Radio National Breakfast Changing Australia: Bianca Taylor and paving the way for female stonemasons
Mar 17, 2026
Bianca Taylor, founder of TaylorMade Heritage Restoration and South Australia’s first qualified female stonemason, shares her journey into a hands-on, heritage trade. She recounts learning on-site, restoring historic buildings, training overseas at Exeter Cathedral, launching her business at 20, and campaigning to get more women into stonemasonry.
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Working Through Family Cancer During Apprenticeship
- Bianca balanced starting an apprenticeship with her mum undergoing breast cancer treatment and even went to work the day of her mum's double mastectomy.
- Her mum's resilience and insistence on normal routine motivated Bianca to keep going and start her trade.
Reading Buildings Like Historical Documents
- Reading historic buildings requires both records and detective work when records are missing, combining archive searches with on-site clues.
- For rural cottages without records, Bianca traces family names, letters, and material sources like river sand to reconstruct methods.
Spotting Different Hands In Stonework
- Bianca finds masons' workmanship and transitions visible on sites, like a pro mason's work followed by 'cowboys' who finished walls to get houses habitable.
- These physical signatures tell stories about workforce skill, timelines, and urgency during construction.