Edith (Editha) Ramsey Chichele Plowden

Born 2 October 1854
Died 11 March 1947

Active: 1891 - 1911

Country of birth: India

Country of death: England

Wood carver, teacher

Born in Calcutta, India. She was the 8th of 9 children of George Augustus Chichele Plowden (1810-1871). Edith was educated at a boarding school in Hove, Sussex. Her original intention was to study painting and spent some months working in the studio of Carolus Duran in Paris. However, Plowden was not confident in her abilities to achieve pre-eminence in this medium so turned instead to wood carving. She attended the School of Art Wood Carving in South Kensington and in 1893 was awarded a first-class teacher's certificate. The same year Plowden attended lectures by Professor Roger Smith on the history of architecture at University College London.

She went on to teach and lecture at the School of Art Wood Carving and published 'Progressive studies and other designs for woodcarvers' c.1895 with a preface by the manager of the school, Eleanor Rowe. The 'Progressive Studies' consisted in five large folding sheets of designs for a variety of objects suitable for wood carving. These were drawn full size and accompanied by a descriptive text. Her principal commission was for a pulpit for St. Saviour's Church, Shanklin, Isle of Wight (1903). She also carried out a design for a Celtic bracket by H.R.H. the Princess Louise, which was presented by the Princess to H.M. the King. Plowden settled in Knebworth in Hertfordshire before 1911 and lived there until her death in 1947. She was a friend of Rudyard Kipling and her papers are at the University of Sussex.

Her career was the subject of an article in 'Arts & Crafts Magazine' Vol 1-2 in 1904, see http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/general/Arts-And-Crafts-Magazine/II-Editha-R-Plowden.html#ixzz1ghrZGuMp (accessed 16 December 2011).

This record includes information submitted by Geoffrey F Chichele Plowden.

Citing this record

'Edith (Editha) Ramsey Chichele Plowden', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=ann_1324041712, accessed 09 Jun 2023]