Stone and conservation specialists Fairhaven & Woods held a summer open day on 26 July to allow visitors to tour their Cambridge stoneyard in Bottisham. Guests included representatives of architectural firms, councils, colleges and building firms as well as local residents.

They had the chance to see stonemasons, carvers and conservators demonstrating their skills and were given the opportunity to have a go at working a piece of stone for themselves.

They were able to visit the firm’s carving department where a fine restoration stone carving is underway for a classical doorway.

They were shown the decorative Celtic scrollwork being carved for the new portico of Graff Diamonds in London’s New Bond Street. And the Conservation Department demonstrated the cleaning of an 18th Century marble cupid and showed rare historic pigments through polarized light microscopy.

Fairhaven & Woods’ expert team was on hand to answer questions and to update visitors on prestigious recent local projects the company has worked on, including the Royal Anglian Regimental Memorial, Norwich Memorial Gardens and St John’s College, Cambridge.

The Hon Henry Broughton, Director of Fairhaven & Woods, said afterwards: “We were thrilled so many guests could join us to experience our work first hand. We are very proud of the prestigious and exciting projects we have been working on recently. In a World of disappearing craftsmen we were delighted to share a centuries old craft with our visitors.”