Joseph Hermon Cawthra

Joseph Hermon Cawthra (1886–1971), was an English monumental sculptor. During his lifetime he was considered among the leading classical sculptors working in Britain and received several commissions for public monuments, war memorials and architectural sculptures.

Joseph Hermon Cawthra
Born1886
Baildon, Yorkshire, England
Died1971(1971-00-00) (aged 84–85)
Bradford, West Yorkshire
NationalityEnglish
Education
Known forSculpture
Notable workWar memorials, sculptures

Biography
Detail of Gwersyllt War Memorial

Joseph Hermon Cawthra was born in Baildon in Yorkshire, the son of Silas and Ellen Cawthra. From the age of 14 he spent seven years as an apprentice to a monumental stone mason while, from 1904, taking evening classes at the Salts Art School in Shipley until 1907.[1] He then spent two years, from 1907 to 1909, at the Leeds School of Art before moving to London where he studied at the Royal College of Art until 1911 and then the Royal Academy Schools until 1916.[2][3][4]

Cawthra was deemed unfit for active service in World War I and spent part of the conflict carving wooden aircraft propellers for the Royal Flying Corps.[1] After the war, he briefly worked for the sculptor Paul Raphael Montford before establishing his own studio in London.[1] Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Cawthra's studio produced war memorials, architectural sculptures and exhibition pieces. His reputation was established by the sculptures he created for the Bootle War Memorial which, unusually for a World War I memorial featured a sculpture of an airman.[5] A model of the Bootle infantry and airman sculptures were shown at the Royal Academy in 1922.[5][6] The reliefs Cawthra created for the Bury war memorial were also shown at the Royal Academy and are rare in showing the contribution of women to the war effort.[6][5] These works led to further war memorial commissions for Cawthra, often featuring a single monumental sculpture on an obelisk.

Cawthra was elected to the Royal British Society of Sculptors (RBS) in 1937.[3][4] He closed his London studio in 1939 at the start of World War II and took a teaching job at the Brighton College of Art.[1] In 1941 Cawthra took the post of head of sculpture at the Hull College of Art, a position he retained until 1945 when he reopened his London studio.[1] Shortly afterwards Cawthra began to teach part-time at the Bournemouth Municipal College and continued to do so until his retirement at the age of 70.[1]

In the latter part of his life, Cawthra lived at Sheen, near Richmond in south-west London but died during a visit to Cottingley in Yorkshire.[1]

Selected public works

1920s
Image Title / subject Location and
coordinates		 Date TypeMaterialDimensions DesignationWikidata Notes

More images		 Former Odeon Cinema, Guildford, Surrey Four bas-relief panelsStone [7]

More images		 War memorial Gardens of the Church of St John-at-Hackney, Hackney, London 1921 Obelisk-mounted statueBronze and Portland stone4.6m tall Grade IIQ26671054 [8][9]

More images		 War memorial Maule Street, Monifieth, Angus 1921 Obelisk-mounted statueBronze and stone Category BQ17779629 Architect, Charles Soutar[10][11]

More images		 Bootle War Memorial King's Gardens, Bootle, Merseyside 1922 Four statues on a circular plinth with panelsBronze and sandstone Grade II*Q15978913 [5][12]

More images		 War memorial Gwersyllt, Wrexham 1923 Obelisk-mounted statueBronze and stone Grade IIQ29494213 [13][14]
Britannia County Fire Office Building, 218–222 Regent Street, London 1924 SculptureStone Grade II Architect, Ernest Newton[15]

More images		 War memorial Bury, Greater Manchester 1924 Cross on base with flanking wall and panelsStone and bronze Grade II*Q66478665 Panels by Cawthra, cross design by Sir Reginald Blomfield[5][16]

1930s
Image Title / subject Location and
coordinates		 Date TypeMaterialDimensions DesignationWikidata Notes
Putto with Goat and Putto with Turkey Leeds Civic Hall c. 1933 Two sculpture groupsStone Grade II* [17][18]

More images		 Memorial to Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath Lancaster Gate, London 1934 Sculpture and relief on pillarPortland stone Grade IIQ26516071 [19][nb 1]

More images		 Benevolence and Prudence 37–39 Corn Street, Bristol 1935 Statue / relief carvingPortland stone Grade II [20][21]

More images		 Peace and Plenty 37–39 Corn Street, Bristol 1935 Statue / relief carvingPortland stone Grade II [20][21]
Robert Burns Burns' Mausoleum, Dumfries 1936 ReliefStone Category A Restoration & replacement of original panels[4][22]
Sadler's Wells Theatre, London 1938 Two reliefs One relief was originally positioned over the theatre entrance, the other over the stage.[23]
Commerce and Cotton Town Hall Extension, St Peter's Square, Manchester 1938 Two relief sculpturesStone Grade II* [6]
Figures of a philosopher and a counsellor Town Hall Extension, St Peter's Square, Manchester 1938 Two relief sculpturesStone Grade II* [6]

