ROBERT EDGAR STONE
THE APPRENTICES RE Stone’s apprentices were: Albert Phillips, Raymond Archer, Norman Bassant, Ian Calvert, Alan Evans, Michael Winter, Peter McMillan Albert Phillips was Stone’s first apprentice and was recruited before World War II. According to Norman Bassant, ‘He was like a working machine – whether he was hammering or soldering he was a joy to watch.’ Christopher Lawrence who was a craftsman at Stone’s for around two years in the late 1950s/early 1960s was equally enthusiastic, ‘Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. What a craftsman, what a hammer man! You really learnt to hollow hammer [with him].’ Phillips left the craft when Stone closed his London workshop and went on to make weighing machines with zero tolerance, even though Stone had secured him a position in another leading silver workshop. Raymond (Ray) Archer was the first of the post-war apprentices. He completed his apprenticeship, but because of an accident in which he lost the use of one hand, he ceased to practice the craft. He emigrated to Canada and as at 2011 still lives in Ontario. Jean Breckenbridge, Stone’s daughter comments, ‘An excellent apprentice, his work being on a par with Norman Bassant.’ Alan Evans became an enameller at Gerald Benney’s workshop and as at 2013 is an enameller in Simon Benney’s workshop. Simon is one of Gerald’s sons. Michael Winter worked at Gerald Benney’s workshop for many years. Afterwards he went to work for Christopher Lawrence where in 1974 he won the Jacques Cartier Award for making Christopher’s fantasy piece, the Pumpkin Perfume Bottle (see Lawrence, p.290). Later he set up on his own. In addition to making up designs for Asprey and others, he specialised in making miniature models. His son Jonathan served his apprenticeship with his father before becoming an independent silversmith trading as Winter Silversmiths. Michael Winter has retired to St Lucia. Peter McMillan was Irish, but had been brought up in the UK. Not long after his apprenticeship had been completed he decided to settle in Ireland. The craftsmen who worked for RE Stone included Fred Davis, Ronald Spayne, Sidney Sparrow,22 Christopher Lawrence and John Limbrey (who went on to work for Robert Welch). In addition to giving training to apprentices, RE Stone was very sympathetic to young students wishing to 454
obtain workshop experience. As he had had the opportunity to work in both Paris and Helsinki, this was especially so with those from overseas. After World War II, because of trade union rules, it was difficult to take on foreign students. However, Stone’s workshop was non trade union, so the rules did not apply. The first student was Lars Carlson from Gothenburg, Sweden. He spent several months with Stone not long after the war. The next student was Einar Christopherson from Sandnes, Norway. He worked alongside Stone’s daughter Jean making jewellery. Both these men returned home to help run family silver and jewellery businesses. THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE SILVERSMITHING WORLD It is not a fact that is unique to the world of silver, but if a piece of silver bears the maker’s mark (technically the sponsor’s mark) of say, Fred Blogs, it does not mean that Mr Blogs actually made it. The piece may have been made by a craftsman employed in the said Blogs’ workshop, or Mr Blogs may have designed it and had the object made up by an independent silversmith. However, Mr Blogs or his deputy may have supervised its making and certainly would have approved the final piece. There is an army of craftsmen in the world of silver who are unsung heroes. They get no recognition for the work designed by others that they make up. Here are the lives of two of RE Stone’s apprentices who have served the craft for decades in the 20th century and into the 21st. Norman Bassant Norman Victor Bassant was born in Northfleet, Kent, during 1932. Having passed the entrance exam for the Gravesend School of Art23 he found during his studies there that, ‘working with metal seemed to gel with me’. Sidney Sparrow, one of RE Stone’s craftsmen, came to teach part-time at the School and seeing that his young student had an aptitude for silversmithing, suggested that Norman seek a position at Stone’s. ‘I started my apprenticeship on 1 September 1947. My daily routine was to catch the 6.32am train from Gravesend to Charing Cross, change to the underground and arrive to start work in Hammersmith at 8am.’ Some evenings he attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts (including Reginald Hill’s design classes) and did not arrive home until 10pm. Norman fondly recalls his time spent at Stone’s: ‘There was a family atmosphere. His wife worked there doing the paperwork a couple of days a week and Jean his daughter was also there training to be a silversmith. Mr Stone was more a mentor than a teacher. He was one of
