IF STONE COULD SPEAK

FROM THE THAMES TO ETERNITY
Our If Stone Could Speak pavilion and event programme celebrates the installation of the From the Thames to Eternity project outside St Paul’s Cathedral.

ABOUT THE
PROJECT

A cultural placemaking programme about STONE, CRAFT, BELONGING and its story in the City of London.

The pavilion and events programme celebrate granite stones re-purposed as new seating outside St Paul’s Cathedral.

The programme by The City of London Corporation, Cheapside Business Alliance, and URBAN LEARNERS encourages discussion about reuse, longevity and heritage.

Why Stone? Why Now?
At a time when cities are rethinking how they build — and what they build with — From the Thames to Eternity offers a quietly radical proposition: that the most sustainable material is often one already here. That reuse is not merely practical, but profound. And that in choosing to honour what came before, we build more thoughtfully for what comes next.

15th September

ARTISAN CRAFT FESTIVAL

St Paul’s Cathedral

Experience hands-on artisan techniques from experts and artists. Experiment with stone, actively explore paper sculpting and weaving, near historic granite stones repurposed as inclusive seating by St Paul’s Cathedral.


BOOK BY CLICKING HERE

The programme

The programme included a physical temporary pavilion and events programme exploring STONE in the City and celebrating the launch of new granite seating at St Paul’s Churchyard.

Each part of the programme, was curated so that, through stone, we tell the story of our place in the City, how it evolved, how it was made and, together, how it continues to be remade.

EXPAND TABS BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

CITY STONE
MAP
Close
Find Nearby Share Location Get Directions Close
If Stone Could Speak_MAPDownload

IF STONE
COULD SPEAK

PAVILION AND EVENTS PROGRAMME

A cultural placemaking programme about STONE, CRAFT, BELONGING and its story in
the City of London.

A pavilion and events programme exploring STONE in the City and celebrating the launch of new granite seating at St Paul’s Churchyard.

Through stone, URBAN LEARNERS tells the story of our place in the City, how it evolved, how it was made and, together, how it continues to be remade.

DIGITAL INTERACTIVE TRAIL
The walk traces London’s material history from its Roman origins to its Victorian infrastructure and beyond. You’ll discover the city’s hidden archive of stone and learn to read the streets in an entirely new way.

London is a city built in layers. Beneath the glass and steel of the contemporary skyline, beneath the Victorian grandeur of the Embankment and the Georgian streets of the Square Mile, lies a deeper archive: stone. Quarried, transported, laid, worn, broken and rebuilt — over and over — for two thousand years.
 
THE PAVILION
When imagining the Pavilion we considered the it as standing in stone that has been here for centuries, yet it is a structure that will be gone in weeks. Our place in this relationship? We are rooted in the present but the City is enduring.

These three words describe our thinking around the pavilion EPHEMERAL ETERNITY BELONGING

READ MORE

PAVILION

A pavilion and events programme exploring STONE in the City and celebrating the
launch of new granite seating at St Paul’s Churchyard.

This pavilion has been made from recycled aluminium, recycled 100% recycled GreenCast© acrylic, and reclaimed stone which will go on to be used in other projects. and buildings.

When imagining the Pavilion we considered the it as standing in stone that has been here for centuries, yet it is a structure that will be gone in weeks. Our place in this relationship? We are rooted in the present but the City is enduring.

These three words describe our thinking around the pavilion

EPHEMERAL
The condition reflecting the fleeting moment, this temporary structure passes through the festival month of June 2026.

ETERNITY
The backdrop. STONE, the City’s deep time, the geological and the ancient, the material that outlasts everything human.


BELONGING
The thing we feel between the ephemeral and the eternal. Not permanent, not fleeting, but rooted. Present. Here.


Sustainable Suppliers & Fabricators

URBAN LEARNERS created and built the pavilion structure with the support of several suppliers, specialists, makers, and crafts people using skills both ancient and modern.

PAYE Stonework & Restoration were fundamental partners to the realisation of this installation. Without their generous support, logistics, warehousing and good will this installation would not have been possible.

Thank You ❤

PAYE

The market leading stonework and restoration contractor in London and the South East, now proudly expanding into the North with a new office in York.
With decades of experience in the market, both as Principal Contractor and Sub-Contractor, we approach every type of project with a wealth of experience, a passion for our craft and a proven track record of delivering on time and on budget

Green Cast


Green Cast® – Exclusive to Amari Plastics
100% recycled and 100% recyclable cast acrylic sheets complying with ISO 7823.1. It is long-lasting and looks, performs, and fabricates just like virgin acrylic. With the same optical, mechanical and thermal characteristics as virgin acrylic, it can be recycled back to raw material without losing any of its original properties.

