A Neolith-style Long Barrow in Perthshire has been awarded Best Use of Stone in the annual Dundee Institute of Architects (DIA) awards. Located within the grounds of Fingask Castle in Perthshire, the Long Barrow took just over 12 months to complete and was constructed by a team of four led by James Davies of Davies Stone Creations.
Based in Bedfordshire, Davies is a seventh-generation stonemason and this large-scale barrow was designed by his father, Geraint who also designed and worked on the long barrow at All Cannings, Wiltshire with Tim Daw in 2014.
Defind Stone in Monikie supplied blocks of Angus Sandstone from its own quarry for the build. Stone was then dressed on site by the team and it is believed to be the first oval corbeled roof of its kind containing oculi.
The judges said: “a masterclass in stonemasonry, the judges were highly impressed by the scale of the Long Barrow and its corbeled spaces. Constructed from local stone, minimal lime mortar and minimal machinery, large slabs of stone to small infill pieces were skilfully assembled. Overtime, this stone celebration will blend further into the hillside looking over the Carse.”
The award was presented to Fingask Castle owner, Andrew Threipland at the ceremony held at Dundee’s Apex Hotel in November.
Denfind Stone shared on LinkedIn: “We had a fantastic time at the 2024 DIA Design Awards, where our general manager, Fraser, had the honour of presenting the award for Best Use of Stone to Davies Stone Creation for their exceptional work on the Long Barrow at Fingask Castle in Perth.
We’re proud to have supplied the Angus sandstone used in the winning project and are equally thrilled to have worked with all the nominees in this category, showcasing the versatility and beauty of our stone across such remarkable projects.”
On winning the award, James Davies said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved at Fingask – but this wouldn’t have been possible without Andrew’s vision. He provided us with a blank canvas on which to create something of this scale. We wanted to build something magical using traditional techniques evoking the sense that the barrow had always been there, as part of the landscape.”
For more information, visit: https://daviesstonecreations.co.uk