Royal visitor praises volunteer effort at William Lamb Studio.

Prince Edward ‘delighted’ that volunteers were keeping sculptor’s memory alive

The Earl of Wessex has hailed the efforts of volunteers for keeping Montrose sculptor William Lamb’s memory alive.

Yesterday, Prince Edward, the first Royal visitor to the William Lamb Studio in Montrose, viewed the extensive collection of Lamb’s sculptures.

These included three royal portraits – of Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret Rose and the then-Duchess of York – all created over the winter of 1932/33.

He unveiled the latest addition to the collections – a small bronze called the Aberdeenshire Carrier, newly cast at the Powderhall Foundry, Edinburgh.

The Earl said the “swift lesson in William Lamb” had given him a chance to appreciate some of his work .

“I’m delighted you are keeping his memory alive and also bringing the studio back to life so that many more people can actually enjoy his wonderful talent,” he said.

The Earl’s visit was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Friends of William Lamb Studio which was set up to support the promotion of Lamb and his studio.

After viewing Lamb’s collection of pencil sketches, he signed the visitor book simply as “Edward” and told volunteers: “You only get a signature – you don’t get a drawing to go with it.”

Secretary Hilary White said: “The Friends are a local community group so it is especially pleasing to have a visit from one of the Royal family because the Prince’s grandmother – from nearby Glamis – was happy to commission Lamb to sculpt her family.

“We know the family still value their own Lamb pieces.”

Earlier in the day, the Earl also visited Brechin Community Campus to celebrate the achievement of young people from across Angus in the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Across Angus there are nine DofE award units and over the past year 139 bronze, 67 silver and 19 gold awards.

To enable this to happen, an estimated 37,222 hours of volunteer leader time was committed to the DofE Award programmes across Angus.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Angus Georgiana Osborne, Angus depute provost Colin Brown and chief executive Margo Williamson welcomed the Earl of Wessex during his visit.

Mrs Williamson said she hoped that the Royal visit would raise awareness of the DofE in Angus and encourage more people to get involved.

Prince Edward with Norman Atkinson, chairman of the William Lamb Studio.

Pictures: Kim Cessford. Left: The Earl views the statue he unveiled during his visit yesterday. Above: Prince Edward took the time to chat to Montrose Academy pupils.