All APS Masonry products are unique. The team will assist development of a clients individual requirements, complete the design, select a suitable stone, manufacture at the works in Oxford and deliver and fix, if required.

The company also have extensive experience in project management.  Site dimensions can be taken or architects drawings developed for approval using Computer Aided Design.

Please call to discuss your project for a service tailor made to suit your needs.

Le Manoir aux Quat Saison Le Manoir aux Quat Saison is a hotel near Oxford, which has been extensively refurbished improved, and extended. The works comprised many mullioned windows, stone columns and arches all designed, fabricated and fixed by APS Masonry. The windows shown here are typical of much of the work we undertake on both large and small residences locally and in the Cotswold region.

The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden The ground floor colonnade area comprised 24no circular Tuscan columns 1000mm in diameter and 3no 1000mm square Tuscan columns in Portland Limestone. These were cored through the centre and erected (threaded over) onto temporarily built steel columns. They were then clamped into place and then removed and transported to site for instant incorporation into the overall steel structure. The columns took no load other than their own weight and were allowed to move independently to the main elevation.   At the end of each colonnade were arched gable ends that incorporated incised Royal Crest carvings. These gable ends were constructed as composite panels i.e. secured to a concrete backing off site and delivered as a singular structural unit.   Along the two main elevations the composite detail was also utilised as 23no bays of ashlar and window surround stonework. The stone was manufactured at 50mm thickness and laid into preformed moulds ready for concrete casting. The manufacturing had to be very accurate to accommodate this construction method and generally speaking each individual unit for the panels had to be within 0.5mm of the stated size.   The remaining stonework on each of the elevations was installed in the contemporary manner utilising a stainless steel support and restraint system.

The Queens Gallery This project indicates the use of two of the most commonly used stones in England. A Bath stone and a Portland stone for the columns. Both stones are extremely durable and able to take crisp detailing.   The main Portico comprised of 8no fluted columns and 2no fluted Doric pilasters. Each of the flutes finished on a featheredge and therefore the utmost accuracy and quality was required during manufacture and installation. The texture and consistency of the Portland limestone was perfect suited to accommodate this type of detail.   The Bath limestone was used for the Garden Pavilion and Rear Entrance elevations both of which were typically Georgian style architecture comprising of rusticated ashlars, moulded window architraves and small ornamental pediments. The Garden Pavilion comprised of a larger pediment detail with carved dentils within the cornice.

Christ Church Cathedral The tower and spire had considerable amount of stone deterioration over the last hundred years and required major restoration to the spire ashlars, rolls and the complete renewal of the upper two and a half meters including the finial which was damaged due to the rust expansion of the steel weather vane support. Two of the cluster column pinnacles were extremely decayed and required complete restoration.  There were several carved caps that required replacement along with ashlars, window jambs, part tracery, label sections, cills and coping.   The main challenge with this restoration was the renewal of the spire ashlars, rolls and the terminating finial. The spire ashlars were a skin of stone only 300mm thick of which 100 mm of stone thickness was being restored. The cutting out of the decayed areas had to be carried out very carefully and methodically because the lime mortar to the existing tower stonework could shake loose during the removal of the outer 100mm of stonework.   The plain finial to the spire was part of an earlier restoration and had suffered by the rusting of the weathervane post. During a search of the college archives by the Architect a copy of a Victorian print of which was believed to be the original carved finial was found. As the finial needed replacing the opportunity was taken to include this design into the new finial top