Searching & Carving
30 January 2009
Mike Dummer writes with a fascinating tale, from St Alphege’s parish in Bath, about William Drinkwater Gough and the search for the man who did the carvings this wonderful church.
At long last light has been thrown on the identity of the man who produced the notable carvings at Our Lady and St Alphege, Bath, thanks in part to the internet. In 1928 Sir Giles Gilbert Scott built what he described as “one of my favourite buildings”. Amongst the notable features of the building are the carvings on the capitals of the pillars of the nave and under the gallery. These depict scenes from the lives of Our Lady and St Alphege, and figures associated with the building, including Scott the architect. Alphege was born in Weston, Bath, circa 954 and entered the monastery at Deerhurst near Tewkesbury. He subsequently became Abbot at Bath, Bishop of Winchester and Archbishop of Canterbury, where he was martyred by the invading Danes in 1012. For some time the identity of the man who executed the carvings has been a mystery.
The church guide book has always given his name as D W Gough. Little else was known about him, except his appearance, for alongside the figure of the architect Gough had carved a small representation of himself revealing a good head of hair and a bushy beard. At his side is a young deer, the significance which is not known. Alongside is his shield, with crossed chisels, a mallet and the letters D, W, and G.
There was no indication as to whether Gough was a local or national man. Bath was at the centre of a stone-producing industry and there would have been many in the area skilled in working the stone. A search through local directories failed to find him
These days the internet is a very useful research aid, although the huge number of possible web pages listed can be overwhelming. Searches for various combinations of Gough, sculptor and carver produced up to 3million possible hits. None seemed relevant but eventually came the breakthrough, an extract from The Liverpool University Press Public Sculptors of Great Britain:
“William D Gough (active c1915 - c1937). Architectural sculptor based in London… He carried out much work for the architect Ninian Comper.”
The arrangement of the initials D, W, and G on Gough’s shield had caused confusion for 40 years! Now it was possible to look further.
From censuses and other documents Gough’s history came to light. He was baptised as William Drinkwater Gough circa 1861 in Toronto, Canada, and named after his stonemason father. His parents were not Canadian however, for his father had married Jane at Marylebone, London, in 1856 before setting off for New York and Canada the following year. By 1871 the family was back in London.
We don’t know much about the young William Gough but in 1901 the census reveals him as a 40-year old sculptor living with his wife Mary Ann and daughters at Tottenham, north London. His works were at Lambeth near the Oval cricket ground.
The earliest piece of his work identified so far is dated 1912, and this was for the architect Sir Ninian Comper. Comper was originally a stained glass artist, but he became one of the foremost ecclesiastical and monumental designers of the 20th century. He was also architect of 15 churches. Much of Gough’s early work seems to have been for Comper, such as :
Downside Abbey. Gilded wooden feretory (reliquary), 1912.
St Michael’s Church, Stanton, Gloucestershire, 1915. Carved figures for Comper’s reredos.
Oakham War Memorial, Leicestershire, showing St Martin dividing his cloak.
Cirencester War Memorial, the Calvary.
Tintinhull Village War Memorial, Somerset, 1920.
The Lindsey Chapel, Emmanuel Church, Boston, Massachusetts, 1924, one of the architectural gems of Boston. It was built as a memorial to Lesley Lindsey, a talented young lady who was drowned on her honeymoon when the Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915. Comper was commissioned to design the stained glass, the altar and altar screen. Gough carved the altar and altar screen. The altar consisted of a huge single slab of Bath stone. Above it is a 13 foot frieze carved with scenes from the life of Christ, and the magnificent altar screen incorporating alabaster statues of the Risen Christ, Mary, Elizabeth, and 36 other saints.
The Welsh National War Memorial, Cathay’s Park, Cardiff: carving. 1928.
Gough also worked on other projects not associated with Comper:
Rugby Parish War Memorial Cross, 1921.
The Artists Rifles War Memorial Plaque, Burlington House (Royal Academy of Arts), London, 1920.
Rogate War memorial.
In 1925 we first find records of him working for Scott. The architect designed the statue of St John the Baptist for the baptistery at St Bartholomew’s, Brighton, in that year and commissioned Gough to make it. Scott was immersed in the remodelling of Ampleforth Abbey Church at this time and he used Gough to make the carvings and statuary on the High Altar arch there. They are considered to be admirably suited to the severity of the architecture. Gough also carved an alabaster figure of Christ praying for the reredos of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in the north aisle of Scott’s Liverpool Cathedral.
Scott’s experience of Gough’s work on these projects must have been the reason for selecting him to undertake the extensive carvings planned for his new church of Our Lady and St Alphege, Bath in 1928. The sculptor was in his 67th year, and it must have been his last major commission. A lifetime with mallet and chisel takes its toll on hands. He probably died in 1938.
Gough lived all his life in Canada and London but his family origins lay elsewhere, in rural Gloucestershire. His father had been born circa 1831 at Stoke Orchard, Bishop’s Cleeve, between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham. The family had neighbours there by the name of Drinkwater.
When research into Gough’s origins started, there was no knowledge of where they might lie; they could have been anywhere in the world. It is fascinating therefore to find that, although he had never lived there, his ancestral home was in Gloucestershire, just a couple of country lanes away from the old church at Deerhurst where Alphege had spent his formative years as a monk; that Gough’s last major creations were in the city where Alphege was born and was later to became Abbott, and that those creations included representations of Alphege and Deerhurst. Was that why Gough carved the deer alongside his own figure?
