William Bloye

William Bloye
William Bloye
Born	William James Bloye; 8 July 1890; Birmingham, England
Died	6 June 1975 (aged 84); Arezzo, Italy
Known for	Sculpture
Awards	FRBS; Otto Beit Medal;

William James Bloye ARBSA (8 July 1890 – 6 June 1975) was an English sculptor, active in Birmingham either side of World War II. After serving in World War I, Bloye studied and later taught at the Birmingham School of Art. Becoming a member of the Birmingham Civic Society in 1925, he played a significant role as Birmingham's unofficial civic sculptor, contributing to various public commissions. Bloye was a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, attaining the status of fellow in 1938. His association with the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) included serving as its president from 1948 to 1950 and as the Professor of Sculpture. He retired in 1956 and died away in 1975.

Life[edit]

Bloye 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;^[2] he was eventually succeeded at Birmingham by John Bridgeman), where his pupils included Gordon Herickx, Roy Kitchin, Raymond Mason, John Poole and Ian Walters. He also studied stone-carving and letter cutting under Eric Gill around 1921.

In 1925 Bloye 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, and decorated a number of buildings by the architect Holland W. Hobbiss. During the 1920s, he served on the Technical Committee of the Birmingham Civic Society.^[3]

Bloye 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.^[2]

As of January 2010, Birmingham City Council are working on the restoration of 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.^[4]

Royal Birmingham Society of Artists[edit]

Bloye was closely associated with the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. Although the two 1919 bronze plaques at the RBSA entrance are the earliest known work by Bloye in Birmingham, he became a member only in 1930.^[5] After a period as vice-president, he became president in 1948^[6] and served in that role until 1950. He was also the RBSA's Professor of Sculpture^[6] from at least the mid-1940s until at least 1961^[7] (after which time the post is no longer mentioned in the annual catalogues).^[8]

The Society's permanent collection includes one of his works, a life-size plaster bust, Head of Man.^[9] It is undated and not usually on display. The subject's name is not recorded.

Selected public works[edit]

1919[edit]


Image	Title / subject	Location and coordinates	Date	Type	Material	Dimensions	Designation	Owner / administrator	Notes
	Allegories of Art and Industry	Above north-west door of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (The Feeney Gallery extension), Great Charles Street 52°28′52″N 1°54′18″W / 52.4811°N 1.9050°W / 52.4811; -1.9050	c. 1919 (1919)		Stone			Birmingham City Council	^[10]
	Bronze Plaques	Royal Birmingham Society of Artists 52°29′06″N 1°54′27″W / 52.484891°N 1.907520°W / 52.484891; -1.907520	1919 (1919)		Bronze				Formerly at the Society's old headquarters on New Street^[10]

1920–1929[edit]


