Lot details
Eric Gill (1882-1940) - A carved Portland foundation stone from The Old Rectory, Finningham, Suffolk. 61 x 57cm / 24 x 22.5"
'THIS STONE WAS LAID 16 MAY 1907 BY WINIFRED DAUGHTER OF JOHN TUDOR FRERE OF ROYDON AND FINNINGHAM - THE MEANS OF REBUILDING THE RECTORY WERE PROVIDED BY TEMPLE FRERE WHO WAS RECTOR OF FINNINGHAM 1805-1829
E C FRERE ARCHITECT'
As referenced on page 49 of David Peace - Eric Gill, the inscriptions.
Published by David R Godine, 1995 which goes on to say;
An almost unnoticeable stone on the corner of the house, yet with lettering, noticeably WINIFRED, well worth study; eleven lines of caps with the occasional T taller; words divided as required by the space-filling texture. 24 x 23[inches]; 1907

An engraver, sculptor, typographer, and draughtsman, Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was born in Brighton. He studied in Chichester at the Theological College, and then at the Technical and Art School where he learnt to produce good perspective drawings and decorative lettering. In 1900 he elected to train as an architect in the London office of William Caröe, architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. During his three year apprenticeship, Gill attended evening classes in monumental masonry at the Westminster Technical Institute and in lettering with the inspirational calligrapher Edward Johnston at the Central School of Arts & Crafts.
Gill's early training under Edward Johnston is reflected within the purity and severity of his work with an equal importance laid upon lettering and the compatibility of the engraving with any accompanying text. In 1903 he left Caröe's office for the life of a self-employed craftsmen, earning his living by cutting lettered inscriptions in stone; 'It was providential good fortune that I was able to do lettercutting. I managed to hit on something which no-one else was doing and which quite a lot of people wanted.'

Eustace Corrie Frere (1863-1944) was a South African architect with a probable link to the commissioning family. He designed many notable buildings, particularly in the Arts & Crafts style, such as St Johns House in Holborn and the Rye Street Hospital in Bishops Stortford. At the point that The Old Rectory was being designed and built, Messrs Eustace Frere was employing the artist William Walcot as a draughtsman!

The site of the current 'Old Rectory' was also the site of the original Rectory. This building was demolished at the turn of the 20th Century, as it was in dire need of expensive repairs and the decision was taken to replace it.
The current building design was by the Architect, Eustace Corrie Frere and was built in 1907/8. Even though it was considered a design of great merit by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Rector of the time (Rev. Leonard Hanbury Frere) declined to live in it.

The Frere family name has been at the forefront of Finningham history since John Frere purchased Green Farm in 1593, and they have been seated at Roydon since 1766. Generations of Frere's have made their mark on Finningham and Roydon and several plaques ornament the churches of both villages. They were generous benefactors and funded many improvements to the local churches.

Background & references taken from:
British Printmakers 1855-1955 - Garton & Co and Scolar Press (21 May 2003)
Eric Gill; the sculpture - Judith Collins, Herbert (2006)
Eric Gill, the inscriptions - David Peace, David R Godine, (1995)