Lecture: More Stories of the Remarkable Pinwill Sisters by Dr Helen Wilson

The Pinwill sisters – Mary, Ethel and Violet – worked as professional woodcarvers from about 1890. Their father Edmund, vicar of Ermington, and their mother Elizabeth encouraged them to learn woodcarving. They established their own company, Rashleigh, Pinwill & Co. Ecclesiastical Carvers, with workshops in Ermington and Plymouth.

Dr Helen Wilson has been researching and giving talks on the Pinwills since 2012. During that time she has encountered many people with interesting stories to tell about them, including some who met or were employed by them or owned pieces of their work. These recollections and insights have contributed enormously to her research and add a further perspective.

Wilson was a lecturer in Environmental Science, and since retiring, she has developed interests in local history, architecture and churches. Her main project has been studying the life and work of the Pinwill sisters. This research led to numerous speaking engagements across Devon and Cornwall and in 2021 developed into the production of a book, The Remarkable Pinwill Sisters.

This event is part of the Devon Rural Archive‘s 2026 lecture series. Please follow the signs to the Cafe and Archive upon arrival.