Robin Golden-Hann
by Mirka Golden-Hann
There comes a moment in many peoples lives when they realise that they can no longer take orders from those who know less about their work than themselves, if you know what I mean?
After working for nine or so years, this moment come upon my husband Robin. One might think that he was lucky to be part of the team restoring of one of the most beautiful buildings in England, Salisbury Cathedral, where interesting work for a stonemason is in abundance. A job for life, like painting the Forth Bridge. Only stones and men are brave enough to tear off and roll into the unknown; Robin started to feel the need to tear off too, to explore the potential within that was more or less capped by work at the Cathedral.
Growing up in the Cathedral City of Wells informed his aesthetic subconscious, inhabiting a medieval fantasy world of gargoyles, pinnacles, turrets and statues. As he recalls there was little to do in Wells during his childhood, so he spent much of his time exploring the Cathedral and it’s surroundings; subsequently when faced with the decision about what course his working life would take he chose to study the City and Guilds stone masonry and architectural carving course in Weymouth. This not only fulfilled his ambition to excel at a traditional craft, but also the desire to travel. Stonemasons were traditionally a travelling lot, going from cathedral to castle to church throughout the world. Up until the 19th Century practically all substantial and important buildings were constructed of stone. After qualifying, Robin worked for Hibbits and Sons in Cambridge, a long established 3rd generation family firm of ecclesiastical masons. From there he journeyed to postcommunist Czechoslovakia and the medieval cathedral in Kolin and other projects in Prague. Working abroad satiated the desire of the journeyman stonemason, whilst gaining valuable experience. His employer had little in the way of machinery and the majority of stone splitting and cutting was carried out exactly as it was when the Romans built their empire. Then an opportunity presented itself which was to have long reaching implications. Whilst still at Cambridge, Robin had introduced himself to David Kindersley, one of the outstanding lettering artists of the 20th century, who, by good fortune had his renowned workshop along the same road as Hibbits and Sons in Cambridge! After several enthusiastic letters David & Lida Kindersley finally relented and offered Robin a place in their workshop. This was to prove to be the finest possible grounding in letter-cutting in stone and slate. The workshop has a long tradition of training letter-cutters to an exceptional standard, and presented Robin with a sense of discipline he felt his craft had so far lacked.
Everything at the Kindersley’s had to be right, there was no such thing as “good enough” People from all artistic backgrounds were taken on as “improvers” and learnt many skills. However, a great emphasis was always placed upon design and composition. It was a very inspiring time, where Robin realised his talent and passion for lettering in stone.
Having spent three years at the Kindersley workshop it was time to move on. The time wasn’t right to start up on his own, so in 1995 he accepted a position at Salisbury Cathedral to work on the restoration of its magnificent West Front. Alongside his work for the Cathedral, Robin developed an impressive portfolio of lettercutting works; private commissions as well as outside jobs for the Cathedral works department. The peak of his cathedral endeavours was the commissioning of a ledger memorial stone to the late Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath, which is laid in the cathedral floor. This was also the pivotal piece in Robin’s practice that helped him decide he was ready to start up on his own and concentrate on lettering work. He started his business in April 2006. It seemed to be a good idea to create an artistic business partnership, as I am a potter, whilst keeping the two branches of the practice separate. My side of the practice has been established some six years so it was just a question of developing Robin’s. Having contacts with many of the masonry firms from his time at the Cathedral was certainly an advantage. Suffice to say the best form of advertising is word of mouth and many crafts people working predominantly on commission work swear by this. Robin was told by many stonemasons and other craftsmen alike that during their first year of trading there had been lean times, but gradually work come flooding in, chiefly through recommendations.
Letter carving appears to be a very modest craft in this day and age, although the British Isles has an especially well developed tradition of lettering arts. Perhaps the most obvious and visible form of carved stone lettering that we would all be familiar with are the extraordinary old gravestones to be found in our churchyards. Headstones, as we would recognise them, are easily found that date back to the 17th century, each works of art in their own right, recording the lives and histories of our forbears. The tradition of the local artist/carver working to vernacular designs in locally sourced materials has, however, long been under threat. The gradual utilitarianism of memorial design started perhaps as early as the mid- 19th century. Memorial firms started to offer clients standard designs from copy-books, the railways meant that stones could be easily transported great distances and we began to see the increased use of foreign materials, chiefly Italian marble. Furthermore, lettering styles were reduced to a simple block style so that they could be cut faster by the mason. Recent years have seen an unprecedented escalation of this trend as polishable granites and marbles from India, China and Korea flood into the country and advanced computer programmes and sand blasting techniques mean that an unskilled operative can learn how to make a finished memorial within a matter of hours. Mercifully there have been pioneers along the way dedicated to the preservation of the old skills, notably the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century, who profoundly influenced Eric Gill, a man seen by many as responsible for kick starting the renaissance of interest for well designed handcarved lettering in the 20th century. Amongst Eric Gill’s apprentices in his famous Ditchling workshop was a young David Kindersley, the man who years later was to become Robin’s mentor. With this pedigree Robin was fortunate enough to be taken on by the only national organisation dedicated to promoting the work of artist-carvers. Memorials by Artists exists to help those bereaved, dissatisfied with the choice offered by most funeral directors/ monumental masons, to find a suitable artist who is willing to work according to the client’s wishes. The sister organisation, The Memorial Arts Charity, seeks to raise the profile of these artists through exhibitions, and encourages the training of letter-cutters through lectures and practical workshops. Curiously, it seems that as mass production and computerisation become dominant, there is a growing interest in doing things the “hard way”, mirroring perhaps the circumstances that led to the creation of the original Arts and Crafts movement, which was itself a reaction against increasing industrialisation. Thankfully there is still a healthy demand for high quality craftsmanship and enough discerning members of the public who can appreciate the difference between soulless mechanically produced inscriptions and work created with passion. Letter forms offer many themes to be studied, explored and interpreted.
“It helps if you are slightly obsessed by letters” Robin admits. “We are so used to seeing letters as just utilitarian vehicles for the transmission of information, we forget they can be things of beauty in their own right, capable of expressing ideas and emotion beyond the mere words they represent”. Through the hands of a skilled artist such a thing is possible. Within his creative practice Robin’s aim is to communicate this passion to those who see his work.
