14 years ago today
Posted by Richard Rawlinson Do you remember what you were doing on 9/11/2001? I was visiting the offices of BSkyB in London, discussing media issues in a meeting room that had a TV screen on a wall showing Sky News with the volume down. Our conversation came to an abrupt halt as we became aware of […]
Wonderful to listen to
It all began in South Africa. I bet you didn’t know that. Top Gear tweeted during it. So did Diane Abbot and British Gas. In Asda, Bournemouth, they played Sweet Soul Music during it. In Ayrshire they once shockingly forgot to do it at all. It was transplanted to the UK following a proclamation by […]
Locked in memory
Guest post by John Porter I was wandering around the Albert Dock in Liverpool and came across these padlocks locked to the immensely thick chain that guarded the quayside. In fact there were thousands of them! Many had etched inscriptions saying things like “Will love you for ever Simon”, “Never forgotten”, “Made my mark”, “Cheaper than […]
All blood runs red
“By all means have memorials. Make them out of Government stone if you like. Make them uniform. But you have no right to employ, in making these memorials, the bodies of other people’s relatives. It is not decent, it is not reasonable, it is not right.” “When the widows and mothers of our dead go […]
Calling all you snappers
The Memorial Awareness Board (MAB) invites you to commemorate the centenary year of the First World War with a national photography competition Launch date is on the 30th May with entries closing on 31st July, with the winner to be announced on 1st September. Now in its fifth year, this critically acclaimed competition calls on […]
Death on the island
The dead of the First World War were tucked up in cemeteries designed and regulated by Those Who Know Best. Edwin Lutyens was one of the architects. Rudyard Kipling was in charge of what was inscribed. The result is, most people agree, fitting and splendid. It was achieved by denying the families of those who […]
MuchLoved launches multi-charity fundraising in memory
Example of a MuchLoved online charity giving page We’re always happy to promote the work of top people we really like. One of them is Jonathan Davies and his team at MuchLoved. MuchLoved is the pioneer of online charity fundraising at funerals. Enhancements to the website’s functionality means it’s now possible to fundraise for any number of charities. “This in […]
Art of stone
Ever heard of Joss Nankoo? No, I hadn’t either. You have now. He’s a stonemason and lettercutter. Here at the GFG we revere lettercutters. And we love lovely human beings. Joss is both. You can see that. At around twice the price of machine-carved shiny Chinese granite you can buy something bespoke from Joss. You […]
Memorials move out of the graveyard and into the home – the rebirth of family heirlooms?
Posted by Kate Semple We are all, of course, unique and completely different from one and other. So as a sculptor working in stone who is passionate about creating original, bespoke art, I recently asked myself why after death the favoured physical reminder of a loved one had to be an inscribed stone slab – destined […]
Londoner wins national photo competition £1000 prize
What follows is a press release from MAB which, of course, we’re delighted to publish. Dead Art? Then & Now. Earlier this month Fulham resident Robin Bath won the £1000 prize for a national photo competition designed to capture the beauty of stone memorials. The Memorial Awareness Board (MAB) runs the annual competition that challenges the public […]
