MEMORIALS




Richard Kindersley
  

This country’s fine tradition of 18th and 19th century memorials has been usurped by a contemporary meanness of design. For the most part, memorial design is fossilised in an Art Deco style, full of reference to the popular taste of that time. The stasis is compounded by commercial requirements to produce designs that can be easily achieved by computer sawing, machine engraving and sandblasting. Shallow and indifferently carved letters are tastelessly filled with gold or lead in an attempt to redeem them.

Good memorial design is a combination of several important ingredients. The first is that when approached, the memorial should look a handsome object; it is after all a marker of somebody’s’ life. On closer inspection, the detailing should relate to the whole. The setting out of the inscription should respond to the shape of the stone; the lettering should be finely drawn and deeply cut. The carving must always be appropriate to the type of stone chosen. The reverse side of a memorial is an interesting area, often neglected care should be given to the back of memorials are not, after all, a single-sided stone notice. If mouldings are carved to the front, they should be carved to the back as well. The front is retained for the formal message of name and date but the back can be used to express more private thoughts and memories. Above all, the design should respond directly and uniquely to the person remembered.

The choice of stone is an important factor in the design. Britain has a wonderfully varied and rich range of slates, limestone, sandstone and granites. They can be smooth, fine, regular, rough, coarse, shelly or be any mixture of these other characteristics come into play, such as - what colour or texture of stone would best respond to the immediate environment? Which stone would be most appropriate for the person being commemorated? How much text is to be carved into the stone? A long inscription can only be accommodated by reducing the letter size and in turn, small letters require a finer-textured stone. These are fundamental questions that help determine the design. Some stones in sample form can look dull or uninspiring and yet spring vigorously to life and sparkle under the influence of the chisel when used full size. The narrow orthodoxy of choice epitomised in polished granite and marble has done much to undermine the pleasure of visiting graveyards with their serried ranks of polished gloom.  >
The charm of natural stones is the way they are effected by the elements A good design will respond to the way stone weathers producing a memorial that improves with age. Through the cycle of the seasons, sun, rain and frost impart their particular qualities; the memorial will take on the natural characteristics of its environment. Sometimes an extra embellishment of lichen will add its own patina to the stone. In short, a fine memorial results from a naturally weathered stone that has had its surface deeply carved with beautiful letters.

Richard Kindersley has helped restore the art of beautiful hand-carved memorials and examples of his work can be found all over the British Isles, in the churchyards, cemeteries, churches and Cathedrals of the country. He has also designed and carved major national memorials in St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey. His studio is open to visitors who are always welcome. Richard Kindersley has helped restore the art of beautiful hand-carved memorials and examples of his work can be found all over the British Isles, in the churchyards, cemeteries, churches and cathedrals of the country. He has also designed and carved major national memorials in St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey. His studio is open to visitors who are always welcome by appointment.

Memorial work