Young Stonemason Revives History, Inspires Future Generations

Quick Smiles:

• Young stonemason Charlie Gee restores WWII-damaged landmarks.
• Inspired by his father, he works on iconic cathedrals across Europe.
• Charlie shares his craft through captivating videos online.

Meet Charlie Gee, a 22-year-old stonemason from Bath, England, whose work breathes new life into historical landmarks across Europe.

Specializing in cathedral masonry, Charlie has contributed to the restoration of renowned sites such as the Cologne Cathedral in Germany and the Palace of Justice in Brussels, Belgium.

At the Cologne Cathedral, Charlie had the privilege of overseeing the restoration of the final eight pinnacles atop one of the church’s spires.

He expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “I feel incredibly lucky to be able to work on a building that is hopefully going to be there for centuries.”

Charlie has been passionate about stonemasonry from a young age, inspired by his father, Matthew Gee, who shares the same profession.

“When I was five years old, we actually moved from Bath to Tuscany for six years for my dad’s work,” he recalled.

“Living in Italy and seeing my dad work on churches out there inspired me to get involved in the same trade.”

Charlie honed his skills at Weymouth College, where he began his studies at age 15, followed by a four-year apprenticeship at York Minster.

This opportunity was a significant milestone for him, as he explained, “York Minster has the best cathedral stonemasonry training—as opposed to commercial stonemasonry—in England, and it’s really competitive to get an apprenticeship.”

His dedication to the traditional craft is evident in his work, where he opts for a mallet and chisel over power tools.

“You can see in my videos that I’m always using a mallet and chisel, which is a lot more traditional,” he noted.

After completing his apprenticeship in late 2023, Charlie embarked on a self-employed career, gaining access to a global network of cathedrals in need of skilled stonemasons.

His journey has also taken him to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy, and York Minster in England.

Each stonemason leaves a unique mark on the stones they craft, and Charlie’s is his initials, CG.

Reflecting on this, he shared, “It’s so special to think your mark is on such an important landmark.”

Charlie hopes to inspire younger generations to consider stonemasonry as a career through his engaging videos on Instagram and YouTube.

“There doesn’t seem to be much interest from the younger generation in stonemasonry,” he observed.

“But I hope that if people see how amazing it is to be working on these sites, they’re more likely to consider it.”

Charlie envisions a future where he can show his children the landmarks he helped restore, just as his father did with him.

Source