Overcoming Obstacles
The later addition of a sandstone portico pier to a private house in Swaledale posed particular logistical problems because the prepared stone columns had to be manoeuvred between the retaining walls of a long flight of steps, created two years previously by Calverts.
 Only those with experience of working with stone have a true appreciation of just how soft it is in relation to its weight and durability. The slightest mis-handling on site could have resulted in unsightly damage to the pure lines of the pillars or the crisp corners of the pier and therefore Andrew Calvert, master mason, planned and supervised every detail of transportation of the component parts from the stone yard to the site, and the delicate job of raising them into situ by
crane.
On the same site, a new battered stone wall and sawn balustrades have been added to two-year old steps. Within another two years the whole construction will weather to give the appearance of a long established structure.
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