Image	Title / subject	Location and coordinates	Date	Type	Material	Notes
More images	Lion Pediment and Seated Craftsmen	Supreme Works, 186 Soho Hill, Handsworth 52°30′01″N 1°55′16″W / 52.50018°N 1.92123°W / 52.50018; -1.92123	1922 (1922)	Bas-relief	Stone	^[10]
	Maternity	Carnegie Welfare Institute, Hunter's Road, Hockley 52°29′50″N 1°54′55″W / 52.49712°N 1.91522°W / 52.49712; -1.91522	c. 1923–6		Painted mahogany	^[10]
	Call, Front Line and Return	Hall of Memory, Broad Street 52°28′46″N 1°54′25″W / 52.4795°N 1.9070°W / 52.4795; -1.9070	1925 (1925)	Interior bas-relief carvings		^[10]
More images	Sun and lettering	Sun Insurance Building, Bennetts Hill 52°28′48″N 1°54′01″W / 52.47991°N 1.90025°W / 52.47991; -1.90025	1927	Bas-relief	Stone	^[10]
	Fox and Hollybush	Acocks Green 52°26′39″N 1°50′03″W / 52.44408°N 1.83418°W / 52.44408; -1.83418	1927 (1927)–8	Bas-relief		From former Fox Hollies pub.^[10] Now on Lidl supermarket
	Coat of arms and two lion reliefs	Council House, Priory Road, Dudley 52°30′44″N 2°05′03″W / 52.5122°N 2.0841°W / 52.5122; -2.0841	1928 (1928)			Façade on Council House^[11]
	War Memorial: George and the Dragon and lions on flagpoles	Town Hall, Priory Street, Dudley 52°30′41″N 2°05′04″W / 52.5115°N 2.0844°W / 52.5115; -2.0844	1928 (1928)			Also four bronze lions (1936) on flagpoles, Town Hall tower^[11]
	Running stag	Perry Barr Stadium 52°31′09″N 1°53′52″W / 52.519192°N 1.897717°W / 52.519192; -1.897717	1929 (1929)	Bas-relief	Stone	Logo of Birchfield Harriers. Attributed.^[10]
	The Antelope	Sparkhill 52°27′12″N 1°51′57″W / 52.453362°N 1.865753°W / 52.453362; -1.865753	c. 1929 (1929)	Bas-relief pub sign		Designed by Bloye, sculpted by his assistant, Tom Wright^[10]
	Allegory of Painting	Former Art Gallery, Avenue Road, Leamington Spa	1929 (1929)		Sandstone	Life-size female nude^[12]

1930–1940[edit]


