Bespoke Hand-Cut Memorials by J Rayfield

Memorials in this gallery are all carved by Jonathan Rayfield and are created in the most traditional way known to man. Continuing one of the oldest crafts on the planet, lettercutting in stone.

I shape the memorials to however the client wishes, traditional or contemporary and use a wide selection of stones and finishes. I design and draw the letters by hand on to the stone, I embrace client input and also add my own flourishes in the design process.

I sometimes say to my clients "Imagine you are making this memorial through me" with the hope that they can realise that we can make anything they would like, 'choice without boundries'. I cut the lettering by hand into a v cut incision using hammers and chisels. I also hand carve flowers, animals, crosses, heraldry, patternwork and much more.

These memorials are for clients looking for something a little more personal. They do take a little longer than genenric 'machine made' memorials you may find from a funeral director or most memorial masons. In this bespoke section I am hoping to show to perhaps the 20% of clients that are not so keen on standard granite lawn memorials that we specialise in the production of 'one offs'. We source the best of British stones; slates, sandstones and limestones as well as stones from around the world. British stones have a much smaller carbon footprint than their exotic cousins and this is something to consider today aswel as supporting local quarries.

Please take a look through the gallery at my previous work to see if there are any design elements or carvings that appeal or inspire you. Please also feel free to give me a call or email to talk through design ideas you may already have.

I kindly ask that images are not shared.

Warmest regards,

Jonny

British Stones available to us

Blue pennant

A subtle blue hue characterises this sandstone from the Forest of Dean area

Purbeck

A hard wearing shelly Limestone from the jurrasic coast of the south of England

Portland

A whitey/beige slightly shelly Limestone from the isle of Portland near Weymouth. A world famous limestone found all over London

Green slate

One of the most beautiful of British stones. Quarried in the lake district, it is actually getting very hard to get a hold of and is very costly with a waiting time of up to a year.

Riven Welsh Slate

Riven meaning the rough unworked face of slate. Quarried in Wales.

York

A sandstone from the north of England made famously hard wearing and found all over Britain. beige/grey/brown and can sometimes have bands of colour

Heather Slate

Also known as Plum slate. It has a maroon hue

Welsh Slate

Dark blues and blacks a very dense stone that makes for incredibly crisp lettering, quarried in Wales.

Jonathan Rayfield

"I find it very pleasing to create a memorial for a client that is unique to an individual, whether it's a small carving of their favourite animal or a flourished font, just something different.
It's great to find customers that share that enthusiasm and want to mark a celebration of a loved ones life with the care and attention to detail that goes into each piece.
I believe that not all memorials should be the same in the same way that no two people are. I think that many funeral directors and other memorial masons can sometimes go down the path of looking through a catalogue with a client and can perhaps obscure their vision or hopes of what is or isn't achievable. I genuinely believe that at Rayfield Stone we set the bar higher. We've got a team of highly skilled and qualified individuals and combined with artistic flair we can offer truly special memorials in house, at affordable prices."