Tanner , Robin , 1904-1988 , artist and educationist

Robin Tanner (1904-1988) became a teacher in 1924, having studied at Goldsmith's College, London, and taught in schools in Greenwich, and then in Corsham and Chippenham, Wiltshire. In 1935 he became on of His Majesty's Inspectors of Schools in primary education and subsequently worked in Leeds, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. In Oxfordshire he worked with Edith Moorhouse, the County's Primary Adviser and his views on primary education were also influenced by the work of Christian Schiller. He retired in 1964 but continued to participate in numerous short courses and conferences, giving lectures and arranging displays to illustrate his themes, including at Dartington Hall in Devon, Cowley Manor in Gloucestershire and Woolley Hall in Yorkshire. Tanner believed that the study of natural things and the exploration of arts and crafts, music and poetry were essential for the development of teachers and children. He was himself a distinguished artist and etcher and helped to found and support the Crafts Study Centre at the Holborne Menstrie Museum in Bath. He married Heather Spackman in 1931.