Letter to the Editor of Architects' Journal

I was delighted to read a letter sent to the editor of the Architect's Journal by the Warden of New College, Oxford, about my work on the new Gradel Building at New College. He specifically referenced the full-scale carving I did of William of Wykenham, which was certainly a labour of love.

Here is the text again:

24 th March 2024
To: Architects’ Journal
RE: New College Gradel Quad

Dear Sir,

I just wanted to add one point to your article on our new Gradel Quadrangles at New College.

I think it is a pleasure rarely afforded to a client these days to see how craft can impact on architecture – in an age where brick walls arrive in sheets to be installed on building sites. The carving associated with our Quadrangles is a true lesson. My visits to the studio of the stone cutter, Fergus Wessel, repeatedly to view the progress of his work on our gargoyles was an affirmation for me of a view of the world which more than ever is desperately needed– which reverences materials and their working.

To brief Fergus to create a life size 21st-century statue of a 14th-century Bishop – William of Wykeham – was not casually undertaken, but it was beautifully completed. Lettering in English, Latin, and Greek, was carved with classic discipline and consciousness of form. God is in the details: and the details all sing in harmony with the larger song of the architectural concept.

Yours sincerely,
Miles Young
Warden