About my

letter carving

I am a letter carver based on the Hertfordshire/Essex border, specialising in making bespoke hand-carved headstones and memorials. I also create hand-drawn and hand- cut lettering in stone and wood for many other purposes.

I work mainly to commission, making headstones stones, stones for gardens, birdbaths, benches, plaques and house signs and public art. I also create my own work for exhibition and for sale. Please contact me to discuss your lettering requirements with me.

I trained as a calligrapher and bookbinder at Roehampton University from 2006-07. This gave me a strong background in lettering, which then enabled me to train with the letter carver Tom Perkins from 2007-08. I have also worked with several other letter carvers to further increase my knowledge and experience.

I set up my own workshop in 2011. From 2017-2020, I was based at The Forge studios in Digswell Hertfordshire. I am now at Parndon Mill, Harlow, set in the beautiful countryside on the river Stort.

I also regularly teach letter carving and calligraphy workshops for both beginners and those with more experience.

I am continually developing my ideas about lettering, which feeds into both my commissioned work and personal pieces.

Here are some of my recent items which include memorial stones, two public art commissions, one for a wooden obelisk and the other, a Welsh slate plinth for a bronze statue.

Clients come to me because they want headstones made that are different and not mass-produced. My working process means that I am able to create unique memorials that truly reflect the character and personality of the people they are commemorating.

My workshop

I am based at Parndon Mill, Harlow, in the beautiful Essex/Hertfordhsire countryside. Around thirty craftspeople, artists and designers have studios there, making it a supportive and inspiring environment to work in.

Clients are very welcome to visit me at my studio where we can discuss requirements and view examples of my work and samples of stone. Please contact me to arrange an appointment.

The commissioning process

Commissioning a hand-drawn and carved inscription is a process that takes time and attention to detail. To create an inscription, several discussions and visits may be reqiured to ensure that the finished piece is exactly what is required. The creative process involved is one of the most pleasing aspects of my work. The act of collaboration with my clients is highly rewarding as we can both add to the process by contributing our ideas. My lead times can vary quite considerably from a few months to a year or more depending on my workload and the availibilty of materials, so this is not a quick process. However, the finished work will last for many years, centuries in many cases, and you will have the pleasure of knowing that you will have commissioned work that will stand the test of time.

CONTACT DETAILS

Parndon Mill,

Parndon Mill Lane,

Harlow,

Essex.

CM20 2HP

simonlangs@hotmail.co.uk

07701 027 042

LATEST NEWS

I will be holding another of my popular letter carving workshops over the weekend of 31st August-1st September. Please see my courses page for more details.

I am very pleased to announce that I have been accepted onto the Memorial by Artists, artist register. MbA is part of the Lettering Arts, a charity dedicated to ensuring that the professional, heritage craft of hand carved lettering continues to flourish.

EVENTS

Pardon Mill's Open Studios will take place over the weekend of 14th-15th September this year. Come and take the opportunity to see the wide range of arts and crafts practiced here and get to see and speak with the artists in their own studios and workshops. We will be open from 11am-5pm on both days.