"Life in Stone Age Orkney was far more refined than once imagined. The well-built homes at Skara Brae, Europe's most complete Neolithic village, included stone hearths, beds, and cupboards."
The tradition and craft of stone masonry continued throughout Scottish history. In medieval times guilds, similar to unions today, were formed to protect the interests of the stone masons. This guild survives today in the form of the society of Freemasons. My grandfather Dewson who was born in the north of England near the Scottish border joined the Freemasons - rather than a church - when he came to homestead in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1905.
In Scotland, the superb artistry of the stone masons is evident.
This is a knotted rope around a window of the Wallace Monument. Wallace is a Scots hero and legend.
This is a statue in Edinburgh representing Canada. Scots were among the first settlers to our country, and they brought their craft with them. They constructed many of our finest and most important buildings out of the plentiful and varied stone they found here.
This is The Centre Block with the Centennial Flame at Canada's Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. It is known as one of the finest Gothic structures in North America, and was near completion around 1865. Many quarrymen and stone cutters from Scotland where the trade flourished were imported to meet the demands of its construction.
Stone from Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Manitoba as well as some from Europe and the U.S. was brought to the banks of the Ottawa River to build this magnificent monument.
Scottish stone masons and their artistry have left their enduring mark on grand buildings in important cities across our province of Ontario.
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