Image	Title / subject	Location and coordinates	Date	Type	Material	Owner / administrator	Notes
	Aesculapius	Chest Clinic, Great Charles Street 52°28′54″N 1°54′17″W / 52.4817°N 1.9047°W / 52.4817; -1.9047	1930	Relief carving	Stone		^[10]
More images	Wisdom, Fortitude, Charity, Faith	Legal and General Assurance Building, 7 Waterloo Street 52°28′49″N 1°54′00″W / 52.480405°N 1.900024°W / 52.480405; -1.900024	1932 (1932)	Four bas relief panels			Exterior high level bas-relief carvings.^[10]
	Sermon to the Birds	St Francis of Assisi's Church, Bournville 52°25′44″N 1°56′08″W / 52.42902°N 1.93558°W / 52.42902; -1.93558	1933		Oak		Part of Grade II listed building.^[10]
	Pan	Aston Hall, Birmingham 52°30′24″N 1°53′09″W / 52.50658°N 1.88577°W / 52.50658; -1.88577	1934 (1934)				^[4]^[10]
	Two stone vases	Aston Hall, Birmingham 52°30′24″N 1°53′07″W / 52.50666°N 1.88519°W / 52.50666; -1.88519 52°30′23″N 1°53′07″W / 52.50642°N 1.88524°W / 52.50642; -1.88524	1934 (1934)	Vases	Stone	Birmingham City Council	^[10]
More images	Lamp of Knowledge	Perry Common Library 52°32′08″N 1°52′32″W / 52.535590°N 1.875583°W / 52.535590; -1.875583	c. 1934 (1934)	Bas-relief	stone		^[10]
	Brookvale Pub	Erdington 52°30′50″N 1°51′27″W / 52.51399°N 1.85737°W / 52.51399; -1.85737	1934	Pub sign with putto and grapes	Painted stone		^[10]
	Capitals and Heads	Council House, Priory Road, Dudley 52°30′44″N 2°05′03″W / 52.5122°N 2.0841°W / 52.5122; -2.0841	1935 (1935)				^[11]
	Dudley from the Wren's Nest	Council House, Priory Road, Dudley 52°30′44″N 2°05′04″W / 52.5121°N 2.0844°W / 52.5121; -2.0844	1935 (1935)	Two reliefs	Plaster		Within building – at entrance to council chamber and entrance to committee reception room^[11]
More images	Capitals and pediment sculptures	New Oxford House, 16 Waterloo Street 52°28′48″N 1°54′05″W / 52.479942°N 1.901489°W / 52.479942; -1.901489	1935 (1935)				Exterior: two capitals, shield above door and upstairs pediment and putto^[10]
	Dudley's Past	Town Hall, corner of Priory Road and Priory Street, Dudley 52°30′43″N 2°05′02″W / 52.5120°N 2.0839°W / 52.5120; -2.0839	1935 (1935)				^[11]
	Mother and Child, Young Child Playing	90 Lancaster Street, Birmingham 52°29′14″N 1°53′37″W / 52.48731°N 1.89370°W / 52.48731; -1.89370	c. 1935	Bas-relief	Stone		^[10]
	The Good Shepherd and Latin Cross	Christ Church, Ward End 52°29′23″N 1°49′17″W / 52.48984°N 1.82130°W / 52.48984; -1.82130	c. 1935	Bas-relief	Stone		^[10]
	Royal Oak	Lozells 52°30′10″N 1°54′02″W / 52.502687°N 1.900501°W / 52.502687; -1.900501	c. 1936		Stone		Decoration around the doorway of a former pub (now a shop). Formerly brightly painted^[10]
	The Towers	Tower Hill, Great Barr 52°32′08″N 1°55′14″W / 52.535574°N 1.92062°W / 52.535574; -1.92062	1936		Stone		Bloye was responsible for all the stone carving on this brick building.^[10]
	St. Nicholas Rescuing the Three Children	John Shelton School, Coventry (former)	1936				Lost after the school was demolished in 1999^[12]
More images	Spirit of Knowledge	Yardley Wood Library 52°25′07″N 1°51′35″W / 52.41856°N 1.85970°W / 52.41856; -1.85970	c. 1936	Bas-relief	stone		^[10]
	Bear and Staff	The Bear Inn, Stratford Road, Sparkhill 52°26′54″N 1°51′40″W / 52.448235°N 1.861201°W / 52.448235; -1.861201	c. 1937	Bas-relief			Pub sign, depicting symbol of Warwickshire, in which the area was located at the time of installation.^[10] By September 2022 the Bear sculpture has been covered over by a new restaurant to be called Chai Green.^[13]
	The Boar's Head	The Boar's Head, Perry Barr 52°31′45″N 1°53′44″W / 52.529153°N 1.895465°W / 52.529153; -1.895465	c. 1938		Wood		Painted pub sign with model of a boar's head, on a pole.^[10] Taken from the arms of the Gough-Calthorpe family of nearby Perry Hall
	Library Emblem	Yardley Library, Yardley 52°27′40″N 1°48′58″W / 52.461°N 1.816°W / 52.461; -1.816	1938
	Aesculapius	Medical School, University of Birmingham 52°27′07″N 1°56′17″W / 52.45190°N 1.93813°W / 52.45190; -1.93813	c. 1938				^[10]
	Apollo fountain	Coronation Gardens, Ednam Road, Dudley 52°30′46″N 2°05′00″W / 52.51277°N 2.08337°W / 52.51277; -2.08337	1939	Sculpture on top of fountain			^[11] The model was international gymnast and basketball player Fred Starkey.^[14] The plaster models are in the collection of Birmingham Museums Trust.^[15]
	Huntsman and Dog	The Green Man Pub, High Street, Harborne 52°27′41″N 1°56′35″W / 52.46138°N 1.94301°W / 52.46138; -1.94301	c. 1940	Pub sign	Painted wood		^[10]

1950–1959[edit]


