Nancy Catford (Stone)
Other names: Anna Edith
Born 31 August 1905
Died 8 April 1992
Active: 1924 - 1970
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor, wood carver, potter's modeller, toy designer, puppet maker and performer, author, illustrator
Born in Stamford Hill, London. She was the daughter of Robert Henry Catford (born c.1867 in Clevedon, Somerset), a stockbroker. Initially she worked for a toy-making workshop in Welwyn Garden City (1924-30) and collaborated with a group called The Hertfordshire Puppeteers for whom she carved a number of glove puppets. The Hertfordshire Puppeteers were interested in traditional country dance and puppets, they performed regularly in villages throughout the country during the early 1920s. Catford’s glove puppets were mainly stock characters which appeared in many different plays. She later said she was more interested in making the puppets than performing with them, but she did travel extensively with the puppet company and helped perform plays written by the local drama group.
From 1928 Catford began experimenting with wood carving. She studied the technique with Stanley Parker (1875-1946) of Letchworth, at St Albans School of Art and then the School of Art Wood Carving in South Kensington (precise dates unknown). (Parker was the brother of Richard Barry Parker (1867-1947), architect, who with Raymond Unwin (1863-1940) won the competition to produce a master plan for Letchworth Garden City, Herts.)
Between 1935 and 1940 Catford modelled animals and other figurines for Gray's Pottery, she also worked free-lance for a number of other pottery firms in Stoke. She was the author and illustrator of eight children's books between 1934-39, including 'Robert the Rabbit', 'Ernest the Elephant' and 'Maurice the Mouse'.
During the Second World War, Catford worked first for the Polish Relief Fund and Friends Relief Service (1940). She was then made head of the Nursery School Association Toy and Equipment Workshop (1941-44), afterwards becoming a designer for the Nursery School Equipment Educational Supply Association (1945-50). Meanwhile Catford continued to exhibit her own work, for example she showed a carving in mahogany of an elephant priced at £20.0.0 in 'Sculpture in the Home', an event organised by the Artists’ International Association at Heal’s, Tottenham Court Road, 4-27 October 1945.
From 1953-55 she wrote and provided illustrations for Hulton's and the Daily Mail's children's publications. Based on this work she wrote a number of 'How To' manuals on 'Making Nursery Toys' (London, 1944), 'Modelling with Plastic', (London, 1951) and 'Making your own Party Decorations' (London, 1951). In 1953 Catford had married the industrial designer, J. [Jack] R. Stone and together they worked on a number of projects for which she provided carvings between 1953 and 1970: Portsmouth Guildlhall; Solihull Civic Centre; Burnley Building Society and Spiller's. She also made some carvings for Devenport Naval Barracks. Catford was a member of the Red Rose Guild of Craftsmen from 1932 and of the Society of Wildlife Artists from 1962.
This record includes information supplied by the artist's nephew, John Capper including a short CV written by Catford c.1970 and details of her places of work and residence based on correspondence with the artist. There is also some information about Nancy Catford and images of her work at http://www.grayspottery.co.uk/designer-catford.htm (accessed 4 April 2013). Philippa Parker provided detailed information about the career of Stanley Parker based on information drawn from Mervyn Miller "Letchworth-the first garden city" 2ed. 2002, p.66 and Parker's Obituary [Letchworth] "Citizen" newspaper, 21.6.46. Paul Niblett, who has co-written the Grays Pottery site, submitted the information about Catford exhibiting the mahogany elephant (V&A Archive reference AAD/1978/2/329). Information about her puppet-making activities is based on research by Douglas Hayward and Ian Denny which can be found at http://www.iandenny.co.uk/page43.htm (accessed (18 December 2013).
Wealth at death: £125,000 0s. 0d.
