Beginners Stone Carving: A Celtic Knot in Portland Stone | a 3-day workshop

Carve an ancient pattern into Portland stone over three days in Cirencester

New Brewery Arts runs some of the most hands-on craft workshops in the Cotswolds, and this one pulls from something genuinely old. Portland stone is a pale, fine-grained limestone from Dorset — the material behind St Paul's Cathedral and much of London's civic stonework — and it holds fine carved detail well, which is exactly why it's chosen here.

Sculptor and installation artist Ann-Margreth Bohl has been teaching stone carving at New Brewery Arts for 19 years. Over three days in the Chisel Studio, she walks complete beginners through the Celtic knot process from scratch: first weaving card strips into a printed template to physically feel how the design crosses over and under itself, then transferring it onto stone with carbon paper, then picking up a chisel and beginning the reductive work of low-relief carving.

All tools and materials are provided, including FFP3 dust masks which must be worn while carving. You leave with a finished piece in Portland stone, and a list of stone and tool suppliers if the carving bug bites.

Thursday 6 – Saturday 8 August 2026, 10am – 4pm daily · New Brewery Arts, Brewery Court, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 1JH