Edward Bainbridge Copnall

Architectural Aspiration at RIBA Headquarters in London

Bainbridge Copnall MBE (1903–1973) was a British sculptor.

Son of photographer Edward White Copnall, Bainbridge Copnall was born in Cape Town, South Africa and was moved to Horsham, West Sussex in England at an early age.

In the Second World War, he worked as a camouflage officer in the Middle East, building dummies as part of the military deception for Operation Crusader.^[1]

He became president of the Royal Society of British Sculptors (1961–66).

He was the author of A Sculptor's Manual, published in 1971, and Cycles: An Autobiography - The Life and Work of a Sculptor, published in 2001. He was also the father of artist John Copnall.

Works

• Four horizontal bas-relief panels at the St James's Theatre in London, depicting the heads of Gilbert Miller, George Alexander, Oscar Wilde, and the Oliviers (Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh)
• Sight and Sound panels, 1938 Warner Theatre, Leicester Square, London
• Architectural Aspiration on the exterior, and more work in the interior, of the Royal Institute of British Architects
• wood carvings for the Cunard Line liners RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth
• Thomas Becket in the garden of St. Paul's Cathedral, London

Bainbridge Copnall's "Becket"

• The Stag, outside the Lockmeadow Centre, in Maidstone, Kent; his largest work, originally located in Stag Place, London but moved to Maidstone in 2004.
• The Boy David on the Chelsea Embankment, in the gardens facing Cadogan Pier, London
• work at St. Columba's Church, Pont Street, London
• A 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) sculpture of the Crucifixion of Jesus, made of coal dust and resin, installed in St John's Church, Broadbridge Heath, Horsham, in 1964, but removed in December 2008 to Horsham Museum

The sculpture of Jesus Christ in Horsham

^[2][3]

• Oil Painting entitled 'Whither' - an unusual, allegorical painting of a funeral, set in a Horsham graveyard, now in Horsham Museum.
• Bronze bust of Sir Edward Heath, on display in Broadstairs Library.

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  The Stag, Maidstone

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  The Boy David, Chelsea Embankment

External links

• A comprehensive biography on The National Archives website-includes many photographs of Bainbridge Copnall's work.

References

1. Barkas, Geoffrey (1952). The Camouflage Story. Cassell. p141.
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/7816941.stm article on the removal of the crucifix
3. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/crucifixion-church-vicar-sculpture-copnall Guardian article