BIOGRAPHY

Matthias is from Dresden, Germany and has worked as a mason and carver for almost 20 years. Following his apprenticeship in Dresden, Matthias worked for 6 years throughout Europe in over a dozen masonry and carving workshops before moving to England in 1998 to join Wells Cathedral Stonemasons. He joined Dick Reid’s workshop the following year, where he was employed as senior mason and carver for more than 5 years. Clients included the Royal Family, Blenheim Palace, Lord Cranborne and Castle Howard.

In 2001, during his time with Dick Reid, Matthias was accepted as a William Morris Craft Fellow with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. He returned to Dick’s for one year before receiving a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship and funding from the York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship, which enabled him to complete the German Qualification of Master in Masonry, Carving and Conservation.

In 2004, Matthias returned to York to set up his own business which has expanded over the past four years to include two apprentices, one carver, two masons and a site Forman.

Kibby Schaefer recently joined as Partner in the business. Kibby was raised in New York City, gained her BA (Classics and Art History) from Reed College, her MPhil from the University of Edinburgh (Honours Art History; Medieval Works of Art on Paper) and her Diploma in Architectural Woodcarving from City and Guilds of London Art School in 2001 before joining Dick Reid’s Workshop in York, UK as an Architectural Woodcarver. In 2005 she set up her own business designing and producing fine architectural detail for private clients. As a woodcarver and designer, Kibby’s skills have expanded the business by enabling it to take on work in both stone and wood, along with allied trades clay and plaster.

We believe that the craft tradition is best perpetuated not simply by vocal means, but by example or demonstration by skilled craftspeople. We take our work very seriously, and do our utmost to perpetuate the trade by teaching and volunteering time throughout the year at conservation workshops.

We always apply a conservation ethic in our approach to buildings, and work towards developing a dialogue between individuals in the various related fields - architects, engineers, conservators and craftsmen- in order to best serve our built heritage.