The Hampshire-based manufacturer was founded by Bernard Vanhinsbergh and has been in business for more than 50 years. It is now in the hands of his sons Jeff and Steve

Based just outside Basingstoke, StoneCIRCLE was founded in 1968 and has been involved in many high-end projects, both commercial and private, including a monochromic symphony of Bianco Carrara, Nero Marquina and Bardiglio marble in Harrod’s menswear department and a fusion of marble, granite, onyx, travertine and Neolith sintered stone at the prestigious Mandrake Hotel in London.

The company also work with artists, taking their 3D models and producing them in stone, before installing them on site. In fact, Steve says that his favourite project, during the 30 years he has worked for the company, was the Library and Study Centre at St John’s College, Oxford: “Where we carved the 700 or so stones for Susannah Heron’s artwork. It looks great, is unique and should be there for hundreds of years hence.” He adds that “The Bermuda Julian Opie was a great one to make and install.” This is a frieze made of Antalya Cream limestone with figures in patinated bronze inset into the routed stone, that was fabricated for the Bermuda Princess Hotel. Steve and another employee flew to Bermuda to personally install it at the hotel.

Hard pushed to name a favourite project from his 40-year career at the company, Jeff said: “It’s probably the Royal Suites at the Lanesborough Hotel. The mix of marbles and the exceptional workmanship required to realise the designer’s ideas was second to none”.

In 2014, the factory was expanded with the addition of a new workshop and 2,000m2 of offices built on land behind the existing buildings. The new building is built to BREEAM sustainability standards with high levels of insulation, 300m² of solar panels, and rainwater collection and recycling. There is also a large storage yard.

As the business enters its 55th year, it is investing even more in technology with CNC-equipped 5-axes saws and waterjet cutters. Around 25% of their sales are directly to consumers through the showroom, the rest comes from contract work. StoneCIRCLE can work as sub-contractors to the main contractor, or directly with the client, or for the architect, interior designer or developer. It very much depends on the project and specification.

The brothers are proud of their modern, versatile factory and when combined, the staff has more than 400 years of experience in stonemasonry. Both brothers feel that they are well set up for the next 50 years with a capacity to increase turnover by at least 60% in the next 3-5 years.

Find out more at stone-circle.com.

Undertaking any large-scale renovation is an epic task and Codrington Court, a Grade II* former medieval hall was no exception requiring significant work to both the exterior and interior of the property. Located in South Gloucestershire, parts of the house date back to the 12th century and include a 16th century stone fireplace and even a priest hole. This extensive 10-month restoration undertaken by Stonewood Builders earned the company the title of National Master Builder of the Year in 2021 – the prestigious award from the National Federation of Builders.

As part of this project, Rachel Cropper of the eponymous Tetbury-based company was tasked with transforming the interior and chose to use work with Artisans of Devizes (who are part of Sarsen Stone Group) to create a stylish and comfortable home that would suit a large family and their pets.

“We felt we needed to use natural materials which would age and patinate over the course of time. The house had a few odd rooms left with flagstone floors so we used this as our starting point”, said Rachel.

From these flagstone floors, a scheme began to materialise and for Hamish Smith who is creative director at Artisans of Devizes, this partnership was symbiotic: “We worked with the homeowner and designer to choose the materials for this wonderful country property. We specialise in natural stone flooring, bespoke stone creations and luxury tiles, so the project brief was one that was a natural fit.”

Each room required a different approach and Buscot Tumbled Limestone, a core collection for Artisans of Devizes, was chosen for the selected areas of the home, including the utility and boot room.

“The lightly tumbled finish softens the edges and ages the stone giving it the appearance of Cotswold limestone. The finish makes it very adaptable to traditional or contemporary schemes,” said Hamish.

This weathered and seasoned effect was something Rachel was particularly interested in. “Stone has far more natural aging than wood or porcelain for example. It’s also more forgiving for daily life with four children, cats, dogs and the occasional chicken running around! Scratches on wood appear as a nuisance whereas with stone they’re rarely identifiable and become part and parcel of the weathering in. It’s also glorious to walk on barefoot when gently warmed.”

Sustainability was a key concern for the entire team working on the project and recycled terracotta pavers that have been repurposed from old bricks in Europe ticked the boxes for an eco-friendly floor while providing a charming, lived-in feel. As an added advantage, the pavers feature a wide range of tones from deep red to pale yellow and can be seen throughout the bedrooms and bathrooms.

In one of the bathrooms, muted grey porcelain tiles were laid on the floor and, in stark contrast, a herringbone tiled splashback was created behind the bathtub using Carter Ceramic tiles in Rose. A second bathroom features a fully tiled shower cubicle created with bold Atlantic Porcelain Mosaic tiles in Emerald – which was further echoed with a tiled splashback above the handbasin.

On completion of the project, Hamish Smith said: “We pride ourselves on our dedicated project team that are scattered around the UK and always willing to go the extra mile to bring project briefs to reality. We offer design advice and material selection, technical and specification advice, as well as a free sample service (which includes sample boards if a designer requires them), right through to project coordination, estimation, technical drawings, and after-care advice. We hold 97% of our stock in-house in our Wiltshire warehouses and we have a bespoke department who bring to life custom creations, from bespoke basins to shower trays and staircases.”

