Person    | Male  Born 4/4/1872  Died 10/7/1953

Gilbert Bayes

Categories: Sculpture

Born 6 Oval Road, Camden Town. Also did the bronze group with clock at the entrance to Selfridges; Oxford Street (1928); the lovely sculptural work on 1 Wigmore Street (1925) as shown at Ornamental Passions; the reliefs at the Fire Brigade HQ and tow allegorical sculptures, Healing and Charity, at the Royal Masonic Hospital Nurses' Home in Fulham. Also see Father Jellicoe for information about some very unusual Bayes work. Died Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, Marylebone. In this family photo Gilbert is on the right.

Father Basil Jellicoe set up the St Pancras House Improvement Society and decorated the courtyards and gardens with works of art, Doultonware ceramics by Bayes. The nearby British Library has (2013) a small display in the lower level of some of these charming items. Phillip Dawson’s flickr page shows items from the BL display.

A BL information board says “The sculptor Gilbert Bayes was commissioned to create ceramic finials to top the washing-line posts in a number of courtyards. … His main sources of inspiration were folklore, the Bible and medieval romances. Many of his finials symbolised episodes in the lives of saints, after whom buildings on the estates were named. Remarkably the finials survived World War II undamaged but today very few originals remain.”

Many were stolen so the remaining 100 were taken into storage, from where, infuriatingly, they were stolen. Many of the finials in situ now are replicas. Designed for St Pancras, other copies of these figures were made, displayed and were on general sale in the 1930s. So when they turn up for sale it is not possible to claim them back as stolen items.

London Details has a good post on the Sidney Estate, the Jellicoe project where these lovely finials were erected. And Ornamental Passions has some good photos of the ceramic lunettes.

2023: Camden New Journal has an extensive article about the finials, prompted by the recovery of two.

 

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Gilbert Bayes

Commemorated ati

Gilbert Bayes

Gilbert Bayes, 1872 - 1953, sculptor, lived here 1931 - 1953. English Heritage

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Gilbert Bayes

Creations i

Harry Selfridge at Selfridges

The feet of all the customers visiting "this house" have, over the years, sof...

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Joseph Priestley statue

The thinker in a cubby-hole effect is enhanced by being shrouded in netting (...

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Saville Theatre - Holmes

Ornamental Passions thinks this probably represents Tod Slaughter in the role...

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Saville Theatre - Khaki

This shows Ernie Lotinga in the play 'Khaki'.

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Tom Paget

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