There is in Britain an extraordinary tradition of letter carving and memorial art going back hundreds of years. There were Roman inscriptions carved here, and we can still admire the informal, pre-industrial elegance ofeighteenth-century tombstones. Thanks to Eric Gill, letter carving played a major role in the revival of classically-informed lettering led by Edward Johnston in the early twentieth century. Today there are probably some eighty or so freelance letter carvers in the UK whose work ranges from the humble house sign to memorials, architectural lettering, sculpture and public art. This joint talk will put the craft of the lettercarver in context and look at trends over the past few decades, including the establishment of Harriet Frazer’s organisation Memorials by Artists.
John Neilson has been practising as a letter carver and letter designer for over twenty years, and is editor of the lettering journal Forum.
Harriet Frazer MBE founded Memorials by Artists in 1988 with the aim of helping people from all walks of life to collaborate with the finest lettercarvers in the making of well designed memorials and other lettered works. The Memorial Arts Charity was registered in 1998 to enable lettercarving to flourish again by running short workshops across the UK and an Apprenticeship Scheme. .