S McConnell & Sons Ltd is a third-generation stonemasonry company based in Kilkeel, Co. Down. Providing services such as stone manufacturing, stone prefiling, stone repairs and maintenance, stone restoration and historic building conservation, the family-run business boasts an impressive portfolio which includes the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in London’s Hyde Park and the Albert Memorial Clock in Belfast.
From humbling beginnings, S McConnell & Sons Ltd has grown to become one of Northern Ireland’s leading stone specialists, working with stone for almost 60 years. Sam McConnell founded the business in 1960 and was soon joined by his sons Wesley, Harvey and Leslie. Their sons Alan, Stephen, Raymond, Kenneth and Desmond are now spearheading the company’s expansion, whilst maintaining the family’s proud stonemasonry tradition at the same time.
“Our grandfather started out making flowerpots and headstones by hand. He hammered the stone all day using a hammer and chisel,” Alan McConnell explains.
“He also made plinth stones and kerb stones, and was helped by his sons after school. Sam had four sons – Wesley (Alan and Stephen’s father), Harvey (Raymond, Kenneth and Desmond’s father), Leslie and William John – who all followed him into the business except for William John who went on to do missionary work. Dry stone walling was another thing they did before Sam landed a big job in the Silent Valley Reservoir in 1977, doing the dressing of the stone on the face of the Lower Dam.
“The work involved removing stone from the breast of the Dam and replacing it with quarry stone and concrete, lifting and relaying the breast of the Dam. The contract, which was for Belfast Water Commissioners, lasted seven years and was worth £350,000. That was big money at the time, especially for a small business like ours which had been struggling a wee bit until then.”
Alan continues: “They were then awarded a second job in the Silent Valley which involved cutting lime treatment stone. A Sidrel saw with a 2.7 metre blade for cutting stone was purchased for this purpose in 1983, but sadly our grandfather didn’t live to see it in action. That marked a big change in our company’s story as everything was done by hand up until then.”
Nowadays, state-of-the-art technology such as CNC technology is used, combined with highly skilled stone masons and carvers. In the late 1990s, S McConnell & Sons Ltd was awarded the contract to restore the iconic Albert Memorial Clock in Belfast. The multimillion-pound project was completed in 2002 and involved the replacing of decayed carvings and the cleaning of the entire tower.
“We ordered our first Omega CNC cutting machine for the Albert Clock project. Its superior cutting accuracy helped to speed up the innate cutting process. Pieces of the clock, such as the four lions in each corner, were precisely replicated using the equipment. We were honoured to receive a Natural Stone Award in London for our work on the project in 2003,” Alan recalls.
S McConnell & Sons Ltd invested in a further two CNC machines after successfully tendering for the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in 2003. Cornish granite was brought to the family’s workshop in the Mourne Mountains where it was cut using the powerful and sophisticated sawing and milling machines which are controlled by computer. Sections of the Memorial were built at a time, then each piece was numbered and transported by sea to its destination in Hyde Park. It took 32 weeks to make the 545 individual pieces.
The firm also worked on the Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire. The demanding design required 16,000 names to be cut into the walls of curved and straight limestone. The final dedication service took place in October 2007 and was attended by the Queen. S McConnell & Sons Ltd also undertook the delicate procedure of cleaning, replacing much of the stonework and building a new staircase at Stormont Castle. For another project at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, the firm made a template of one window and then was able to make the stone for all the windows, in a fraction of the time and without human error.
Other prestigious projects have included the refurbishment of the Connaught Hotel in London, the Bomber Command Memorial in London (Prince Charles paid the S McConnell & Sons team a visit during the works), Victoria Square in Belfast, Guild Hall in Londonderry / Derry, Waterford Museum and Ashford Castle in Co. Mayo.
S McConnell & Sons Ltd employs 70 highly-skilled and professional staff who are involved in stone cutting, stone carving, stone manufacturing, installation and administration. The company works with clients from design stage to contract completion, thereby offering a complete turnkey solution.
“We provide a complete service, from bringing the raw materials from the quarry to doing the shaping and manufacturing in the workshop to the installation at the end. We combine the traditional craft of stonemasonry with innovative hi-tech facilities to produce the most intricate of stone work and have full in-house design and drawing facilities. We have a wealth of experience and prides ourselves on our workmanship and quality,” Alan concludes.
S McConnell & Sons Ltd
Carginagh Road,
Kilkeel,
Co. Down,
BT34 4QA.
Telephone: 028 4176 3717
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, June 2017, Vol 3 No 5
