Stone Compass

Some while ago a large block of stone was delivered to my workshop, so that I could carve a compass into the top surface.  Initially I had thought to incise the compass design, but when the stone arrived, the surface was heavily marked, scraped by quarry machinery, chipped and uneven, so my carving would not have shown up well and the finished compass would look rather scruffy.  

So I decided to do part incised and part relief - so I marked the compass shape onto the stone and then cut the background away - taking most of the unsightly marks away too.  This meant that the shape stood proud of the surface and for a little contrast, I thought the North, South, East and West could be cut in, as incised lettering.

The stone is going to a beautiful site, on top of the Howardian Hills, between the villages of Brandsby and Dalby.  It will be situated next to a turf maze, known as 'City of Troy', or the Skewsby maze due to its proximity to that village.  The maze is of classical design and measures 26 by 22 feet, making it the smallest turf maze in Europe.  There is a bench there too, so you can sit and take in the spectacular all round views. 

Quite a location!  And now you can tell which way you are looking, or which way is home.