Stonemasons' Drawings on Building Fabric: Diversity, Form and Function

Abstract

This paper considers the contribution of medieval geometric drawings found on the fabric of buildings to our knowledge of the working methods of medieval masons. An attempt is made to categorize drawings found in ecclesiastical buildings, many of which are previously unrecorded or unpublished, and to explore the different functions and purposes that these drawings served and the variety of ways in which they were used. The drawings are found to address questions of design, of marking out, reference and problem solving, of training and practice and the mechanics of the stonemasonry craft.