Maker's bio

Abraxas Academy was concieved by Nina Bilbey and Charlotte Howarth from years of nurturing and mentoring individuals who want to learn to carve stone. We pride ourselves in our ability to deliver a wide range of carving courses, each one carefully planned and executed with the aim of encouraging all abilities. Nina is a Norfolk born sculptor who has been stonecarving and teaching for most of her adult life. In 2018 she was awarded The City and Guilds, Gold medal of excellence for her contribution to the teaching of craft, and as the Senior Stone Carving Tutor at the City and Guilds of London Art School. She has taught generations of the nations most talented stone and wood carvers. Nina's work can be seen throughout the UK. She runs a successful stone carving studio based on the beautiful Holkham Estate. Charlotte has been letter carving for over 30 years. She trained at the City and Guilds of London Art School and with Richard Kindersley, Ralph Beyer, Incisive Letterwork and her step father David Baker. She works on a wide range of commissions from small scale carvings to large public art commissions. She was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship in 2015 to travel to Greece and Italy to study the ancient inscriptions of Greek and Roman Empire. In 2022 she worked with St Paul's Cathedral to create the lettering for the new accessible entrance and inner portico that forms part of the REMEMBER ME National Covid Memorial.