Ancient skills help Byland face future

12:21pm Thursday 28th February 2008

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A 12TH century monastery has been preserved for future generations thanks to a £100,000 repair scheme which is due to be completed this month.

Teams of craftsmen have been skilfully restoring parts of Byland Abbey near Coxwold to safeguard the crumbling joints on the 30ft wall of the abbey' ruined church.

English Heritage has funded the conservation work whic employed stonemasons using the ancient techniques of its origina builders During its heyday, the Cistercian monastery vied wit h Rievaulx and Fountains fo wealth and power and supported more than 200 monks and la brethren. Today it retains one of the largest floor plans of an English monastery, located in idyllic countryside under the western brow of the North Yor Moors Helping to restore the medieval structure to its forme glory were two young stonema sons who, working alongside specialist firm Historic Property Restoration Ltd based in Ripon are on course to complete the three month job on time, read for the site's reopening on March 21.

Timothy Baldock, Englis Heritage project manager, said "Byland's stonework is a mix of limestone and sandstone, making it especially vulnerable to weathering. The abbey also nestles in something of a frost pocket, and when water gets into the walls, i freezes and expands, which ca dislodge masonry. The abbey wa never meant to be an openroofed building, so it's vital w carry out work to consolidate the fabric."

Just like their medieval counterparts, the young craftsmen Andrew Tuley from Ripon and Mick Teale, a former bricklaye from Doncaster, carved a uniqu sign called a banker's mark, ont o part of the stone work the restored.

Historically, these mark formed the basis for calculating a mason's wage and many can still be seen at Byland, chiselled centuries ago by craftsmen working under the stern gaze of the monks.

According to English Heritage more people are needed to train in traditional crafts like masonry to combatskill shortages, whic could undermine efforts to protect the region's history and architecture.

Timothy added: "We can't hal the march of time, but we ca work to limit the rate of deca and keep buildings in good condition."