Grinling Gibbons Tercentenary

Today marks the tercentenary of master carver Grinling Gibbons' death, and to celebrate his extraordinary works and lasting legacy a number of events, exhibitions and talks will be taking place across the country and throughout the year. Clunie has contributed pieces to both Centuries in the Making and Art & Ornament.

Exhibitions open now include:

‘Centuries in the Making’
Centuries in the Making will explore the influences that shaped Gibbons’ vision, skills and technique, and the stylistic and cultural influences he brought to this country. Works have been assembled from national museums, regional collections, historic houses and some international lenders, and combined with contemporary artworks.
Bonhams 3rd - 27th August
Compton Verney 24th September - 30th January 2022

‘Art & Ornament’
The Master Carvers’ Association celebrate the anniversary of the great carver’s death with a demonstration of current practice and the living legacy of his influence. They have brought together carvers, musicians, poets, painters, turners and makers to showcase the multi-disciplinary legacy he’s left behind.
St Mary Abchurch 2nd - 20th August
The Dutch Church 23rd August - 3rd September

‘Monuments to Glory’
York Minster are celebrating the tercentenary with a year-long photographic exhibition which will be complemented by a sculpture trail focusing on three monuments that Gibbons produced for the cathedral - of Archbishops Dolben, Lamplugh and Sterne - placing these in the contect of his life and wider work.
1st August 2021 - 31st July 2022

More information can be found at The Grinling Gibbons Society website, including information about Gibbons, further events, talks and tours.

Restoration of the Master's Chair of the Joiners & Ceilers Company at the V&A

A comparison of the original finial (left) and the replacement finial (right).

Clunie Fretton recently completed the restoration of the Master’s Chair of the Worshipful Company of Joiners & Ceilers, an extraordinarily intricate piece of furniture made in 1754 by Edward Newman, a Past Master of the Company.

The chair had sustained significant losses to the chair-back, particularly of the heraldic elements, which Clunie was asked to re-carve and finish in keeping with the rest of the piece.

A full record of the work can be found in her article for the V&A’s Conservation Journal here.

FHS Early Careers Talk With Ada de Wit

Fretton Handley will be giving a talk on carving with Ada de Wit of the Wallace Collection this evening at 6PM in the Artworker’s Guild for members of the Furniture History Society’s Early Careers Visits, as part of their ‘Furniture Fundementals’ lecture series. The series is led by various lecturers in different fields pertaining to the study, creation and restoration of furniture, and are ideal for anybody passionate about the subject looking for more in depth information and the chance to meet and get to know others at the beginnings of their careers.

The talk will cover Britain’s love affair with limewood and the works of Grinling Gibbons, and the practical processes involved in carving.

Livery Companies' Skills Council - Journeyman Carver

On the 26th of February Clunie Fretton was awarded the Livery Companies’ Skills Council for Journeyman Carver by the Lord Mayor Charles Bowman on behalf of the Joiners & Ceilers Company. The Master Certificate Scheme partners with the Joiners & Ceilers Company, the Master Carvers Association and the City & Guilds of London Institute, aiming to encourage the pursuit of excellence in the field of carving.

Clockwise from top: Master Joiner Lawrence Fildes, Past Master Derek Woods, Master Carver Paul Ferguson, Journeyman Carver Clunie Fretton, Master Roger Poulton, Master Carver Hugh Wedderburn

Lincoln Cathedral Heritage Skills Festival Demonstration

Many thanks to everyone who visited us at Lincoln Cathedral’s Heritage Skills Festival. We were overwhelmed by the number of visitors and the amount of craft skill on display in the cathedral grounds.

Lincoln Heritage Skills Festival

Lincoln Cathedral will be hosting a Heritage Skills Festival on the cathedral grounds on the 23rd & 24th of June. The festival brings together every craft that once went into the construction of the cathedral, as well as their representative London Livery Companies. For two days there will be live demonstrations of blacksmithing, wood-turning, weaving, stained glass making, metal casting and stone and wood-carving, and many more trade skills, culminating in an auction on the afternoon of the 24th to raise money for the restoration of the cathedral.

Fretton Handley will be present demonstrating woodcarving on behalf of the Worshipful Company of Joiners & Ceilers, and offering up the two carvings here for the auction on the Saturday.

Don't miss out! Lincoln is one of the UK's finest cathedrals, and there is no better time to visit  it than when it's full of craftsmen happy to discuss their skills. Feel free to drop by and say hello!

Fretton Handley Feature in House & Garden

From left to right: Felix Handley, Robert Cox, Clunie Fretton

Photograph courtesy of Andrew Montgomery

We were thrilled to feature in this month's House & Garden as part of the Georgian Group's Splendour! Exhibition alongside Robert Cox of Adam Architecture, in which Christopher Boyle, Chairman of the Georgian Group discusses the exhibition, the Georgian Group, and the future of the craft.

For the full article, visit: House & Garden

Photograph courtesy of Andrew Montgomery

Photograph courtesy of Andrew Montgomery

Splendour! Exhibition

Fretton Handley are displaying select pieces in the beautiful Splendour! Exhibition run by the Georgian Group alongside many other talented craftsmen and women. Splendour showcases and celebrates the continued practice of modern craft skills, anywhere from furniture making, to carving to shell-work, with a particular focus on young people in craft. Held in the Robert Adam designed building, the exhibition gives a feel of stepping back into the past, while promoting knowledge of niche and craft skills in the present.

Exhibition open from 2-25th February 2017

Opening times:

Wed-Sat 12-6pm
Sun 12-4pm

The Georgian Group
6 Fitzroy Square
London
W1T 5DX
0207529 8920