The livery companies of London are its historic trade guilds that still form part of the administration of the Corporation of the City and raise a lot of money for charity.

When the Founders (as in metal foundry) wanted new names added to the lists of Clerks and Masters chiselled into a limestone wall of their hall in the City, they turned to the Masons Livery Company.

 The Masons support the stone trade in various ways, including giving bursaries to those who want to continue their training. One of those they have helped is Bobbie Fennick, who they made a Yeoman of the Company in 2009. The Clerk of the Masons Company put the commission out to some of the Company’s Yeomen Masons and after several visits the Founders selected Bobbie Fennick to cut their lettering.

The Masons Company had given Bobbie, who had trained as a mason, a bursary to enable her to study sculpture and letter cutting at the City & Guilds of London Art School. “I couldn’t have done it without their help,” she says.

Bobbie has now set herself up in business as a stonemason, carver and letter cutter.

The work at founders hall only amounted to cutting four names and some painting but it was not the easiest job Bobbie had ever done. The names had to be added low down on the wall in a corner, so she had to lie down awkwardly with little room for manoeuvre to cut the letters into a stone that she believes was probably Ancaster.

She had to replicate the existing lettering style of the hundreds of names on the roll of honour already there, which in itself did not present a problem as it is a classic Trajan font with slightly exaggerated serifs. But the letters are only 10mm and 13mm high.

Bobbie drew out the names to be added offsite to get the kerning and spacing right so the letters could be traced on to the wall at Founders Hall and cut.

She admits it was not the easiest lettering she had ever produced but she and the Founders are delighted with the result. Bobbie says: “I love lettering more than anything.”

With the job complete she returned to her work producing masonry and carving for the restoration of the gate piers at the City of London Cemetery in Wanstead, where she is sub-contracting for London Stone Conservation.