Gidlow Stone

01/11/2026

For any of my followers who knew Father Brian, I wanted to share the sad news of his passing.

I have known Father for many years through my frequent visits to the churchyard, and we always had a great working relationship. He was a fellow dog lover and a very quiet, gentle man.

He will be sadly missed by many, and my thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone who knew him.

Rest in peace, Father Brian.

29/10/2026

28/10/2026

🌹 A LASTING FLORAL TRIBUTE – LIMITED-TIME OFFER 🌹

As the colder, wetter and windier months approach, fresh flowers can be difficult to keep looking their best. Our beautiful ceramic memorial roses offer a lasting floral alternative, providing a special tribute whatever the weather. 🤍

Available in five beautiful colours — bright red, burgundy, pale pink, white and yellow — they're a lovely way to remember someone special.

✨ LIMITED-TIME SAVINGS ✨

🌹 Usually £95 per rose, now just £75 for your first rose!

🌹 Add further roses for just £37.50 each — half price!

A beautiful, lasting tribute at a special price, but only for a limited time.

🎁 And don't forget, we also include the option of a free ceramic rose with every new headstone purchased.

📩 Message Gidlow Stone for more information or to order yours.

📍 Proudly serving Wigan and the North West.

25/10/2026

It was an absolute honour to create this beautiful, lasting tribute for Steven Mark Sharrock 🤍

A huge, heartfelt thank you to our lovely client Abby for trusting us during such an important time. Working with you was a true privilege, and we are so grateful for your kindness throughout the process✨

Our client chose a popular size, shape and colour, with a lovely, distinctive twist - an unpolished chamfer on both the headstone and the base. Notice how the chamfer runs evenly along the top of both the headstone and base, before tapering to a point along the sides for a lovely effect.

We loved this detail so much that we've sourced another one for our showroom, so you can see this beautiful finish for yourself.

If you're interested in this design or looking for something a little different, we'd love to help.

📩 Send us a DM
📧 [email protected]
📞 01257 424303

20/10/2026

KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE 🔨✨

Just finished hand-cutting and gilding the final inscription on this beautiful family headstone.

My goal was to ensure a seamless, perfect match with the original hand-carved lettering from decades ago (Emma, Betty & John's name were engraved by a different stone mason)- a finish that machine sandblasting simply cannot replicate. 🏛️

See my previous posts on 24th August & 13th September for the videos of engraving and gilding of this memorial.

18/10/2026

Such a beautiful tribute to little Reuben 💙. We're honoured to have been able to make this special headstone possible and to support the wonderful work of Poppy Kay’s Wish

12/10/2026

Part 4

All done. At Gidlow Stone we try our best to match up the same style lettering as we add further additional names. This is a memorial which is all hand-carved, Graham was added by another mason when new, I added Betty to match up the best I can, nearly 20 years later. I completed my work in situ at the Churchyard.

Memorial masons generally have their own style and artistic licence so it's always an extra challenge when following on.

Client was very happy with the finished job

02/10/2026

Part 3

This is called roughing in the letters - using a chisel with broader shoulders to break the surface.

I then go over the letters and touch up with a sharp chisel for a nice finish.

27/09/2026

Part 2

I'm using a wax pencil to write the new inscription onto the memorial. This requires a lot of artistic skill and patience as sometimes it takes a few attempts to get the characters, spacing and line length near perfect. When I've marked on a line of wording correctly at the first attempt, it always gives a joy of satisfaction!

I didn't do the first inscription so I have to try and match up somebody else's style. As I'm drawing the letters, I'm constantly looking to see how the previous mason has used artistic license to change characters, which I have to try and replicate

Without a doubt, it's always best to make a good job of setting out but when you get to a decent standard of carving, small adjustments can be made as I'm chiseling along the line.

24/09/2026

Part 1.

I took advantage of the gorgeous weather today by going to a Churchyard to engrave an additional name to a headstone already in situ

On this video I'm using a piece of paper to mark the existing character height that I need to replicate for the new inscription. This allows me to easily copy the height without using a tape measure