good humour and camaraderie – and no doubt we’ll be back again, chisels in hand, for more.
Above all, it served as a timely reminder that while the tools and skills of operative masonry shape stone, the lessons they embody continue to shape us as speculative Masons.