Stonemasons to restore cathedral

Wells Cathedral stonemasons have begun work on the restoration and conservation of Salisbury Cathedral.

The Somerset company's craftsmen are cutting and carving the stonework for the front of the Wiltshire cathedral.

Peter Arkell, Managing Director of the firm said: "Our role is to help Salisbury Cathedral's team to achieve a total restoration by 2015.

"That will probably mean keeping at least two of our masons busy for the next five years."

Salisbury Cathedral selects and delivers the appropriate stone to the Cheddar-based company's workshops and then collects the completed pieces for installation.

"This is an ideal partnership formula," said Mr Arkell.

"It enables us to focus our time on using our specialist skills to work on the stone, without having to spend time on travelling and installation."