LUDLOW Civic Society is bringing an expert on sign writing to the town.

"The civic society is all too aware how much shop signs contribute a building,” said John Diamond of Ludlow Civic Society.

“Unfortunately the contribution is usually negative. It is also unfortunate that so few appreciate how good lettering touches the senses.

“Furthermore, it is little appreciated how the very act of writing, be it calligraphy or signwriting also touches the senses. It is hoped that some art students may attend the talk and be inspired.”

Tony Lewery will be at Ludlow Methodist Church in Wednesday, October 12 at 7pm.

He was born in 1941 and was brought up in Sussex, although he and his wife Mary have lived in the North West of England since the 1960s.

Tony Lewery initially as a painter at Brighton Art College but has earned his living with a wide range of practical trades that include carpentry, sculpture, museum design, mural painting and signwriting. He worked as a theatre designer and props maker on large-scale outdoor events, and was a core member of the performance arts company Welfare State International for a number of years.

In parallel with this theatre work, Tony has pursued an interest in the history and practice of folk and popular art in Britain and has written four books and numerous articles on the subject.

He has concentrated on the arts of the inland waterways and until recently practised as a specialist sign writer and decorator of the traditional narrow boats of the English canals.