PRINCE Michael of Kent enjoyed a guided tour of Canterbury Cathedral's stonemasons workshops and tried his hand at their craft.

His visit to the Shelford works at Broad Oak was staged ahead of an international stonemasons festival this coming weekend which is expected to attract 15,000 visitors to the Cathedral.

During his visit Prince Michael was shown the simple processes employed by stonemasons to create complex designs on blocks of stone.

The Prince revelled in the opportunity to try his own hand at the carving, chiseling into a block of stone, and was impressed by its smooth surfaces and malleable qualities.

Chipping away at the stones' six faces the stonemasons spend their time working on intricate designs which are then used to restore the Cathedral.

The Prince was given demonstrations of the tools used ranging from 100-year-old wooden mallets to a two-man chainsaw.

Around 80 stonemasons from all over Europe will be making their way to Canterbury this weekend for the festival where they will work on a fountain for Strode Park in Herne.

Following the tour of the Shelford works the Prince was escorted to the Cathedral where he admired the most recent restoration work on the east porch.

The Prince was also given a tour of the Cathedral Precincts and shown examples of current restoration projects.

The stonemasons' festival runs from 9am-5.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. As well as watching masons at work, there will be an exhibition on the Cathedral's historic carvings and stained glass studio, demonstrations by woodturners and a blacksmith and musical entertainment.