Okay, so this is a little niche project.

I was born in Holmfirth—I’ve forgotten the year—a small, unassuming former mill town in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now home to cafés, hairdressers, delis, and Huddersfield Town footballers.

On a recent trip back (it had been a while), I wandered through the Holmeside Memorial Gardens and was struck by a small collection of captivating gravestones and memorials. Despite lichen growth, and the effects of rain, hail, snow, wind, and sun the craftsmanship remains striking—accomplished and delicate.

It left me wondering about the masons who carved these stones between the late 1700s and 1878—a time of rapid growth for the town. Their work preserves the memory of Holmfirth parishioners long gone.

This self-published booklet—written and designed by me—celebrates the art of letter cutting, capturing the skill of local masons, illuminated by the quiet, timeless beauty of their work in stone.

With photographs by Josef Shaw and Rachael Nellist, and with the help of local history groups, the final printed booklet is in an appropriately memorialesque format.

Available to buy in Holmfirth from Read, in Manchester from UNITOM, in Bath at Magalleria—or directly from me, if you drop me a line.