George Street Project

October 18, 2014 in Kingston, Masonry, Stonework

Edgewater is currently working in collaboration with Taggart Construction to dismantle and rebuild a Limestone wall as part of the George St. reconstruction project. The natural stone retaining wall, which sits adjacent to the Sword of Valour monument, will require substantial stone replacement. New Limestone is squared and built to courses with Lime-based mortar.

Stonemasons preparing blocks of Limestone for use in a natural stone retaining wall. Kingston, ON

Stones are cut to required height and sorted by size.

A piece of Kingston Limestone is squared using hand tools. The perimeter of the stone is marked, and excess material is 'pitched' away to ensure all sides are square.

Carruthers' Monument Kingston

April 28, 2014 in Kingston, Stonework, Masonry

John Carruthers was a Scottish immigrant who became a prominent member of the Kingston business community. He was a generous supporter of both Queen’s University and Chalmers Church, and his contributions to the university were recognized in the naming of Carruthers' Hall at Queen’s. His son John Bell was instrumental in establishing the precursor to the current Faculty of Engineering and Applied science at the University.

Carruthers' monument sits on a Limestone base that was restored recently by Edgewater. The perimeter stonework was repointed, and two damaged corner stones were replaced with matching Kingston Limestone.

This week Edgewater Stonemasons began masonry repairs to the Church of the Good Thief in Portsmouth Village, Kingston. Work will focus on the buttresses lining both sides of the nave, as well as repointing and consolidating the bell tower.
The Chur… — This week Edgewater Stonemasons began masonry repairs to the Church of the Good Thief in Portsmouth Village, Kingston. Work will focus on the buttresses lining both sides of the nave, as well as repointing and consolidating the bell tower.

The Church of the Good Thief was designed by Irish architect Joseph Connolly and construction completed in 1894 at a cost of $14,297. The Kingston Limestone in which the church was built was quarried by inmates from the Penitentiary and carried to the building site. Each man was paid a wage of .25c per day.

The church is named after St. Dismas, who was crucified with Jesus Christ and is said to be the only man canonized by Him. For many years this was the only church in the world named after Dismas.

July 24, 2012

July 01, 2012

This dry stone retaining wall was constructed in reclaimed Kingston Limestone. In its previous incarnation, the stone had been part of a wall on the shores of Lake Ontario that had been slated for demolition. The material has a unique weathering that can be attributed to the constant exposure to the elements coming in off the lake, which we preserved as much as possible throughout our work on the wall.

The three foot high wall is interrupted by Limestone steps that provide access to the upper terrace. At the end of the wall is a four foot high battered gatepost that is mirrored with a matching gatepost on the opposite side of the driveway.

In the place of traditional coping stones, the wall was capped with turf that extends out over the top of the wall, and serves to integrate the new wall with the terrace above. Combined with the weathered stone, this gives the wall the appearance of having existed here for many years.

Edgewater Stonemasons is a Kingston-based firm specializing in natural stonework. We are a member of Dry Stone Walling Across Canada (formerly the Dry Stone Wall Association of Canada) and work with clients to design and build dry stone projects in a variety of forms and materials.