17/10/2026
MASTERCRAFT 2026 – CHURCHILL CUP 🧱
Another MasterCraft challenge, and once again I had the privilege of assisting Rob Songer.
It’s always a genuine honour to be asked by Rob to come along and help with these competitions. For me, it’s never really been about winning. It’s about being surrounded by people who share the same passion for brickwork and traditional craftsmanship.
Brickwork has been a passion of mine since I started in the trade, and I know it will be until the day I put my trowel down for the last time.
I was incredibly fortunate during my apprenticeship. On site, I had Matthew Chick as my mentor, and at college I had Rob Songer as my tutor. I couldn’t have asked for two better people to learn the trade from.
After my apprenticeship, Rob and I went on to work together for many years. Those are years and experiences I value enormously. Not only did I have the opportunity to learn from someone I consider to be one of the finest bricklayers and craftsmen in the trade, I also gained one of the best friends I’ve ever had.
That’s why, whenever Rob asks me to come along on another one of these journeys, it still means a great deal to me. His influence on my life, both professionally and personally, will stay with me for the rest of it.
I really hope the Churchill Cup achieves what it has set out to do: bring together some of the incredible craftsmen and women whose knowledge and skills often remain hidden away across the country, and give those skills a platform to be passed on to the next generation.
Britain has an incredible built heritage. Generations of master craftsmen came before us and created buildings, arches and brickwork that have survived for hundreds of years — often to standards we still admire today.
It’s now our responsibility to make sure the knowledge needed to conserve, repair and continue that work doesn’t disappear.
Traditional craftsmanship shouldn’t become something we only look back on.
Let’s keep the real “Fine Art of Brickwork” alive. 🧱
And if you want to see what that phrase really means, have a look at Rob Songer – The Fine Art of Brickwork on YouTube.
