Carving out a career
Ships' Figureheads, by Andrew Peters
The decoration of ships with figureheads was a way to present the might of military and mercantile power for centuries. These days, the skills needed to make these sculptures are kept alive by experts such as Andrew Peters, who has worked on restoration projects such as the Cutty Sark tea clipper.
In Peters' fascinating new history of his profession, he explores the life and times of two UK families with generations of figurehead-carving expertise: the Hellyers in Hampshire and the Dickersons in Plymouth.
The book is a treasure trove for family history researchers, as it contains extensive family trees of these carver families, and a full list of the figurehead names and the ships they were mounted on.
Ships' Figureheads: Famous Carving Families
By Andrew Peters
Whittles Publishing, £18.99
ISBN: 978 18499 55836
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