Fife-based stone carver Pete Reilly has worked on castles, churches, cathedrals and national monuments across the UK, as Gayle Ritchie discovers
Pete Reilly reckons he has the best job in the world.
“I wander down to my heated workshop at the bottom of the garden with a cup of coffee, put the radio on and settle into a design,” he beams.
“I’m fortunate enough to be able to say I truly love my job.”
As one of Scotland’s most talented stone carvers, Cupar-based Pete – who runs Milestone Carving – has commissions coming out of his ears for everything from gravestones to ornamental stone features.
He took up stonemasonry in his early 20s, his interest having been sparked by friends who were stonemasons themselves.
“I left college more than 30 years ago – from a course in printing administration and production at Napier – and served a varying apprenticeship with different stonemasons,” explains the 53-year-old.
In his early years, Pete worked on notable buildings in Edinburgh including the Scott Monument, the Scottish National Gallery and The Mackenzie Building.
One of the projects he’s most proud of is the carving and building of a completely new tracery (stonework elements supporting glass) window at St Ninian’s Cathedral in Perth.
Following a storm, the window was in a state of near collapse and Pete hand-carved the entire internal section and reinstated it with new stone. He’s also carried out “tracery” works to churches in Fife and carved the bell tower for one of them.
One of his National Trust for Scotland projects – at Culross Palace and involving stone buttresses with carved tops designed by local school kids – was shortlisted for a conservation award.
In terms of his “favourite” stone type, Pete loves working with slate, adding: “Honister Slate Mine in Cumbria produces beautiful stone that is a joy to carve and allows lovely, crisp detail.”
These days, Pete is focusing solely on stone carving (rather than stonemasonry), and he’s particularly pleased with a recent project to design, carve and install a decorative stone feature for the Queen Margaret Hospice Garden in Dunfermline.
“The feature is special to me as it incorporates a ‘tree of life’ design carved into a sandstone structure,” he says.
“The design was inspired by a wooden leaf carving my father carved shortly before his passing in 2018.
“It pleases me greatly that I was able to design the tree around his carving and is a small tribute to a man who was my father and friend.”
Pete is also working on a smaller commission for the hospice garden, having already carved a “secret” acorn into the original stone feature.
“The garden group asked me to carve a further 10 of these into rocks and stone tiles which will be distributed around the garden,” he says. “The idea is that children visiting might enjoy hunting for the acorns.”
Aside from restoration and conservation work, Pete has carried out various “lettering” jobs, including business signage in stone and bespoke gravestones.
His great-grandfather was a stonemason from County Cavan in Ireland, and in fact, Pete was named after him. “This, however, is pure coincidence,” he says.
“I cannot claim to have been inspired by a man who I never met! Not consciously, anyway!”
While most folk endure the stress of being interviewed before getting a job, Pete has never had to suffer one.
“It’s impossible to pretend you can produce a moulded cornice stone, or a section of tracery window – the proof is in the pudding!” he laughs.
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For more information, see www.milestonecarving.co.uk
Also see Pete’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Milestone-Carving-1494253807320961/
