Explore our unique special interest range of stone carving workshops. Unearth ancient artistry, unlock profound skill, and ignite your spirit.
Special Interest Retreats
Explore our pricing packages designed to bring exquisite stone artistry to your space with lasting value.
Irish Heritage and Culture
Five Day
Tailor made for groups from 4-6 students
The Operative Freemason
Five Day
Tailor made for groups from 4-6 students
The Connoisseur’s Classical Carving
Five Day
Tailor made for groups from 4-10 students
Themed Elixir Collections
Niche and Special Interest Retreats: Journeys into Craft and Heritage
Our Niche and Special Interest Retreats offer focused, immersive experiences that dive deeply into esoteric traditions, specific cultural legacies, and advanced philosophical carving styles. These workshops are uniquely designed for those who seek to connect their craft not just to technique, but to history, identity, and profound intellectual lineage.
Each multi-day journey is an invitation to explore a specialized facet of masonry, led by a Master with unparalleled expertise in the subject.
Suggested Exclusive Journeys
Currently featured journeys include:
- Irish Heritage and Culture: The Irish-American Legacy Project, connecting participants with the ancestral stone traditions and deep cultural heritage of the West of Ireland.
- The Operative Freemason: The Masonic Operative Pilgrimage, a focused immersion into the esoteric traditions and symbolic work central to the lineage of operative stonemasonry.
- The Connoisseur’s Classical Carving: A deep dive into the 17th and 18th-century principles of Harmonic Proportion and classical form, appealing to architects, designers, and students of Neoclassicism.
Our Elixir European and Global Retreats and Intellectual Masterclasses can be taken individually or as part of a tailored group exploring a style or culture in more depth. Below are some suggested journeys, or you may contact us to craft your own bespoke program.
Thirty Day Exclusive Stone Carving Tour: Welcome to “Stones of the Isles”: An Exclusive Carving Journey
£19,500.00
In the tradition of the travelling Court of old we explore over the course of a year in six workshops across these Anglo-Celtic-Norman Isles the stylistic and cultural differences and similarities and the national cultures that make up the British and Irish Isles.
Thirty Day Exclusive Stone Carving Tour: Norman/Medieval churches and castles
£19,500.00
This grouping highlights sites with significant military and architectural heritage, emphasizing strategic coastal defense and the resulting durable stone construction.
France: Caen (William the Conquerors chosen capital); St. Malo (Walled city and historic port); Northern Ireland: Carrickfergus (Major Norman Castle); Wales: Pembroke (Pembroke Castle); Channel Islands: Sark; England: North Norfolk
Forty Day Exclusive Stone Carving Tour: The Celtic Connection
£21,500
This group focuses on regions with strong, shared Celtic history, often expressed in ancient stone monuments, medieval churches, and traditional stone architecture. These areas share linguistic, cultural, and spiritual links dating back to the Dark Ages.
Ireland: County Mayo, Ennis (County Clare), Arran Islands, Carrickfergus (Northern Ireland); Wales: Pembroke, Abergavenny; Scotland: Edinburgh; France: St. Malo (Brittany)
15 Day Exclusive Stone Carving Tour: Mediterranean Crossroads: East Meets West
£10,500.00
This group focuses on locations with a history of significant interaction and architectural/cultural blending between different major influences, particularly Christian and Islamic, or distinct trading empires.; Cyprus: Famagusta (Crusader/Lusignan architecture overlaid with Ottoman influence, e.g., mosques converted from Gothic cathedrals.); Italy: Giudecca, Venice (A key trading hub that connected Europe with the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, influencing architecture and craftsmanship, specifically the blending of European Gothic with Eastern motifs.)
15 Day Exclusive Stone Carving Tour: Renaissance and High-Craft Centres
£10,500.00
This focuses on areas famous for specific high-level artisanal skills where craftsmanship was formalized and highly valued, relevant to fine stone-cutting and sculptural work. Italy: Cremona (World-renowned historically for fine violin making—a craft requiring exceptional precision and material knowledge.); Italy: Giudecca, Venice (Centre of glass-making, architecture, and sculpture.); France: Bordeaux (Significant Classical and Neoclassical architecture from the 18th century.)