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WILLIAM BLOYE

oldbrit

OldBrit in Exile
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

What about the man I worked for WILLIAM BLOYE THE SCULPTOR his works are carved in stone and cast in bronze all around Brum, I was very lucky to be part of this history of Birmingham, John Crump OldBrit Parker, Co USA
 
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

My pleasure John. I have been a fan of his for years. I LOVE his Art Deco style stuff in particular, and always marvelled at his Pub works of art in Harborne and beyond...before even knowing he did them...

Here's a potted history for you, and just a few reminders of his genius. Brum owes him a heck of a lot. Wonderful nomination...thanks..

William James Bloye (1890–1975)

Born in Cornwall he came to Birmingham and studied, and later, taught at the Birmingham School of Art (his training was interrupted by World War I, when he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1915 to 1917

In 1925 he became a member of the Birmingham Civic Society, having, at about that time, a studio at 111, Golden Hillock Road, Small Heath, Birmingham. As Birmingham's unofficial civic sculptor he worked on virtually all public commissions including libraries, hospitals and the University. He often carved bas-relief plaques, typically for public houses in Birmingham. He is also listed as living in Yardley Road at some time, a stone's throw from my house...

During the 1920s, he served on the Technical Committee of the Birmingham Civic Society.
He became a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors: associate (with the honorific suffix) ARBS in 1934, and fellow (FRBS) in 1938. He also won the latter's Otto Beit Medal. Retiring from the School of Art in 1956 he moved to Solihull. He died in Arezzo, Italy in 1975.

In December 2010, a blue plaque was unveiled at City College, on the site of his former studio, which lyn kindly posted.

As of January 2010, Birmingham City Council are working on the restoration Bloye's statue of Pan at Aston Hall. The statue's head is missing, and they have appealed for old photographs, to assist in its reconstruction.

This brief account is by no means exhaustive with respect to his output for he ‘was the most prolific sculptor of 20[SUP]th[/SUP] century Birmingham, producing work of a consistent and remarkably high standard.’ (ibid) Hopefully however, it gives a sense of how important Bloye was, and still is, to his adopted city.

The pics are, in order

1. The Celiling at the old school in Moseley
2. The entrance to the Birmingham University Student Guild
3. The three wise men...
4. Josiah Mason in Erdington...more on him later..
5. The Antelope Pub, Sparkbrook...


170px-Moseley_School_ceiling_panels_83.jpg 220px-Bloye_BUGS_mermaid,_stone.jpg 220px-Boulton,_Watt_and_Murdoch.jpg 220px-Josiah_Mason_bust_-_Tivedshambo_2011-04-30.jpg The_Antelope,_Sparkhill.jpg



....and the sixty-four thousand bucks question...What did you do for him John, if I may be so bold? Are you a genius too?
 
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Not quite as stunning as Dennis's lovely examples of Bloye's genius, but I want to add Bloye's Boar's Head, which used to sit on a pole in front of the Boar's Head pub in Perry Barr. I'd like to think that it's still around somewhere as it's no longer in front of the Boar's Head pub. Viv.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1351445711.422065.jpg
 
Apologies. Just checked out the Boar's Head on Streetview, and Bloye's boar is back again! Swear it disappeared for a while - honest! Here it is..... Viv.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1351458294.369013.jpg
 
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

Viviene. it sure is still there. It was closed a couple of times once due to a fire and the next for refurbishment. Not many cars there during the day though.
 
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

Thanks Proud to have been part of his many works of art. Didnt know about this. John Crump OldBrit Parker, Co USA
 
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

I worked at the studio on Golden Hillock rd. a old house with Bloyes own studio at the back, I worked on a coat of arms above the doorway on Bennets hill Froze my .... off in the winter, I worked on the clay model for NOW garish gold Three wise men. I worked on the bronze statue of Queen Vic and EVEN hand carved the inscription on the plinth, Did many other things that Bloye had contract for like carving in the wood panels at a Crematorium the names of the deceased, ALSO and you will laff at this I hand painted the train arrival times on posters for snow hill station. I have been in touch with Bloyes family they have sent me photos of MR BLOYE to me! I was picked out of a class at Moseley School of Art by MR BLOYE to go work for him. Happy days, John Crump OldNOTageniusBrit Parker,Colorado USA
 
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

Great story Old Brit...was this the one in Bennetts Hill? Plus a few more pub signs...


Bloye 3.jpg Bloyes Pub figures.jpg More Pub signs.jpg
 
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

Apologies. Just checked out the Boar's Head on Streetview, and Bloye's boar is back again! Swear it disappeared for a while - honest! Here it is..... Viv.

View attachment 82491

lol viv i was just about to post that i have just been past it on the bus and its still up the pole lol..

lyn
 
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

Ell Brown took photos of the coat of arms that I helped carve on the office bldg on Bennets Hill. It was done in the early 1950s. By the way another project that MR BLOYE had was restorning the plaster work on old homes that had been damaged in the war. This was very intricate and took many hours of work, Seems like we did several in Edgebaston? My memory comes and goes these days! But I did get to visit several real large stately homes. John Crump OldBrit. Parker, Co USA
 
Re: Some great men of Birmingham..

Dennis is it possible to get a photo of the studio at 111 Golden Hillock Rd,(NOW TORN DOWN I GUESS) I remember a roudabout that had groves in in from the BSA tester chaps going around it on there Motor Bikes. I think the BSA twin or 500 was the bike then in the 1950s. I rode my BICYCLE from Moat lane Yardley down the Cov rd past the Small heath park then onto Golden Hillock Rd to the House that MR BLOYE has the studo at.Funny how things to mind I DO remember once I was working on a clay model of a TIGER and MY BLOYE came over and said "CRUMP TIGERS HAVE BIG BALLS" and then took off the puny ones that I had modeled! So The TIGER then had BIG balls! Not sure where that tiger ended up but on a pub somewhere? Bloye also had his PRIVATE studio in the back and many times young women would go back there for hours? Of course NONE of MY business. John Crump OldBrit Parker, CO
 
Not a statue in Birmingham, but by William Bloye. There has been some discussion recently in Reading about the statue, which no-one who is available during the lockdown seems to know anything about.
Reading college statue.jpg
 
Not a statue in Birmingham, but by William Bloye. There has been some discussion recently in Reading about the statue, which no-one who is available during the lockdown seems to know anything about.
View attachment 145842
I left Mr Bloye in June `1953 to do my two years in the RAF So this one I know nothing about.This is the one that I did work on Bennetts Hill, Interesting note Mr Bloye has his private studio at the back of the old house we worked in on Golden Hillock Rd by the roundabout. Mr. Bloye would have female and male models going in an out, these was always talk about that. Also I was doing a clay model of a tiger and Mr Bloye came by and said "They have big balls Crump" I had to enlarge them for him!! Fun times, of course I was also the tea boy for them!! 12034222_1143829038978282_6642894455585141859_o.jpg
 
Bloye’s Byng Kendrick created in 1961. Viv.
 

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