Pippa Westoby

I first developed my love of lettering during my graphics course at college. With the help of my tutors I taught myself basic calligraphy and was lucky enough to be accepted straight from college into the David Kindersley Workshop, where my lettering skills were sharpened and I was taught to carve letters in slate and stone.

After leaving the David Kindersley Workshop I went on to work with Tom Perkins for about 8 months. In 1997 I joined Ivett & Reed as their Letter Carver. I worked there for five years, and in that time I carved a great number of interesting and rather challenging stones - and not all to my liking!

I am now self-employed and with the help of Memorials by Artists, Cambridge Open Studios and Byard Art, my business is going from strength to strength. My work consists mainly of commissioned Memorials, although I also carve lettered garden ornaments, house plaques and signs, or anything that involves lettering in stone!

Job History

  • 2002 - Present : Self-employed Letter Carver

  • 1997 - 2002 : Ivett & Reed as their principal carver

  • 1995 - 1996 : Tom Perkins (Letter Carver)

  • 1993 - 1995 : The David Kindersley Workshop

  • 1991 - 1993 : HND in Graphic Design

Awards

NAMM Natural Stone Show Awards 2000 : Won ‘Best Slate’ and ‘Lettering Craftsmen’.    

Exhibitions                                           

  • Yearly exhibitor at Byard Art - Cambridge

  • ‘Living Letters’ - The Lettering Arts Centre, Snape Maltings

  • ‘Inspired by the word’ - The Jane Austen 200th anniversary exhibition, in Hampshire.

  • ‘In the beginning was the Word’ - Ely Cathedral

  • The Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail 2011

  • ‘Art & Memory Collection' at West Dean - Memorials by Artists

  • 'Art at the Park' - Croxton Park, Thetford

  • 'David Jones' - Wolselsey Fine Arts, London

  • 'Literary Quotations' - Wolselsey Fine Arts, London

  • 'Individual Characters' - The Bracknell Gallery

  • 'Letters of the Alphabet' - The Gallery, Cork Street, London

Prestigious Jobs  

  • Korean War Memorial (2014) - Lettering on the Portland stone obelisk.

  • Chelsea Flower Show (2009) : Lettering on two panels in the QVC garden by Adam Frost.

  • David Lloyd George Statue in Parliament Square (2007) - The lettering on the plinth.

  • Bronze profile memorial plaques of King George VI & The Queen Mother in Sandringham Church, set into Portland stone (2003) - The lettering on the stone around the edge.

  • Sherlock Holmes Statue outside Baker St Tube Station (1999) - The lettering on the plinth.

Contemporary headstones

Classical headstones

Memorial tablets

Children's memorials

Building plaques

Garden pieces

Gifts & celebratory