We recently shared this video of Stephen from our building team working on the brickwork for The Gardeners' House - and we decided to follow this up with an interview.
When we appointed our contractors, one of our key criteria was making sure that they understood the restoration of heritage properties, and it is wonderful to see such care being taken to bring the house back to life.
Stephen talked to us about the craft in his work and why heritage projects like ours are important. We are thrilled he is getting so much out of his role - learn more about his work here.
Name: Stephen Gulley
Tell us about your job: I am a Mason. I am employed by Jewell Construction and I have worked for them for over two years, which I am thoroughly enjoying. This is my first full-time job.
Do you live in Cornwall?
I have lived in Cornwall for most of my life.
Tell us more about your apprenticeship.
I have recently just passed my Level II bricklaying apprenticeship which took me two years to complete. I am soon going back to work towards my Level III Craft Bricklayer qualification.
During my time at the college so far I have been taught a wide range of skills that I can bring into my workplace, helping me to become a better tradesman.
What do you love most about your job?
The thing I love most about my job is being able to spend lots of time outside in the fresh air and being active at the same time as working. I also love being able to work with a range of different tradesmen because I can learn of their individual knowledge to widen my skill range.
What is the most interesting or rewarding thing about your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is helping to bring derelict and unused buildings back to life and seeing them be used and enjoyed by the public again.
I find learning about the history of the buildings I am restoring and the construction techniques used to build them originally the most interesting part of my job.
I find that doing research on the construction techniques used in the buildings really beneficial to my work because it allows me to not only make my work blend in with the building originally in place but it also allows me to learn new
skills.
What does your job involve?
My job involves a wide range of masonry skills. Some examples of this are, stone work, decorative brick work, concreting block work and even erecting structural steels. I use my skill set on this site to help preserve and maintain the heritage of the building whilst giving it a new modern twist and a new purpose.
How long will you be working on the Gardeners' House project?
The job is set to be completed in Spring 2025, and I'll be working on the build throughout that time.
What do you think about building projects like these, where it's a heritage restoration project and you are bringing a building back to life? Is it rewarding?
I think these projects are really good additions to the community as it gives the buildings a new lease of life whilst still holding and maintaining the original history.
I also think these projects help bring communities together by giving them a hub whilst also making good use of unused spaces.
I find this job to be particularly rewarding because I am able to help preserve the strong history of Penzance for further generations to enjoy.
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