Not exceeding this amount
Probate date: 28 May 1992
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
Pelicanus Crispus
December 1937
Young Elephant
December 1937
Civilization's Reward to the Aged Worker
1937 (Presumed)
Milky Eagle Owl
1938 (Presumed)
French Peasant
1938 (Presumed)
Old French Woman
1938 (Presumed)
What of the Future? Europe 1938
1938 (Presumed)
Bush Babies
1938 (Presumed)
Rabbit
1938 (Presumed)
Laughing Duck
1938 (Presumed)
Ural Owl
1938 (Presumed)
Hungarian Peasant
1941 (Presumed)
Camel
1941 (Presumed)
Laughing Cat
1942 (Presumed)
Jeanie Fox
1942 (Presumed)
Rabbit
1942 (Presumed)
Squirrel
1942 (Presumed)
Farm Labourer
1942 (Presumed)
Puffin
1942 (Presumed)
Young Kookaburra
1942 (Presumed)
Guinea Pig
1942 (Presumed)
Locations
Address Briarsmead, 25 Chiltern Road Hitchin | View on map
1911 - 1922
Address 6 High Oaks Road Welwyn Garden City | View on map
1922 - 1935
During this time she studied at the School of Art Wood Carving in South Kensington and is assumed to have had a London address
Address The Archway Workshop, 34 Bethesda Street Hanley | View on map
1935 (Presumed) - 1941 (Presumed)
Address 13 Baiton Street London | View on map
1946 (Presumed)
Catford lived in London during the war to be close to her work. She lived initially at 163 Highgate Road, Kentish Town NW5 (c.1941-43) and then at 1 Park Crescent, W1 (c.1943-6)
Address 79 Brook Green London | View on map
1948 (Circa) - 1953
After her marriage in 1953 to the industrial designer, JR Stone she lived at 3 Churston Gardens, Bounds Green and then finally at The Dolphins, Parke Road, Weir Estate, Sunbury on Thames (c.1967-92).
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Exhibition 20 by the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, 1946
'Mandarin Duck'
Exhibited at Society of Staffordshire Artists. Fourth Annual Exhibition (City of Stoke on Trent Museums and Art Gallery, Hanley), 1937
Multiple works
Exhibited at Fifth Annual Exhibition of the Society of Staffordshire Artists (City of Stoke on Trent Museums and Art Gallery, Hanley), 1938
Multiple works
Exhibited at Seventh Annual Exhibition of the Society of Staffordshire Artists (City of Stoke on Trent Museums and Art Gallery, Hanley), 1941
Multiple works
Exhibited at Eighth Annual Exhibition of the Society of Staffordshire Artists (City of Stoke on Trent Museums and Art Gallery, Hanley), 1942
Multiple works
Exhibited at Exhibition of Works by Local Artists (Nottingham Castle Museum), 1938
Multiple works
Exhibited at The Federation of Midland Art Societies Exhibition, 1938
Multiple works
Exhibited at Society of Staffordshire Artists. Third Annual Exhibition (The Museum, Pall Mall, Hanley), 1936
4 November 1936 - 2 December 1936
Exhibited five objects: 'Ural Owl', 'The Ipstones Laughing Drake', 'Demoiselle Crane', 'Hanley's Daily Round' and 'Hanley Street Singer', p. 6 (14-18).
Possibly sculptures as they are listed under the section 'Sculpture, Craft Work, etc.'; however, media is not specified.
Institutional and Business Connections
Member of Society of Staffordshire Artists
1936 (Presumed) - 1938 (Presumed)
Sources
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
2009
RG14PN7598 RG78PN372 RD136 SD2 ED9 SN234
Eighth Annual Exhibition of the Society of Staffordshire Artists, 1942
March 1942
p. 7.
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2007
2007
Name: Anna Edith Stone
Birth Date: 31 Aug 1905
Date of Registration: Apr 1992
Age at Death: 86
Registration District: Surrey Northern
Inferred County: Surrey
Volume: 17
Page: 440
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
2006
Name: Anna Edith Catford
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1905
Registration district: Hackney
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1b
Page: 417
Fifth Annual Exhibition of the Society of Staffordshire Artists, 1938
October 1938
p. 6.
Find a Will
2014
Name: Stone, Anna Edith
Death Date: 8 April 1992
Probate Date: 28 May 1992
Page: 8264
Fourth Annual Exhibition of the Society of Staffordshire Artists, 1937
December 1937
p. 6.
Seventh Annual Exhibition of the Society of Staffordshire Artists, 1941
April 1941
p. 6.
Society of Staffordshire Artists. Third Annual Exhibition, 1936
2 December 1936
p. 6.
The Federation of Midland Art Societies, 1938
June 1938
Unpaged.
Citing this record
'Nancy Catford (Stone)', 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=msib4_1220274818, accessed 02 Jul 2022]