Farmer & Brindley
Encyclopedia
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, founded by William Farmer (1825-1879) and William Brindley (1832-1919), who contributed to some of the greatest structures of the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
.
The firm, located on Westminster Bridge Road in London, flourished as stone and woodcarvers in the period of heavily ornamented structures, sometimes supplying sculpted figures, sometimes patterns of exterior ornamentation, sometimes interior woodcarving and church furnishings, and, later in the firm's history, supplying marble.
Brindley began as an employed stone carver for Farmer, and they became partners in the 1860s. For architect Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
alone they collaborated on over 100 buildings, the most significant of which was London's Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, with its innovative use of architectural terracotta
Architectural terracotta
Terracotta, in its unglazed form, became fashionable as an architectural ceramic construction material in England in the 1860s, and in the United States in the 1870s. It was generally used to supplement brick and tiles of similar colour in late Victorian buildings.It had been used before this in...
cladding. After Farmer's death Brindley turned to writing, for instance collaborating with Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema on Marbles Their Ancient and Modern Application.
Architect Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
, the firm's "most notable and prolific patron," said of Brindley that he was "the best carver I have ever met and the one who best understands my views.'
Farmer & Brindley employees included C.J. Allen
C.J. Allen
Charles John Allen was a British sculptor, a figure in the New Sculpture movement.Born in Greenford, Middlesex, Allen studied at the Lambeth School of Art and then apprenticed with the London architectural sculpture firm Farmer & Brindley in 1879 and became the assistant to Hamo Thornycroft for...
, who was with the firm for ten years, John William Kitson
John William Kitson
John William Kitson was an English-born architectural sculptor.-Early life:Kitson, the third child and the first born son of John McWhire and Emma Jaggar Kitson was born in 1846 in Berry Brow Huddersfield West Yorkshire England. He was sent to London at the age of 14 as an apprentice to learn the...
(architectural sculptor) apprenticing 1860 - 1868 before moving to Philadelphia and then New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Harry Bates
Harry Bates (sculptor)
Harry Bates A.R.A. , English sculptor, was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Bates was elected to the Royal Academy in 1892 as A.R.A. and was an active, if intermittent, member of the Art Workers Guild. He was a central figure in the British movement known as the New Sculpture...
, who apprenticed with them from 1869 to 1879. In 1887 the firm employed Furio and Attilio Piccirilli
Piccirilli Brothers
The Piccirilli Brothers were a family of renowned marble carvers who carved a large number of the most significant marble sculptures in the United States, including Daniel Chester French’s colossal Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.-History:In 1888, Giuseppe Piccirilli , a...
who had recently immigrated from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to work on the reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
then being carved for St. Paul's Cathedral. (These same Piccirillis became among the most notable fine stonecarvers in turn-of-the-century New York City.) According to Ward-Jackson, the St. Paul's reredos had been designed by Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
and Garner
Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner was one of the leading English Gothic revival architects of the Victorian era. His name is usually mentioned in relation to his almost 30-year partnership with George Frederick Bodley...
and were to be the firm's magnum opus, but they met a hostile reception and were removed.
The firm merged with another one in 1929, at which point most of its records were lost.
Selected commissions
- architectural carving for the Albert MemorialAlbert MemorialThe Albert Memorial is situated in Kensington Gardens, London, England, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert who died of typhoid in 1861. The memorial was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the...
in London, 1863-1875, for Sir George Gilbert ScottGeorge Gilbert ScottSir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
. - figures of Science and Fine Arts for the Holborn ViaductHolborn ViaductHolborn Viaduct is a bridge in London and the name of the street which crosses it . It links Holborn, via Holborn Circus, with Newgate Street in the City of London, passing over Farringdon Street and the now subterranean River Fleet.It was built between 1863 and 1869, at a cost of over two million...
, London, 1863-1869. - carving for the University of GlasgowUniversity of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, 1864-1870, also for Scott. - 35 seven-foot figures of British monarchs for the Bradford City HallBradford City HallBradford City Hall is a Grade I listed, 19th century town hall in Centenary Square, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and is notable for its landmark bell/clock tower.- As town hall :The building was designed by Lockwood and Mawson, and opened in 1873....
, 1873. - bishop's throne, Chester CathedralChester CathedralChester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, 1876. - twelve exterior statues for the 1877 Manchester Town HallManchester Town HallManchester Town Hall is a Victorian-era, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, England. The building functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments....
, for Alfred WaterhouseAlfred WaterhouseAlfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
. - furnishings for the St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal)St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal)St Mary's Cathedral or the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built in the late 19th century in the West End of Edinburgh's New Town. The cathedral is the see of the Bishop of Edinburgh, one of seven bishops...
, 1874-1879. - architectural sculpture for Institute of Chartered AccountantsInstitute of Chartered Accountants in England & WalesThe Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales was established by a Royal Charter in 1880. It has over 130,000 members. Over 15,000 of these members live and work outside the UK...
building, Moorgate, London. c. 1892. Additional sculpture was provided by William Hamo Thornycroft and Harry BatesHarry Bates (sculptor)Harry Bates A.R.A. , English sculptor, was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Bates was elected to the Royal Academy in 1892 as A.R.A. and was an active, if intermittent, member of the Art Workers Guild. He was a central figure in the British movement known as the New Sculpture...
.