Abbey Masonry was recently commissioned to produce the stonework for a private chapel in the Cotswolds. The stone used in this project included English limestone from Portland, Bath and Clipsham, alongside Irish Kilkenny limestone and Connemara Marble.
Each stone produced for the chapel was an individual component. Each component was bespoke and had an element of research and development within its production process. A 3D model for each component was created and then sent to the CNC machine for its manufacture in stone.
For the chancel arch, this was particularly challenging, in that we had to combine organic design with CAD design. A sculptor was enlisted to produce a plaster of Paris panel depicting grapes and leaves set out to an architect’s sketch. By using the latest in scanning technology and CAD design, we were able to attach the scan to the 3D CAD model, which allowed us to manipulate the model into a curve that matched the radius required for the arch itself.
For the Annunciation panel, a plaster cast of the Annunciation, as depicted by Andrea Della Robbio, was shipped to us here at Abbey Masonry from Denmark. Again, this was scanned in house and manipulated to the CAD file required for the model. The panel was then produced by CNC, and finished by hand in our banker shop.