Image	Title / subject	Location and coordinates	Date	Type	Material	Owner / administrator	Notes
More images	Queen Victoria	Victoria Square 52°28′47″N 1°54′11″W / 52.479628°N 1.902998°W / 52.479628; -1.902998	1951	Statue on pedestal	Bronze and stone	Birmingham City Council	Recast from a 1901 marble statue by Thomas Brock^[10]^[16]
	Christ	All Saints' Church, Shard End 52°29′40″N 1°46′34″W / 52.49454°N 1.77601°W / 52.49454; -1.77601	1951–5	Statue in niche	Stone		^[10]
More images	Josiah Mason	Junction of Chester Road & Orphanage Road, Erdington 52°31′54″N 1°49′30″W / 52.531556°N 1.825128°W / 52.531556; -1.825128	1952	Bust on plinth	Bronze		Cast from a 1885 marble statue (subsequently destroyed) by Francis John Williamson, which stood opposite Mason Science College in Edmund Street^[10]
	Engineering	Mechanical Engineering Building, University of Birmingham 52°26′57″N 1°56′06″W / 52.44928°N 1.93509°W / 52.44928; -1.93509	1954	Bas-relief			^[10]
More images	Boulton, Watt and Murdoch	Broad Street 52°28′43″N 1°54′30″W / 52.478587°N 1.908395°W / 52.478587; -1.908395	1956 (1956)	Three statues on plinth	Gilded bronze	Birmingham City Council	Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch^[16]
	John Skirrow Wright	Birmingham Council House 52°28′48″N 1°54′10″W / 52.480082°N 1.902760°W / 52.480082; -1.902760	1956	Bust	Bronze		Cast from a marble statue (subsequently destroyed) by Francis John Williamson^[10]
	St. Alphege	St. Alphege CofE Infants School, New Road, Solihull 52°24′41″N 1°46′28″W / 52.41148°N 1.77450°W / 52.41148; -1.77450	1959				Restored in 1994^[12]

1960–1974[edit]


Image	Title / subject	Location and coordinates	Date	Type	Material	Notes
	Mermaid fountain	University of Birmingham Guild of Students 52°26′57″N 1°55′38″W / 52.44927°N 1.927225°W / 52.44927; -1.927225	1960	Fountain	Bronze	^[10]
	Mermaid	University of Birmingham Guild of Students 52°26′58″N 1°55′39″W / 52.44951°N 1.92741°W / 52.44951; -1.92741	1960	Wall mounted sculpture	Stone	^[10]
	Decoration	The Mermaid (public house), Sparkhill 52°27′25″N 1°52′08″W / 52.456861°N 1.868761°W / 52.456861; -1.868761	c. 1960			Bas-relief pub sign attributed to Alan Bridgewater.^[10] Now missing (since 2012) after two fires and the roof was rebuilt. Now a venue here called Farro's.
	Ceres – Goddess of Corn	CB1, Mill Park, Cambridge	1962	Sculpture	Bronze and concrete	^[17]
	Wilfred Byng Kenrick	Byng Kenrick Grammar School For Girls	1962, unveiled 1963	Bust	Bronze	Lost, believed stolen.^[10]
More images	Heraldic sculptures	Fountain Court, Steelhouse Lane 52°29′01″N 1°53′42″W / 52.48370°N 1.89494°W / 52.48370; -1.89494	1964	Bas-reliefs	Stone	A bronze statue of a girl in a fountain in a private courtyard at the same location is by Bloye.^[10]
	Coat of Arms	Birmingham Dental Hospital 52°29′09″N 1°53′42″W / 52.485875°N 1.895101°W / 52.485875; -1.895101	c. 1973		Fibreglass	Now removed.^[10]

Date unknown[edit]


Image	Title / subject	Location and coordinates	Date	Type	Material	Dimensions	Designation	Owner / administrator	Notes
	Head of Man	Royal Birmingham Society of Artists			Plaster				^[9]
More images	Ten ceiling panels	Old Assembly Hall, Moseley School 52°26′26″N 1°51′52″W / 52.44066°N 1.86433°W / 52.44066; -1.86433							^[18]

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References[edit]

