Ronald Douglas Coppin, a young but keen stonemason with an eye for perfection creates Coppins Ltd at the arches in Bow, East London. His firm soon becomes an established business, known amongst Londoners as the ‘go to’ spot for quality stonework’s requirements. So much so that Ronald Douglas is asked to complete a hand carved fireplace for The White House. Unfortunately, the ship carrying the piece sinks and the fireplace is lost at sea.

The Coppins stonemasons won’t shy away from bespoke and challenging projects and soon become synonymous with fine craftsmanship, knowledge and value.

It’s time for the next generation. Ronald Terence Coppin is keen to follow in his father’s footsteps. He is well known for training his stonemasons to the high standards set by his father. Quality is precious. If a piece is not perfect, it needs to be remade, from scratch, and the price will be deducted from his masons pay packet. Ronald Terence moves the factory to bigger premises in Stratford, East London. A site so vast, many remember getting lost in.

In 1986 the company passes down to his sons, Ronald Charles and Terence Ronald, to become R. Coppins & Sons. It is now open to the public and for the first time customers can purchase direct from the factory. With brothers working side by side and their parents running the office, Coppins stonemasons truly becomes a family run business.

Fourteen years later Ronald Charles, now with a family of his own, decides to move the factory yet again, to Essex. All of the stonemasons follow, his wife joins him as the Company Secretary and soon, in 2009 his son Charles and daughter Roseanne begin to learn the secrets of the family trade.

Today you can still find Ronald Charles, director of R.C. Coppin Ltd in Braintree, teaching and sharing skills that his grandfather taught him.