Sylvia Green

Sylvia Green

Sylvia Green 150 150 Frome Heritage Museum

Sylvia Green ‘s life was one of quiet, but substantial artistic achievement, from her
schooldays until her death in 2004. Born in 1915, the daughter of a Catherine Hill
pharmacist, Sylvia was educated at Sunny Hill School for Girls, Bruton, but her evident talent
blossomed at the dynamic Frome School of Art; an institution sponsored by the J W Singer’s
Frome Art Metal Works, to support the town’s outstanding decorative arts industry,
especially ecclesiastical bronze work.


Sylvia graduated from the coveted place she had won at the Royal College of Art and
worked in London, in costume design, throughout the Blitz and during World War 11 (1939-
45), primarily with revolutionary, avant-garde, wartime ballet companies, including Dame
Ninette de Valois’ Sadler’s Wells Ballet. She also began teaching, notably in the East London
Institute, an establishment which shared the aims and ethos of her alma mater, Frome
School of Art, especially for flexible, vocational courses and qualifications for working
people.


During the 1940s and 50s, Sylvia produced exquisite book illustrations for traditional tales
and fairy stories as well as tales from the ballet and in the 1970s, she published several
patchwork and embroidery books.


In the following years, she designed, taught and worked beautiful, secular and ecclesiastical
embroidery, notably for her parish church, St Michael’s Highgate and others, all the while
sharing her embroidery skills in parish embroidery groups. Her ultimate achievement in
2001, was in designing and working choir cushions for Chichester Cathedral.

Sylvia was much loved and respected by her peers for her skills and talents and the way in which she
remained dedicated to her art, its practical application, the ballet and her faith, selflessly
sharing her talent and vision.

Our extensive Sylvia Green collection is available to view by appointment, and many of the items can be found in our online Collections catalogue.

A book cover designed by Sylvia Green c. 1950
Sylvia Green in 1994 with some of her work for Chichester Cathedral
A proof of a book illustration by Sylvia Green