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The restoration of ����Ӱҵ College’s most significant architectural and heritage asset is complete, following the installation of the cartouche on the Gate of Virtue this week.

The Gate underwent forensic restoration in 2022 – detailed on the College website and in – with one missing element, the cartouche. The carved tablet resembling a scroll is a decorative architectural feature which, on the Gate of Virtue, overlooks Caius Court.

“It’s been the cherry on the cake if you like, the last missing piece of the jigsaw to do,” says Master stonemason and carver Richard McCrone, owner and founder of and owner and director of .

The Gate of Virtue was built in the 1560s by Humfrey Lovell, Elizabeth I’s own Master Mason, highlighting John Caius’ connections to the Royal Court and the City of London.

The cartouche was so weathered that when it was removed from the Gate during the restoration in spring 2022, some of it disintegrated “like wheat-a-bix”. The poor condition of what may have been the Elizabethan original, or a Victorian copy of the original, necessitated extensive research and dialogue on the design.

Richard adds: “It was challenging because a lot of the detail was completely missing on the original cartouche. Even the fruits and leaves were sometimes not recognisable. I did a lot of research on the Gate of Virtue and the Elizabethan carvings there gave lots of clues as to what the fruits were. They were contemporary with that time. Quince and medlar, pears and plums. I was able to model them up and use them in this design and this final carving.”

After carefully drawing the design and creating acetate templates, Richard then had to carve away the stone layer by layer, patiently working to shape the stone from what began as three cuboid blocks.

While computer technology could have carved a version of the cartouche, it was felt a hand drawn, hand carved ‘live’ work was most appropriate to preserve the integrity of the Gate and its historical significance. The cartouche was funded by donors Eva (History 1982) and Roy Strasburger.

Richard, a stone mason for nearly 40 years, took inspiration from masons’ marks elsewhere on the Gate and added his own, to show the cartouche was with his own hand.

“It took eight weeks of carving, all by hand,” he adds. 

Master stonemason and carver Richard McCrone, owner and founder of and owner and director of , with the cartouche, which was displayed in the Junior Parlour at Caius on Monday and Tuesday before being installed on Wednesday.