Letters in stone

2:11pm Monday 15th May 2006

When you next admire the heraldic carvings which decorate many of Oxfordshire's buildings, you could well be gazing up at the work of Fergus Wessel (pictured), a stone carver based at Upper Milton, near Milton-under-Wychwood.

After training as a potter, Fergus switched to letter cutting about six years ago, serving an apprenticeship in Cambridge, during which time he also studied heraldic carving.

“Lettering is actually harder than carving, because it is so disciplined. In training you start off by cutting one letter, and that letter has got to be perfect. It doesn’t matter if it takes two weeks to cut one letter, as long as it is absolutely perfect."

Fergus Wessel

Three years ago, he took the plunge and set up his own studio which was, he admits, "really scary".

"The first six months on my own were great, because I had lots of help and people provided me with commissions. But then you're on your own! It is always a bit of a worry where the next commission was coming from, but something always seems to turn up.

"The furthest afield I have worked is Inverness, but I work mainly in London. And it is the old institutions. I am just about to do a big opening plaque for Charterhouse. There is not much local work, so you have to be prepared to travel a bit."

Having said that, Fergus has done some high-profile work in Oxford, including a plaque at St Edmund Hall, which features the benefactor's coat of arms in raised relief. This is a particularly fine example of his skills, with its intricate design and delicately crafted detail.

In comparison, the lettering work might seem less demanding from a creative point of view, but Fergus insists this is not necessarily so.

"It can be very creative. You can get a piece of slate and a poem, and make it work from that piece of slate by changing the lettering. There is a lot you can do. When somebody wants something special, you can go to town a bit. But obviously when a person wants a gravestone, they just want quiet, straightforward lettering."

Fergus estimates that about half of his work is headstones, but he also produces a variety of commemorative plaques, as well as in situ architectural lettering. It is, he stresses, an exacting craft, which can take many years to perfect.

"Lettering is actually harder than carving, because it is so disciplined. In training you start off by cutting one letter, and that letter has got to be perfect. It doesn't matter if it takes two weeks to cut one letter, as long as it is absolutely perfect. And then gradually, over the months you speed up, and you are doing two letters a day, then ten letters a day, and you speed up and up, keeping the perfect letter form. Through the years you learn about spacing too, so it is all very controlled."

Like most carvers, Fergus enjoys working with different varieties of soft and hard stones. "I work mainly with English stone, such as Portland stone, and a limestone marble from Matlock in Derbyshire that is lovely to carve with, and has been used a lot by Henry Moore and Eric Gill. I use a lot of Welsh slate.

"Soft stone is very difficult because it crumbles as you carve, whereas if a stone is too hard it tends to chip. So you have to use different techniques. If it is going outside you have to choose a stone that is suitable for the place. But I have to make sure there is nowhere for water to rest, because then if it freezes the stone will crack. So I've got to be quite careful."

Fergus will have his studio open throughout Artweeks, and there will be examples of his lettering and heraldic carving on display in the garden. Fergus will be giving demonstrations and there will be a chance to have a go yourself.

For more information, contact Fergus Wessel on 07779 294673, e-mail ferguswessel@yahoo.co.uk or visit the website: www.stoneletters.com

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