We were approached by Chelveston Parish Council to carry out the restoration of the Cross of Sorrow - a World War I memorial dedicated to the men from the village who served and lost their lives.

Both the plinth and the top cross were in very poor condition. Our brief was to replace these elements exactly as before while keeping the original monument intact and standing throughout the process.

After assessing the stone, we selected Ketton stone as the most suitable replacement. The original appeared to be a Weldon-type stone, which is extremely difficult to source today. Ketton provided the closest match in both appearance and long-term durability. This is evident in the clean, crisp carving of the new cross.

Removing the damaged plinth was a painstaking job, cut out carefully bit by bit around the standing memorial. The new cross took around three days to carve in the workshop.

The finished result looks fantastic, and it’s been a privilege to breathe new life into such an important historic monument for the village.