Behind the Statues: Sculptors’ Walk & Talk at the Royal Albert Hall in Support of QEST
9th October 2025
Join QEST Scholar Amelia Crowley-Roth and Sam Lee, directors of London Stone Carving Ltd, along with QEST Scholar Poppy Field, for an exclusive morning at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday 3 November, from 10:00-12:00. This intimate event, limited to 20 guests, offers a unique opportunity to explore the Hall’s iconic stone statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by London Stone Carving as well as the monumental bronze sculptures of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip by Poppy Field in situ.
The morning begins at the Halls’ North Porch with a talk by London Stone Carving Ltd, followed by a talk at the South Porch with Poppy Field. Guests will then move inside to the Prince of Wales Room for refreshments and a Q&A with the sculptors.
‘Behind the Statues’ is in celebration of QEST’s 35th anniversary, with proceeds going towards QEST’s mission of supporting aspiring and talent craftspeople across the UK.
Hosted in collaboration and with thanks to the Royal Albert Hall.
A minimum donation of £50 to QEST secures your place at this special fundraising event. Please email Poppy at [email protected] to reserve your place and receive further instructions.
About the Sculptors
Poppy Field, 2016 QEST Finnis Scott Foundation Scholar
Poppy read History of Art at the Courtauld and trained in figurative sculpture at The Florence Academy of Art, where she was supported by a QEST Finnis Scott Foundation Scholarship and a Leverhulme Trust Study Abroad Studentship. In 2023, her public monuments of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were unveiled on the South Porch façade of the Royal Albert Hall. Poppy is a council member of the Society of Portrait Sculptors and co-author of Drawing in Space: Theory and Practice of Figurative Sculpture. Based in London, Poppy works on both commissions and studio pieces. She combines traditional sculpting techniques with a painterly application of clay, building her sculptures from the inside out, layering clay and conversations to create surfaces that capture the intangible essence of her subjects. Her studio work often explores quiet, reflective moments in search of identity, belonging, and connection.
Poppy has also donated a Bronze Portrait to QEST’s 35th Anniversary Auction. See here.
Amelia Crowley-Roth, 2015 QEST Radcliffe Trust Scholar
Master wood carver, stone carver and artist, trained in London and based in Somerset Amelia is a co-director of London Stone Carving. She holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and her QEST Radcliffe Trust Scholarship supported a PG Dip in Woodcarving and Gilding at City and Guilds of London Art School. After graduating in 2015 she worked full time as a woodcarver completing high-end commissions including a Crozier for the Pope’s presentation gift to the Archbishop of Canterbury on his visit to the UK, and exhibited at various events including London Craft Week, the V&A, Lincoln Cathedral and Windsor Castle. She was awarded the Art School’s first Decorative Surfaces Fellowship in 2016/17, a collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers before moving back to her home county of Somerset.
Sam’s interest in stone carving came from a combination of a family history of church building and restoration that reaches back over 125 years, and a personal fascination with geology. These interests lead him to study Architectural Conservation and Stonework at Weymouth College, followed by Historic Stone Carving at City and Guilds of London Art School. Sam natural curiosity leads him to apply new approaches and methodology and is invaluable when it comes to problem solving. Combining his broad range of historic skills with knowledge of geology, project management and technical ability, allows him to push the boundaries of this ancient craft.
