HRH Princess Anne was in Stratford, East London, on 14 February meeting students and lecturers of the Building Craft College. The Princess Royal, who is President of the City & Guilds of London Institute, was given a tour of the College by Principal Len Conway.

The Princess met and spoke to many of the students, who are studying a range of crafts and professions including stonemasonry, construction, fine woodwork, joinery and historic building conservation.

Len Conway said afterwards: “The College enjoys welcoming all its visitors but Princess Anne’s visit was particularly special. She has great enthusiasm for the work we do here and took time to speak to many of the students individually about their projects and ambitions for the future, which they really appreciated.”

At the end of her visit Princess Anne unveiled a plaque created by the College’s carving tutor, Mrs Saena Ku, to commemorate the visit.

The Building Crafts College, which is a charity run by the Carpenters’ Livery Company and supported by the Masons’ Livery Company, has a well-earned reputation as a Centre of Excellence in traditional building crafts. It is the mission of the College to offer both craft and technical education at the highest level to all students.