News
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall undertake a day or rural engagements in Lincolnshire
29th November 2011
The Prince of Wales tried his hand at the traditional craft of stonemasonry today as he toured a cathedral during a day of rural engagements.
Watched by The Duchess of Cornwall, The Prince used a chisel and mallet to chip away at a piece of stone in Lincoln Cathedral's stonemasonry workshop.
He laughed when he was told the limestone was a softer version than that used by stonemasons working on the restoration and preservation of the cathedral and joked: "That's very considerate of you."
Paul Atkin, team leader of stonemasons, said it was not The Prince's first attempt at the technique.
"He did some the last time he was here," Mr Atkin said.
Lincoln is one of only three cathedrals which preserve traditional skills through a team of 30 craftsmen and women consisting of stonemasons, glaziers, plumbers, carpenters, conservators and archivists.
Many of the team have honed their skills over decades but some new apprentices have also been drafted in to prevent the techniques from dying out.
Their Royal Highnesses visited the cathedral as part of a tour of Lincolnshire aimed at celebrating rural life and preserving traditional crafts.
It was also announced today that The Prince has become Patron of the Cathedral Fabric Fund, which will last for a term of five years.
The Dean of Lincoln, the Very Reverend Philip Buckler, said: "We were thrilled that His Royal Highness and The Duchess of Cornwall were to visit the cathedral.
"For The Prince to agree to become our Patron is an exceptional honour and reflects on the skills of the men and women who work so hard to preserve this exceptional building."
Their Royal Highnesses started their visit with a tour of the inside of the cathedral, meeting visitors and supporters en route.
They also called in at the woodwork and glass workshops.
The Duchess, wearing a long blue woollen coat and black suede boots, tried her hand as a glazier as she used a ruling pen and clove oil to daub her name on a piece of glass.
The Prince took a few attempts to perfect his signature before moving on to autograph a diamond-shaped piece of glass that he was told would be included in the west front of the cathedral building.
The Prince and Duchess were cheered on by dozens of children from the Minster School as they toured the grounds.
After a 90-minute visit to the cathedral, Their Royal Highnesses left to carry out further engagements in the county.
The Prince, President of Business in the Community, visited Riseholme Agricultural College to discuss the future of British farming with members of Lincolnshire Young Farmers.
He also met supporters of The Prince's Countryside Fund and members of the Lincolnshire farming community at a reception before giving a speech.
The Duchess carried out a solo engagement at a lunch party with members of Lincolnshire South Women's Institute. Her Royal Highness is President of the WI in Tetbury.
During The Duchess' visit to the Lincolnshire South Women's Institute at Hale Magna Village Hall in Great Hale she had a go at Christmas decoration making, beadwork and flower arranging before being made an honorary member of the group.
The Duchess was presented with a membership badge by Deborah Venn, Lincolnshire South Federation WI Chair, and said: "Thank you so much, I was better at some of the crafts than others.
"I need a few more lessons from the good ladies here - when I come back to Lincolnshire maybe I could have another lesson".
She went on: "I am a great believer in the WI, and the continuity it brings.
"We need to get more young people to join."
Sandra Overton from the Burton Corner Institute showed The Duchess a type of needlework called prick and stitch, and how to use it in making Christmas cards. She said of meeting The Duchess: "It is a great compliment for the county that Camilla and Charles are here.
"We are a rural county and it is great that they are seeing real country life.
"The ladies here today are over the moon".
On The Duchess's sewing skills, she said: "She's better than she thinks she is".
The Duchess admitted: "Sewing's not my forte, I have tried and tried."
Their Royal Highnesses ended the day of engagements with a visit to The Cholmeley Arms, a pub that houses Berry's Farm Shop in its grounds. In 2001 The Prince launched his Pub is the Hub initiative to help put pubs and local services at the centre of rural communities. The Cholmeley Arms and the shop are now firmly at the heart of the local village.