James Bambridge – Master Builder was recruited in 1979 by the Very Rev. James Parks Morton to begin the construction of the two towers on the west front of the cathedral. He was recommended to Dean Morton by colleagues at the Liverpool Cathedral. No one could have been better at the task of drawing out each of the 24,000 stones required to finish the two 80 meter towers. Bambridge supervised the recent completion of the Liverpool Cathedral. He arrived in New York with sterling credentials.
Before 10 years at Liverpool, there were repairs to the bomb damaged buildings in England, including the Houses of Parliament. He also worked in Canada and was the Master Mason for restoration work at the Anglican Cathedral in St. Johns, Newfoundland. He often related stories of work in sub zero temperatures getting a stone set before the mortar froze. After Liverpool he worked on the Wells Cathedral, where he served as master mason.
Early in his career, he served a stone masonry apprenticeship with Trollop & Colls in London. Bambridge worked through all the tasks as mason (banker mason/stone cutter) fixer (stone setter) and then extensively as a “Setter Out”. This entailed working drawings, layout, template making and job tickets. He was apprenticed to the legendary Harry Biggs. He spoke often of what he had learned from him and other craftsmen of extraordinary ability like Bert Possey and Fred Lowne.
Initial Tasks
Initially the 1929 revised drawings were reviewed by Jim Bambridge – Master Builder. These were the plans of architect Ralph Adams Cram whose firm took over design in 1907 from Heins & LaFarge. He was also searching for a professional foreman who could train the soon to be hired apprentices.
“It’s a mighty satisfying kind of work, a lad can look up at a building years later and point to a stone he shaped. We number all the stones and the lad actually knows which ones he did.”
-James Bambridge
Applications for the initial five apprentice jobs were mounting at Dean Morton’s office. Telephone lines were jammed said Odessa Elliot, secretary to the Dean. The list would eventually go to Mr. Bambridge. He commented, “It’s a mighty satisfying kind of work, a lad can look up at a building years later and point to a stone he shaped. We number all the stones and the lad actually knows which ones he did.” In Liverpool, Mr. Bambridge trained eight young men to be journeyman masons, a three year process. Many others stayed for shorter periods.
Master Builder – What It Means
Throughout much of history, there was no distinction between architects, engineers, and builders. Instead, an individual – the master builder – conceived of the form and materials of a building at the outset. That individual followed it through until construction came to an end. He or she took responsibility for all of the challenges that arose during the project. This kind of continuity throughout the life of a project is intuitively beneficial.
Generations and civilizations from the Egyptians to Renaissance Europeans produced structures on a scale which still have the power to impress today. For the most part, they did so with little or no use of scientific principles. What set them apart was a deep knowledge of precedent. They learned what had and had not worked before. Many of the world’s great monuments, from the Parthenon to Brunelleschi’s Dome at the Florence Cathedral, were built this way.
Achieving the status of Master builder required a long and dedicated apprenticeship. Stonemasons would start as boys or young men as assistants to the current masters. An apprentice needed to prove themselves as quick and able learners. Beyond the craft skills, they needed to be able to handle personnel, clients and financiers. The master builder model began to dissolve toward the end of the Renaissance. Individuals and laws began to differentiate between the art of architecture, the science of engineering, and the craft of building.
Steven Boyle and Joseph Kincannon contributed to this post.