the last Victorian governors – you feared but also loved him. I owe him so much – he was fair and true. He loathed spinning of any sort. We made a lot of chalices as after the war – people were commissioning them in memory of loved ones they had lost.’ 24 In 1953 the rose bowl that he made was his masterpiece that resulted in him being granted Freedom of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. That was not all. It also secured Norman his third Arts Council Award in the Apprentice’s Section.25 The Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company Limited in Regent Street purchased the piece. His apprenticeship over, Norman undertook his National Service and returned to Stone’s a married man. However, he decided to leave after a couple of years, ‘I made the break – you can’t stay where you’ve been an apprentice’, he explained. So, he moved to CJ Vander.26 Having worked on production work for six months, he was promoted to a Senior Craftsman and was directly involved with makingup the designs of such notables as Reginald Hill, CJ Shiner (see note 16) and Alex Styles as well as others. Upon hearing of his promotion Stone contacted him and offered him the same money as he was receiving at Vanders. As he was enjoying his time at his new workplace, he declined Stone’s offer. He started teaching one day a week at Medway College of Art.27
Above: Rose Bowl Courtesy Styles Silver, photographer Michael Pilkington This is the rose bowl which Norman Bassant designed and made as his masterpiece for submission to the Goldsmiths’ Company for the purpose of obtaining his Freedom of the Company. It bears RE Stone’s maker’s mark. The bowl demonstrates that the young Norman had mastered a range of skills from hand-raising to piercing. Even the ivory finial was carved by him. It also brought him his third Arts Council Award. Competition was tough in the apprenticeship section and to win an award in three consecutive years was exceptional. The piece was purchased by the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company Limited. From the inscription that has subsequently been added to the cover, it seems it was purchased by the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company Limited to present to Lord Riverdale upon his retirement as a director. Diameter 24cm. London 1950.
After Christopher Lawrence had left Gerald Benney’s, he asked Norman to join him as workshop manager at Leighon-Sea. He worked for Christopher from 1972-5. The Lawrence workshop in the early 1970s was very busy. One large project was a 600-piece dinner service made for a Middle Eastern prince. The revolving centrepiece from this service won Norman Bassant a Jacques Cartier Award in 1973. During the mid-1970s Norman, who enjoyed teaching, was offered two-days a week at Medway. Having secured a
22. Jean Breckenbridge supplied this information: ‘Sidney Sparrow was a part-time teacher at Gravesend School of Art and was able to pick out the most promising boy to be apprenticed to RE Stone. Raymond, Norman, Ian and Alan were all recommended by him.’ 23. The School moved out of Gravesend in 1965 to merge with the Medway College of Art at Rochester. 24. Unlike domestic and other silver, which was regarded as a luxury, there was no Purchase Tax on these. 25. In his second year he won third prize with a biscuit barrel, in the third year first prize for a tea service that was purchased by the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company Limited. Norman recalls walking down Regent Street with his ‘young lady’ to see the service displayed in the window. There was stiff competition in those days in the Apprentice’s Section and for Norman to have won prizes in three consecutive years was exceptional. The pieces for the competition were made while he was on day release at Gravesend. Additionally after his work was finished on Saturday morning (there was a 48 hour week in the 1950s), he would stay on in the afternoon to work on his piece for the annual competition. He purposefully included techniques into the pieces to demonstrate his skill. He did not enter the competition in the final year of his apprenticeship. 26. One also suspects that Stone would not increase his wages despite the fact that he was a married man. At Vander’s he suggested that Christopher Lawrence, who had finished his apprenticeship there, should move to Stone’s where he would gain experience of hollow raising. 27. Later Rochester (Medway) College of Art that became part of the Kent Institute of Art and Design (KIAD). In August 2005 KIAD merged with the Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College to form the College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester. It obtained University status in 2008 to become the University for the Creative Arts.
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