The Remarkable Pinwill Sisters (Buildings Section)

Open to all

To be held by Zoom video conferencing

Dr Helen Wilson, Chair of the Buildings Section, will give a talk on her long-term research project entitled “From ‘Lady Woodcarvers’ to Professionals: The Remarkable Pinwill Sisters”.

The Pinwill sisters, Mary, Ethel and Violet, learnt to carve as teenagers, during the restoration of their father’s church at Ermington, Devon. With the patronage of architect Edmund H. Sedding, they established a professional woodcarving business, Rashleigh, Pinwill & Co. in 1890, which later relocated to Plymouth. After about 1907, Violet ran the business single-handedly, with a workforce of nearly 30 carvers and joiners, establishing one of the best wood and stone carving companies in the West Country. Helen has now written a book on the Pinwills, providing a well-illustrated account of this fascinating story.

Important notes

To join this meeting, please contact the Organiser (details below) before Monday 17 May. You will in due course be sent instructions on how to log in etc. Please don’t worry if you are not familiar with the Zoom software. It is quite straightforward to use and does not involve any expense. You will be able to log in a few minutes before the start of the lecture.

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