On 24 and 25 May, Exeter Cathedral Stonemason, Joe Milne, was one of the 120 stonemasons who participated in the prestigious European Stone Festival. Hosted this year at Halifax Minster, the international festival invites stonemasons from across Europe to compete against each other to create a new work in just two days, before the carvings are sold at auction.
Following this year’s theme of ‘Myths and Legends’, Joe chose to carve his block of Silverbed Limestone into ‘The Knight of the Swan’, a carving which is also featured on one of Exeter Cathedral’s medieval misericords in the Quire. It is believed that the misericord shows the legendary figure of the Swan Knight, also known as the Chevalier au Cygne. This legend tells of a knight who insisted on keeping his identity a secret and travelled in a swan-drawn boat to defend a damsel in distress. Over time, many noble families claimed descent from this mysterious knight. The carving’s depiction of the knight and swan reflects the medieval fascination with chivalric tales and heraldic symbolism. In preparation for the festival, Joe produced a clay model of what he planned to carve.