Stone, Reynolds, Alan,

Provided by Gresham's School, article in 'Inventing the Future' exhibition catalogue:

"Alan Reynolds Stone CBE 1909-1979

Teaching Staff 1940-1941

Alan Reynolds Stone, best known as Reynolds, was born and educated at Eton College, where his grandfather, E.D. Stone, and father, E.W. Stone, were assistant masters. From 1940 to 1941, he was the art master at Gresham's School.

He read history at Cambridge, where he became an unofficial apprentice at the Cambridge University Press. F.G. Nobbs encouraged him to appreciate letter design and to experiment with engraving on wood and metal. A chance encounter with Eric Gill led to him spending time with Gill at Piggotts in Buckinghamshire engraving an alphabet on wood under his supervision. He left after a fortnight as Gill felt he had nothing more to teach him.

In 1932 he spent two years in Taunton working at the printing firm of Barnicott & Pearce. In a bookshop in Combwich he located some wood engraved books of the 1850s and 1860s. He had seen similar engravings during his time at Cambridge and buoyed with enthusiasm decided to become a freelance wood engraver.

Although most of his commissions were wood engravings, he also taught himself to cut letters in stone. His talent in this area led to a number of commissions for memorials for such figures as Winston Churchill, Vaughan Williams, T S Eliot and Benjamin Britten.

Reynold's output was considerable and though we have all come across his work in our daily lives, few of us will have known his name. In 1949 he redesigned the famous clock logo of The Times. He engraved the Royal Arms for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 and the official coat of arms for Her Majesty's Stationery Office, which is still reproduced today on the cover of the UK passport. He also designed the coat of arms for the British Council, a number of postage stamps and the £5 and £10 bank notes including the Queen's portrait, for the Bank of England.

Stone said of his work: "One bold flourish is usually better than a larger number of small twiddles, which are not worth doing anyway... the final danger is to do too much because the eye, delighted by a small mouthful, is soon surfeited." "

Graphics mentioned: Victory Stamp, 1946 designed by Reynolds Stone and Bank of England £5 note designed by Reynolds Stone.

ISAAR(CPF)