King of Dust: Adventures in Forgotten Sculpture

by Alex Woodcock

King of Dust is a stonemason's personal journey through the landscapes of south-west England and the sculpture which first inspired him to pick up tools: the Romanesque. In the early years of the 21st century, mentally exhausted, the archaeologist Alex Woodcock carved a stone for the first time and realised how much more there was to learn about the subject from which he had made his life's work. Determined to understand the work by making and carving, as well as theoretically, he retrained as a stonemason and spent several years working at Exeter Cathedral. Ten years after that first carving a move to Cornwall prompted an urge to re-explore the little known Romanesque (12th century) carvings of the south-west. King of Dust follows a year of these wanderings, being both an archaeology of the images and a meditation on learning the craft. Ultimately it is about the power of medieval art to transform a life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, British Literature

192 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2019

About the author

Alex Woodcock is the author of non-fiction books on history and art including the award-winning Of Sirens and Centaurs: Medieval Sculpture at Exeter Cathedral (2013) and Gargoyles and Grotesques (2011). He wrote his PhD on medieval sculpture at the University of Southampton and then trained as a stonemason, later working at Exeter Cathedral for six years as part of the team conserving its iconic west front. A regular speaker at conferences and book festivals he is currently working on his fourth book, on the Romanesque sculpture of the southwest of England.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completing a PhD is an exhausting business and as Alex Woodcock completed his on medieval sculpture, he was physically and mentally exhausted and rapidly heading towards depression. Even though he had studied the art, he had never picked up a tool and chipped away at a stone with the intention of creating something. He signed up for a course and began the process of learning the craft of stonemasonry. A few years later he had qualified as a stone mason and applied for a job at Exeter Cathedral. One of the tasks in his interview was to assemble a bench, which at the time seemed a little odd but he got the job, just. He spent his time there replacing and renovating the stonework of the building as it slowly succumbed to the elements of the years. After a decade there, he felt that he needed to cross the Tamar and make the move to Cornwall.

Fed up with unpacking, he headed to the beach for a walk and to get some sea air. A chance meeting with a man with a metal detector on the beach began a conversation that carried on in the pub over a pint. Before long they had hatched a plan for a field trip to the church at Crantock. So begins his compulsion to discover the village churches of Cornwall and look for the Romanesque architecture and carving that these churches still have. Romanesque carving dates from the 12th century and is an often overlooked form, especially when compared to Gothic. It is rounder and squatter in form and have simple geometric shapes. The carving is carried out on the structure of the building too, so when you look around you will see the patterns favoured by the masons as well as the fantastical creatures that they added, the most famous of which is the beakhead. (Very similar to the masks used by the doctors of the Black Death).

One thing led to another and this initial trip became a year-long pilgrimage looking for these early churches, their carving and their fonts. Woodcock extended his range across the South West to Devon and Dorset. At each of the churches, he uncovers the history of each, revealing details of the carving and occasionally the people that created it. He also takes time to reflect on the moments of his own life that brought him along the path he was currently walking. A chance knock on the door of Little Toller HQ when he was looking for St Basil’s led to them publishing this book and for a debut book, it is quite impressive. Woodcock has excellent attention to detail and because he is a historian and a carver knows his subject inside out. The sketches of the stoneworks that add a lovely touch to the book. The stunning cover and end papers have the sort of attention to detail that you’d expect from Little Toller. Sculpture is where art meets masonry and these works of art can be seen by anyone who wants to take a few days out to visit the same places that he went to. It is a love letter to Cornwall too, its landscapes, its coasts and most importantly it’s overlooked Romanesque architecture.

[Mark Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book. I took a lot of pleasure from re-encountering the English South West through the lens of stone, the associated geology, it's transformation by craftsmen into things that I would barely have noticed in the old churches littered through the landscape. Books like this reveal hidden layers in our otherwise familiar landscapes.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an enjoyable read. I read this during ill health and valued its friendly, gentle companionship. In this year of restrictive lockdowns this was a pleasurable virtual church-crawl. He brings the magic of visits to ancient, communal buildings to life. The challenge of deciphering the 11th and 12th century carvings is well discussed. The paradox of the meaning possibly being list to us but the immediacy of the stone mason's strikes, hand and decisions still being present and shaping our world is an interesting one.

In an ideal world this would have been lavishly illustrated - thank goodness for Google allowing me to look up all the churches and fonts mentioned. It really opened my eyes to just how out there this kind of carving can be. It has a definite vitality and aliveness to it.

I wish I'd visited all these places when I lived in Cornwall, but look forward to a Yorkshire church crawl when the vaccine allows us to return to the outside world and our 'new normal'.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, lyrical journey through Cornwall's tiny churches, interweaved with the author's personal journey through learning the craft of stonemasonry. Alex is a very talented writer. An easy to read, powerful wee book. Highly recommend - especially to those who know or have visited Cornwall.

[Mary Warnement · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why Woodcock's memoir didn't grab me. I stopped a few nights after starting on p. 43. I'll go back to it when it calls to me.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and evocative account of the author's visits to churches in the West Country in search of Romanesque sculpture.