The heritage sector believes there is a shortage of stonemasons (among other trades) with traditional skills. So Historic England is trying to get bicklayers interested in stonemasonry by running a course called 'Stonemasonry for Bricklayers' in Shrewsbury 12-16 August.

And it is free... thanks to the backing of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, which is backing skills and training activities at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, where the course is taking place.

Historic England is working with partners Shropshire Council and the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings on a National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported project to repair Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, which is credited as being the first cast iron-framed building in the world and the forerunner of the modem skyscraper.

Course content includes :

• masonry – methods and materials
• mortars and aggregates
• walling construction
• recognition of defects
• consolidation
• types of stone
• quoins and arches
• pointing
• ashlar masonry
• cutting out defective stonework and mortar
• heritage principles and practices

For more information about the course you can email Claire Wallbridge of the Natural Stone Industry Training Group and StoneTrain, or click here to go to the web page about it