In the early 90s I bought a stone miniature of a snail on an Acanthus leaf from the Worcester Cathedral shop. It was the last one there and before I gave it to a friend I made a note of the maker: Martin Webb. Unfortunately I misplaced the details and did not find them again until last autumn, when I was delighted to discover that Martin Webb was still making miniatures and was now in business with his son Oliver.

The snail is a very accurate representation of a Cepaea. It is life-size and according to whether it has been painted with a dark band round the aperture it could be either C. nemoralis or C. hortensis, although the shape of the shell possibly more closely resembles C. hortensis. Mr Webb has now produced several miniatures hand-painted from the plates in J. W. Taylor's Monograph of the Land and Freshwater Mollusca of the British Isles (1907-1914).

Martin Webb is a retired stone mason and has worked extensively in Worcester where he spent many years working on the Guildhall, recarving much of the front of the building. As well as Corinthian capitals and cherubs etc., he also carved foliage panels and, unasked, put two snails onto some of these. Luckily his boss didn't notice them and the snails are still there!

As well as the snail miniature Martin and Oliver Webb produce over 60 different miniatures of bosses, figures and other attractive details from many of our cathedrals, abbeys and priories. They are made from a reconstituted stone using stone removed from the building during restoration work. Each miniature is cast from an original carving made by the Webbs, and is hand finished. The snails can be unpainted or hand-painted. Given a colour reference to follow, any variety of Cepaea can be produced to request. The overall length of the leaf is 9.5 cm. There may be a delay of 2 - 3 weeks for specific orders. As an indication, a hand-painted snail, with hanging loop, presentation box and certificate costs £8.50 plus post and packaging. A list of the currently available lines can be obtained by contacting them at:

Hill View, Hereford Road, Storridge, Near Malvern, Worcs, WR13 5EY

Tel: 0044 (0) 1886 880 391

Email: Web...@leisure.kc3ltd.co.uk

Special orders and personalised finishes can be arranged on a one-off basis and the Webbs are happy to discuss and quote for individual requirements.

Elizabeth Platts, Winchester