^ "William James Bloye ARBS". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851–1951. University of Glasgow History of Art. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Life of Birmingham sculptor William Bloye commemorated". City College. December 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
^ "Ornamental Fountain". National Recording Project. Public Monument and Sculpture Association. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
^ ^a ^b "The mystery of the headless statue". Birmingham Newsroom. Birmingham City Council. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
^ Anon (1930). "The Spring Exhibition, 1930 (catalogue)". RBSA. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ ^a ^b Anon (1948). "Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Autumn Exhibition 1948 (catalogue)". RBSA. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Anon (1961). "The Second Spring Exhibition, 1961 (catalogue)". RBSA. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ RBSA catalogues, 1962 onwards
^ ^a ^b RBSA archives, catalogue number B43
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak Noszlopy, George T. (1998). Public Sculpture of Birmingham including Sutton Coldfield. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 2. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-682-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Noszlopy, George T. (2005). Public Sculpture of Staffordshire and the Black Country. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 9. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-0-85323-999-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c Noszlopy, George T. (2003). Public Sculpture of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 6. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-847-2.
^ Anisah Vasta (8 September 2022). "Iconic Sparkhill pub The Bear to be transformed into 60 seater South Asian restaurant 'Chai Green'". Birmingham Mail.
^ Anon (2 April 2001). "Former city man tribute". Birmingham Evening Mail. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. – via HighBeam Research
^ Accession numbers: 1991P111; 1991P112
^ ^a ^b A User's Guide to Public Sculpture. English Heritage / PMSA. 2000. ISBN 185074776-8.
^ "Trail 1 – South Cambridge". Cambridge Sculpture Trails. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
^ The Moseleians Association – Moseley School and the work of William Bloye (1890–1975)

[1] "William James Bloye ARBS". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851–1951. University of Glasgow History of Art. Retrieved 17 July 2017.

[CityCol-2] "Life of Birmingham sculptor William Bloye commemorated". City College. December 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2010.

[3] "Ornamental Fountain". National Recording Project. Public Monument and Sculpture Association. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2010.

[BCC-Pan-1-4] "The mystery of the headless statue". Birmingham Newsroom. Birmingham City Council. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.

[RBSA-1930-Spring-5] Anon (1930). "The Spring Exhibition, 1930 (catalogue)". RBSA. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[RBSA-1948-Autumn-6] Anon (1948). "Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Autumn Exhibition 1948 (catalogue)". RBSA. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[RBSA-1961-Spring-7] Anon (1961). "The Second Spring Exhibition, 1961 (catalogue)". RBSA. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[8] RBSA catalogues, 1962 onwards

[RBSA-B43-9] RBSA archives, catalogue number B43

[Noszlopy-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak Noszlopy, George T. (1998). Public Sculpture of Birmingham including Sutton Coldfield. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 2. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-682-8.

[NoszlopySBC-11] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Noszlopy, George T. (2005). Public Sculpture of Staffordshire and the Black Country. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 9. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-0-85323-999-4.

[NoszlopyWarks-12] Noszlopy, George T. (2003). Public Sculpture of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 6. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-847-2.

[13] Anisah Vasta (8 September 2022). "Iconic Sparkhill pub The Bear to be transformed into 60 seater South Asian restaurant 'Chai Green'". Birmingham Mail.

[Starkey-14] Anon (2 April 2001). "Former city man tribute". Birmingham Evening Mail. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. – via HighBeam Research

[15] Accession numbers: 1991P111; 1991P112

[Users-16] A User's Guide to Public Sculpture. English Heritage / PMSA. 2000. ISBN 185074776-8.

[17] "Trail 1 – South Cambridge". Cambridge Sculpture Trails. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

[18] The Moseleians Association – Moseley School and the work of William Bloye (1890–1975)

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v t e Public art and memorials in Birmingham
Statues	A Real Birmingham Family Edward VII Joseph Sturge Horatio Nelson Boulton, Watt and Murdoch
Sculpture	John Bridgeman play sculpture Lanchester Car Moonstones James Watt's Mad Machine Iron:Man Sentinel The River
Murals	J. F. Kennedy Memorial
Lost	King Kong Una White
Notable artists	William Bloye Mark Renn Tim Tolkien