The stonemasons are one of the five specialist craft teams making up the Cathedral’s Works Department. Here ‘M’ for mason is constructed from stonemasons’ tools: the image beneath the letter is inspired by a medieval manuscript illumination of stonemasons at work.

The ‘work-in progress’ images in the border show a piece carved by Sebastian Kirmaier who kindly allowed me to work from his series of photographs. The finished piece is located on top of one of the gablets at the bottom of the spire of the southern turret on the west front of the Cathedral. It is the one facing west. The heaxagonal shape of the illumination reflects the six-sided block Sebastian originally started with.

The alternating white gold shapes in the border are based on the repeating image on the Cathedral’s stone choir screen. Finally, the figure perched upon the ‘M’ is Paul Ellis’s stonecarving of Domus manager Stuart Boyfield with his keys, one of many carvings added to the Cathedral for the enjoyment of future generations.