Mike Dummer
Mike Dummer writes with a fascinating tale, from St Alphege’s parish in Bath, about William Drinkwater Gough and the search for the man who did the carvings this wonderful church.
At long last light has been thrown on the identity of the man who produced the notable carvings at Our Lady and St Alphege, Bath, thanks in part to the internet. In 1928 Sir Giles Gilbert Scott built what he described as “one of my favourite buildings”. Amongst the notable features of the building are the carvings on the capitals of the pillars of the nave and under the gallery. These depict scenes from the lives of Our Lady and St Alphege, and figures associated with the building, including Scott the architect. Alphege was born in Weston, Bath, circa 954 and entered the monastery at Deerhurst near Tewkesbury. He subsequently became Abbot at Bath, Bishop of Winchester and Archbishop of Canterbury, where he was martyred by the invading Danes in 1012. For some time the identity of the man who executed the carvings has been a mystery.
The church guide book has always given his name as D W Gough. Little else was known about him, except his appearance, for alongside the figure of the architect Gough had carved a small representation of himself revealing a good head of hair and a bushy beard. At his side is a young deer, the significance which is not known. Alongside is his shield, with crossed chisels, a mallet and the letters D, W, and G.
There was no indication as to whether Gough was a local or national man. Bath was at the centre of a stone-producing industry and there would have been many in the area skilled in working the stone. A search through local directories failed to find him
These days the internet is a very useful research aid, although the huge number of possible web pages listed can be overwhelming. Searches for various combinations of Gough, sculptor and carver produced up to 3million possible hits. None seemed relevant but eventually came the breakthrough, an extract from The Liverpool University Press Public Sculptors of Great Britain:
“William D Gough (active c1915 - c1937). Architectural sculptor based in London… He carried out much work for the architect Ninian Comper.”
The arrangement of the initials D, W, and G on Gough’s shield had caused confusion for 40 years! Now it was possible to look further.
From censuses and other documents Gough’s history came to light. He was baptised as William Drinkwater Gough circa 1861 in Toronto, Canada, and named after his stonemason father. His parents were not Canadian however, for his father had married Jane at Marylebone, London, in 1856 before setting off for New York and Canada the following year. By 1871 the family was back in London.
We don’t know much about the young William Gough but in 1901 the census reveals him as a 40-year old sculptor living with his wife Mary Ann and daughters at Tottenham, north London. His works were at Lambeth near the Oval cricket ground.
The earliest piece of his work identified so far is dated 1912, and this was for the architect Sir Ninian Comper. Comper was originally a stained glass artist, but he became one of the foremost ecclesiastical and monumental designers of the 20th century. He was also architect of 15 churches. Much of Gough’s early work seems to have been for Comper, such as :
Downside Abbey. Gilded wooden feretory (reliquary), 1912.
St Michael’s Church, Stanton, Gloucestershire, 1915. Carved figures for Comper’s reredos.
Oakham War Memorial, Leicestershire, showing St Martin dividing his cloak.
Cirencester War Memorial, the Calvary.
Tintinhull Village War Memorial, Somerset, 1920.
The Lindsey Chapel, Emmanuel Church, Boston, Massachusetts, 1924, one of the architectural gems of Boston. It was built as a memorial to Lesley Lindsey, a talented young lady who was drowned on her honeymoon when the Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915. Comper was commissioned to design the stained glass, the altar and altar screen. Gough carved the altar and altar screen. The altar consisted of a huge single slab of Bath stone. Above it is a 13 foot frieze carved with scenes from the life of Christ, and the magnificent altar screen incorporating alabaster statues of the Risen Christ, Mary, Elizabeth, and 36 other saints.
The Welsh National War Memorial, Cathay’s Park, Cardiff: carving. 1928.
Gough also worked on other projects not associated with Comper:
Rugby Parish War Memorial Cross, 1921.
The Artists Rifles War Memorial Plaque, Burlington House (Royal Academy of Arts), London, 1920.
Rogate War memorial.
In 1925 we first find records of him working for Scott. The architect designed the statue of St John the Baptist for the baptistery at St Bartholomew’s, Brighton, in that year and commissioned Gough to make it. Scott was immersed in the remodelling of Ampleforth Abbey Church at this time and he used Gough to make the carvings and statuary on the High Altar arch there. They are considered to be admirably suited to the severity of the architecture. Gough also carved an alabaster figure of Christ praying for the reredos of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in the north aisle of Scott’s Liverpool Cathedral.
Scott’s experience of Gough’s work on these projects must have been the reason for selecting him to undertake the extensive carvings planned for his new church of Our Lady and St Alphege, Bath in 1928. The sculptor was in his 67th year, and it must have been his last major commission. A lifetime with mallet and chisel takes its toll on hands. He probably died in 1938.
Gough lived all his life in Canada and London but his family origins lay elsewhere, in rural Gloucestershire. His father had been born circa 1831 at Stoke Orchard, Bishop’s Cleeve, between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham. The family had neighbours there by the name of Drinkwater.
When research into Gough’s origins started, there was no knowledge of where they might lie; they could have been anywhere in the world. It is fascinating therefore to find that, although he had never lived there, his ancestral home was in Gloucestershire, just a couple of country lanes away from the old church at Deerhurst where Alphege had spent his formative years as a monk; that Gough’s last major creations were in the city where Alphege was born and was later to became Abbott, and that those creations included representations of Alphege and Deerhurst. Was that why Gough carved the deer alongside his own figure?
Mike Dummer
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