Fergus Wessel, a letter cutter and founder of Stoneletters, will be exhibiting at our Life, Death (and the Rest) fair on Sunday 2nd April.

Winner of the Good Funeral Guide Award for the Best Maker of Hand Carved Memorials, 2016, he is based in studio in Oxfordshire which specialises in the making of fine, hand carved memorials.

“I trained at a workshop called The Cardozo Kindersley Workshop in Cambridge in 1999 on a three-year apprenticeship after which I set up a small workshop in the garage of my parents in law. From very small beginnings, we have slowly grown into what we are today: a thriving workshop which I run with my wife, Hannah together with two employees”

All the work on the memorials is done by hand, with no machinery or stencilling, which makes every memorial unique. Nothing is hurried or rushed, and time is spent with each client discussing what they want before coming up with a design.  That initial design may then be revised and changed several times before the final design. There is no catalogue with set shapes or inscriptions to choose from; each stone is unique.

“I tend to encourage people to wait at least a year after the death before even thinking about a memorial, and when clients come to me I spend a lot of time listening and trying to understand the essence of what they are trying to capture on the memorial.  I must empathise and guide my clients without taking over so that they feel the memorial has come from their hearts”

If you would like to talk to Fergus Wessel about a headstone for a loved one, or visit other stalls offering practical advice in dealing with death, dying and end-of-life choices do join us on Sunday 2nd April between 11am and 4pm.

Find out more here