Tara Whitcher, a dry stone waller from the Peak District is showcasing her craft as part of a new advertising campaign from McVitie's. The advert airs for the first time today [4 October] and features legendary news anchor and journalist Sir Trevor McDonald, who returns to the news desk for the first time since he retired 15 years ago.

Shot on location in Glossop close to Tara’s hometown, the campaign entitled There Is Only One playfully addresses how McVitie's – famed for some of Britain best-loved biscuits including Digestives and Rich Tea – is often copied but never equalled and was created by agency TBWA\London. The soundtrack is provided by Brit-award winner, Little Simz.

In the tongue-in-cheek advert, Tara can be see constructing a dry stone wall with Sir Trevor narrating “Great Wall Jill…but there’s only one great one," before an image of the Great Wall of China appears in the next frame.

The ad will will run until 11 November across TV, cinema, and online and can also be viewed below:

Thanks to greater collaboration, the care of older buildings is being kept firmly on the agenda

The National Federation of Builders (NFB), formed in 1896, defines heritage and traditional buildings as “those built in or before 1919. These may include buildings that are listed, those in conservation zones and scheduled monuments”. This means that approximately 25% of buildings in the UK fall into this category. But in order to best maintain and conserve them, we are reliant on certain skills.

In early September, the NFB held its Heritage and Traditional Build Conference where a host of speakers explored how to ensure that future generations will still be able to enjoy the buildings that are part of our landscape today.

Last November, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conservation, Places & People published its first report, entitled The Value of Heritage, with contributions from organisations including Historic England, that revealed not just what we can do for heritage and what it can do for us. In fact, the report revealed that “Works on historic buildings in England alone generate £7.1bn per year in construction sector output.”

In addition, it explored how heritage can play a crucial role when it comes to reducing emissions in the construction sector as the UK works toward its 2050 net zero commitment. An almost make-do-and-mend ethos of reusing and retrofit are key themes in order to avoid the need to release embodied carbon in the production of creating new building materials.

With more than 200 independent heritage organisation members, The Heritage Alliance is England’s largest coalition of heritage interests and its chief executive Lizzie Glitheroe-West (who contributed to The Value of Heritage) talked conference attendees through The Heritage Manifesto. The manifesto calls on political powers to take action to realise the power of heritage in the following ways:

• Support community cohesion and put heritage at the heart of regeneration
• Embed the historic environment in nature recovery and net zero strategies
• Reform the tax regime to promote long-term sustainable growth
• Harness cultural learning and skills at every age and help the workforce
• Futureproof heritage institutions at both a national and a local level.

Training then is paramount if we are to encourage people to enter careers where heritage plays a key role. The Natural Stone Industry Training Group (NSITG) places its focus on being a principal source of information about careers, training, development and skills in the natural stone industry. Led by Claire Wallbridge (who also spoke at the conference), its work is sponsored by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and, being so intrinsically linked to the construction industry allows it to have greater influence across the sector.

As part of her presentation, Claire explained “that everyone within the built environment sector has a role to play in keeping heritage skills alive”. Currently, there are only four colleges in England offering stonemasonry courses – Building Crafts College, London; York College; Bath College; Moulton College – and NSITG works closely with each.

Claire believes that collaborative work across organisations is essential and will promote the industry as a rewarding career opportunity, with many individuals within the stone industry welcoming the opportunity to share their own experiences with new talent.

James Butcher, director of policy at NFB, says: “One of the biggest misconceptions with heritage and traditional building work is that it is a closed shop, or only for those who have been in the sector for decades. While it is true that our heritage workforce is aging, the reality is that with the range of trades and skillsets needed there is a place and an opportunity for those at the start of their career to explore their passion in heritage work. Most of the specialists I have ever spoken to would love nothing more than to pass their knowledge and craft onto the next generation”.

Enabling those who work with or indeed live in heritage buildings to be able to tackle issues with confidence is the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). Founded in 1887 by William Morris it is one of six National Amenity Societies as directed by the Secretary of State and must be notified by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) of all applications that involve the total or partial demolition of a listed building.

It has a membership of more than 7,000 and offers an extensive database of skilled contractors in as part of its Advice Line, which is open to anyone who is looking for guidance. Its website is a comprehensive resource, too featuring advice that spans everything from alterations and extensions to planning and legislation.

Douglas Kent, head of technical and research at SPAB, reveals that one of the main issues affecting pre-1919 buildings is damp. “Older buildings need to breathe and breathable materials like lime mortar rather than modern mortars can be more flexible, accommodating seasonal movements. Lime can also self-heal to a certain degree whereas cement can crack when it becomes brittle.”

The use of traditional techniques however, doesn’t just benefit older buildings, it can be used to create better, longer-living buildings today – and with so many organisations highlighting the importance of heritage, there’s every reason to be optimistic.

Useful links

• The National Federation of Builders - nfb.org.uk
• Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings - spab.org.uk
• The Heritage Alliance - theheritagealliance.org.uk
• Natural Stone Industry Training Council - nsitg.org
• Historic England - historicengland.org.uk
• English Heritage - english-heritage.org.uk