Later works
Image Title / subject Location and
coordinates		 Date TypeMaterialDimensions DesignationWikidata Notes
Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath St Paul's Cathedral, London 1953 TabletStone [24]
Tomáš Baťa Former Bata shoe factory, Princess Margaret Road, East Tilbury, Essex 1955 Statue on pedestalBronze and stone [25][26]
Affection Bishops Park, Fulham, London 1963 StatuePortland stone [27][28][29]

Other works
  • In the 1930s for a major renovation of the Bentalls Store in Kingston upon Thames, Cawthra carved several embellishments and a coat of arms. Since then the store has seen further major structural changes and all that now remains of Cawthra's work is the coat of arms.
  • In 1937, Selfridges on Oxford Street in London mounted what it called a "sculpted pageant of English History and symbolic Empire groups". Various large bas-reliefs were erected in front of the store. The sculptors given commissions were chosen by William Reid Dick. Cawthra was chosen to sculpt the relief which represented India. The Henry Moore Institute Archive Leeds Cawthra papers reference 1995.9 include cuttings from "The London Illustrated News" covering these bas-reliefs.
  • A 1948 war memorial, now lost, in the form of a statuette of Saint George, for the Junior Carlton Club in London.[30][31]
  • Cawthra sculpted the figure of Truth on the top of the dome of the Town Hall building in Braintree, Essex.[32]
  • Cawthra's composition Meditation was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1957 and then stood in Gwendwr Garden, Fulham, London but was subsequently stolen.[33]
  • For the Church of St Michael and All Angels in Kingston upon Hull, Cawthra sculpted a Madonna and child.[34]
  • A bust of George V for Mombassa.[3]

Notes
  1. File WORK 20/197 at The National Archives covers the development of the Earl of Meath Memorial at Lancaster Gate from 1933 to 1934. The file also includes a request to Office of Works by the Committee for a National Memorial to the Earl of Meath for approval to erect the statue. The file shows that the Office of Works sought the advice of the Royal Fine Art Commission on where the statue should be positioned and also contains an "Order of Service" for the unveiling, dedication and presentation of the memorial.

References
  1. David Buckman (2006). Artists in Britain Since 1945 Vol 1, A to L. Art Dictionaries Ltd. ISBN 0-953260-95-X.
  2. University of Glasgow History of Art / HATII. "(Joseph) Hermon Cawthra RBS ARCA". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain & Ireland 1851–1951. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  3. Frances Spalding (1990). 20th Century Painters and Sculptors. Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 1-85149-106-6.
  4. James Mackay (1977). The Dictionary of Western Sculptors in Bronze. Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 0902028553.
  5. Historic England. "Bootle War Memorial including flight of steps and flanking stone tablets (1283634)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  6. Terry Wyke (2005). Public Sculpture of Greater Manchester. Liverpool University Press. p. 441. ISBN 0-85323-567-8.
  7. "Old Cinemas - Guildford Odeon 2006". Cinematopia. 21 November 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  8. "War Memorials Register: Men of Hackney". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  9. Historic England. "War Memorial, St John at Hackney Churchyard Gardens (1391701)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  10. "War Memorials Register: Monifieth". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  11. Historic Environment Scotland. "Maule Street War Memorial (Category B Listed Building) (LB37973)". Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  12. "War Memorials Register: Bootle". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  13. "War Memorials Register: Gwersyllt WWI and WWII". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  14. Cadw. "War memorial with Railings to Memorial Gardens (16534)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  15. Historic England. "The County Fire Office (1227630)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  16. "War Memorials Register: Bury". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  17. "Model for Leeds Civic Hall Sculpture:Putto with Goat". Art UK. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  18. "Model for Leeds Civic Hall Sculpture:Putto with Turkey". Art UK. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  19. Historic England. "Monument to Reginald Brabazon, Twelth (sic) Earl of Meath (1221696)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  20. Historic England. "37, Corn Street (1187274)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  21. Douglas Merritt (2002). Sculpture in Bristol. Redcliffe Press Ltd. ISBN 1900178834.
  22. Historic Environment Scotland. "St Michael's Street, St Michael's Churchyard Burns' Mausoleum (Category A Listed Building) (LB26337)". Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  23. Historic England. "Sadler's Wells Theatre (1195725)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  24. "Mural tablet, Monument to Reginald, 12th Earl of Meath (1841-1929) KP". Art UK. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  25. "World War II". Bata Heritage Centre. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  26. Jo Darke (1991). The Monument Guide to England and Wales. Macdonald Illustrated. ISBN 0-356-17609-6.
  27. "Pryor's Bank Gardens". London Gardens Online. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  28. Cherry, Bridget; Nikolaus Pevsner (1991). London 3: North West. Yale University Press. p. 238.
  29. Historic England. "Bishop's Park (1001677)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  30. University of Glasgow History of Art / HATII_. "Saint George". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851–1951. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  31. "War Memorials Register: Junior Carlton Club WW2 (Lost)". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  32. "Marquette for 'Truth', Which Surmounts Braintree Town Hall". Art UK. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  33. "Welcome to St Peter's Square / Welcome to Gwendwr Gardens." (PDF). London Borough Hammersmith & Fulham. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. Historic England. "Church of St Michael and All Angels (1443335)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
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