Sintrex


Sintrex®
Is the material used in the exhibition boards which is made 100% from recycled plastic and can be recycled. Advanced Digital Graphics printed the information boards for the Pavilion and we thank them for their kind support and generosity.

Heyne Tillett Steel


Our engineers share an enthusiasm for designing innovative, elegant and sustainable solutions to complex engineering problems. We’re a multi-disciplinary practice, working as an integrated team to provide the right expertise, at the right moment, for every project.
‘Total engineering’ is central to our approach; taking a holistic view of design and construction, including temporary works, we anticipate challenges and deliver solutions that reduce costs, programme length and embodied carbon.

EVENTS
The complementary events programme produced by URBAN LEARNERS comprises several engagement opportunities across the month of June 2026 which include Expert led Talks, Family Tours, Craft Activities, Stone Life Cycle Workshops, Stonemasonry Workshops, and City Stone Tours.

BOOK HERE

FROM THE THAMES
TO ETERNITY

FROM THE THAMES TO ETERNITY

The story of reclaimed granite stone, its journey from the Thames embankment and
its re-purposing as seating, now outside St Paul’s Cathedral.

HISTORY OF THE STONES
The story of these granite benches begins with the Great Stink of 1858, caused by raw sewage flowing into the River Thames. In response Sir Joseph Bazalgette designed a grand plan for a London sewer system.

This required a new embankment wall for parts of the River Thames, which was built with granite quarried mainly in Cornwall and Scotland. When sections of the river wall were removed for London’s new sewer, hundreds of granite stones were salvaged. These historic building components have been carefully re-used so that they can contribute to many more projects over the next thousand years.

RE-USE

To provoke public discussion about material lifespan, circularity and cultural heritage.

The aim is to retain London’s resources within London, in order to reduce imported materials, and to enrich our inhabitation of
the city.

Photo by Clive Totman

GRANITE

The project emphasises the stone itself.

Granite is particularly durable, and these stones could last for thousands of years and contribute to dozens of buildings and structures over this time.

Photo by Clive Totman

PUBLIC SEATING

Twenty one repurposed and adapted granite stones are now at their new home, at St Paul’s Churchyard – and launched during the London Festival of Architecture 2026.

Photo by Clive Totman

The new seating is a City of London Corporation project designed
and made by Matthew Barnett Howland (CSK Architects), Oliver
Wilton (UCL), PAYE, ETH Zurich, OZRUH, formDP, and documented
by TFF Productions and KerbSide Collection Podcasters.
PROJECT FILM
PROJECT PODCAST
MORE ABOUT PROJECT

THANK YOU
FEEDBACK

PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

CLICK HEART TO FEEDBACK

Let us know how you enjoyed the events, activities, talks, tours.
Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload
We'd love to see and share your work, please do feel free to upload.
What did you enjoy? Tick as many or as few as you like
Where do you live?
If you would like us to keep in touch with you, please add your email address
URBAN LEARNERS are a not-for-profit 
arts, architecture, education agency
dedicated to improving heritage and 
cultural opportunities for 
communities, children, and young 
people.

Instagram

MEET THE PROJECT
PARTNERS

CLICK ON LOGOS TO FIND OUT MORE

THE CITY OF LONDON

At the City of London Corporation we’re proud of our role. We’re the governing body of the Square Mile and our work goes beyond that of a local authority and our impact echoes far beyond these boundaries. We’re dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, and our work contributes to a diverse and sustainable London as well as a globally successful UK.

The past, present and future of the City

A historically significant location in the midst of an area of constant and rapid change, Cheapside is a special place.
At Cheapside Business Alliance (CBA), our mission is to support local businesses, improve public spaces and welcome visitors to this vibrant corner of the capital.

URBAN LEARNERS

An award winning, not-for-profit, education art, architecture, and design agency dedicated to improving creative, heritage, and cultural opportunities for Communities, Children, and Young People.

URBAN LEARNERS is an award winning, not-for-profit, education and design agency dedicated to improving creative, heritage, and cultural opportunities for Communities, Children, and Young People.

About
Catalogue
Impact
Resources
Community