Year Three Trip to the Stonemasons


How do you make "Rocks and Soil" relevant to 8 year olds?
Answer: visit a graveyard of course!

The new national curriculum now means that a complex topic is now taught to our 8 year olds. Lynn Mellor grappled with the topic wondering how examples of different types of rocks could be made available and realistic to the to youngsters in Year 3. After several science experiments looking at the weathering of rock and how even a barren environment can support life forms such as moss and lichen, she hit on the idea of the local graveyard which has stones excavated both locally and internationally.

After several fascinating trips visiting stones to Cheslyn Hay graveyard, which told both human and ecological stories of their own, another trip was arranged to a local stonemason company who specialise in importing rock and transforming it into gravestones tailored to family requests.

What started as a rock study brought the children into contact with a wider human story.

Trip to Stonemasons
All aboard on the school minibus to head to Bridgetown, Cannock

Trip to Stonemasons
The destination- A .Walsh Stonemasons

Trip to Stonemasons
Rock is imported from India.
It is cheaper to buy rock from India where wages are £4 a month.

Trip to Stonemasons
This piece of rock, photographed in India, became:

Trip to Stonemasons
This !

Trip to Stonemasons
Business owner, A Walsh (in the striped shirt), chooses rocks to ship over to the UK

Trip to Stonemasons
The rock is split into 40cm slabs in India and slightly polished. This is then shipped to the UK and brought to the factory in Cannock

Trip to Stonemasons

Massive slabs of rock are brought from the lorry by fork lift truck to the factory

Trip to Stonemasons
The degree of polishing in India is checked by this special machine so that the workers know what they are up against.
Trip to Stonemasons

Massive slabs of stone are cut by this diamond bladed circular saw

Trip to Stonemasons
Factory workers check that the water is switched on to cut down on the dust

Trip to Stonemasons
A huge air extractor is switched on to stop the workers breathing in stone dust. The children were not allowed into the factory warehouse as it was too dangerous.

Trip to Stonemasons
The stone, once cut, is polished by special tools laced with diamonds. The largest one is the size of a car wheel. The stone then gets fashioned and cut into shape by a circular saw allowing craftsmen to use smaller polishers, like this one, to get a perfect glass finish on the stone. Each polishing wheel costs about £400, because of the diamonds which are the only material that can smooth a piece of rock


Trip to Stonemasons
Craftsmen and artists then take over to design any paintings and engrave the tombstone. Anything a customer wants is possible.

Trip to Stonemasons
Meanwhile, Mrs Stokes’ class are all set to see the factory!

Trip to Stonemasons
Louise, who deals with customer requests, explains the different stones to Mrs Mellor’s class

Trip to Stonemasons
Anything is possible.
This one was very popular with the children

Trip to Stonemasons

A guitar gravestone! A snip at £3000!

Trip to Stonemasons
A craftsman and stonemason explains his work to Mrs Stokes’ class

Trip to Stonemasons
Smile for the camera!

Trip to Stonemasons
Mrs Stokes, class handling samples of the different types of stone

The trip was an unusual one, but the children came away realising how rock is used and where it comes from. They were able to handle it and made aware of how it comes to England. Some children were worried that people who quarry it are only paid £4 a month to do it. That is why it is not quarried here.

We also came away from the factory realising that these people were very skilful artists. None of us will see a tombstone or a piece of rock the same way again.

Thanks to Mrs Mellor and Mrs Stokes for organising the trip.

Thanks to A.Walsh "Stonemasons" for letting us visit their factory and their kind comments about the behaviour and enthusiasm of our children.
1 March 2001