Brian Thomas (1912–1989) was a British artist best known for his decorative work in church buildings, particularly murals and stained glass.

Biography

Brian Thomas was born in

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

, Devon, on 19 September 1912 to Frank and Margaret (née Lauder). He was educated at

Bradfield College Bradfield College, formally St Andrew's College, Bradfield, is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils aged 11–18, located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire. It is note ...

and awarded a science scholarship to study at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He chose instead to attend the

Byam Shaw School of Art The Byam Shaw School of Art, often known simply as Byam Shaw, was an independent art school in London, England, which specialised in fine art and offered foundation and degree level courses. It was founded in 1910 by John Liston Byam Shaw and ...

in London. There he won a scholarship to the

British School at Rome The British School at Rome (BSR) is an interdisciplinary research centre supporting the arts, humanities and architecture. History The British School at Rome (BSR) was established in 1901 and granted a UK Royal Charter in 1912. Its mission is " ...

to study mural painting and travelled widely in Italy and Spain. During the war, he worked in the camouflage section of Home Security. From 1946 to 1954, he was principal of the

. He was a Master of the

Art Workers Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of a ...

(1957) and a Master of the

Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Guild of Glaziers, or makers of Glass, the company's forerunner, existed as early as the fourteenth century. It received a roya ...

. In 1961 he was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE). He died on 13 December 1989, and a memorial service was held at

St Giles in the Fields St Giles in the Fields is the Anglican parish church of the St Giles district of London. It stands within the London Borough of Camden and belongs to the Diocese of London. The church, named for St Giles the Hermit, began as a monastery and ...

in London.;;''Brian Thomas''
Westminster Abbey website, online resource. Retrieved 28 March 2019. A ‘Brian Thomas Memorial Prize’ (worth £2000 in 2018) is awarded by the

as part of its annual Stevens Competition for Architectural Glass.

Iconography

A photograph of Thomas at work in his studio in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, London, taken by Chris Ware (Keystone Features), about 1955, can be found in the Getty Images online database. It shows him painting glass panels for newly commissioned altar rails at

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gar ...

. The chapel's altar-rails project is described, with images of the panels themselves, in the December 1956 ''Report of the Society of the Friends of St George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter'''The Altar Rails" by Canon E. M. Venables, in ''Report of the Society of the Friends of St George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter''
(December 1956), pp. 8–9 (with b/w images). Online resource. Retrieved 30 March 2019

List of works

All Hallows by the Tower All Hallows-by-the-Tower, at one time dedicated jointly to All Hallows (All Saints) and the Virgin Mary and sometimes known as All Hallows Barking, is an ancient Anglican church on Byward Street in the City of London, overlooking the Tower of ...

, London. Murai: ''The Last Supper''. * All Saints, Compton, Hampshire. Stained glass: ''Madonna and Child'' and ''Deposition''.'The Original Banbury Cakeshop Mural' by Simon Townsend.
''The Cake and Cockhorse: Proceedings of the Banbury Historical Society'' (Vol. 18, No. 2, Spring 2010) 'Appendix 1: Works by Brian Thomas', pp.48–49. Online resource. Retrieved 28 March 2019 *

Bangor Cathedral Bangor Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Bangor) is a cathedral in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol. The site of the present building of Bangor Cathedral has been in use as a place of Christian worship since ...

, Wales. Murals:The Risen Christ and Two Disciples Reach Emmaus on Easter Evening', with two others at the west end''.(1934). * Brown's Cake Shop,

Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...

, Oxfordshire. Mural depicting the history of Banbury. (1947); subsequently displayed in Banbury's

Castle Quay Shopping Centre Castle Quay Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in the town of Banbury, North Oxfordshire, England. The shopping centre is located in the centre of Banbury by the Oxford Canal, off Castle Street. Banbury Museum and Tooley's Boatyard are also ...

. * 43 Cloth Fair, London. Mural 'The Sailor's Home Coming'.Clive Aslet 'An Interview with the late PAUL PAGET 1901–1985' in ''The Thirties Society Journal'', No. 6 (1987), pp. 16–25 (Published by ''The Twentieth Century Society''.) *

Fulham Palace Fulham Palace, in Fulham, London, previously in the former English county of Middlesex, is a Grade I listed building with medieval origins and was formerly the principal residence of the Bishop of London. The site was the country home of the ...

, London. Murals: in the Chapel (1953). * Innholders Hall, London. Stained glass: The ''Three Masters Window'', a collaborative work designed and made by 3 past masters of the

, specifically: Brian Thomas,

Michael Farrar-Bell Michael Charles Farrar Bell, later Farrar-Bell (1911–1993) was a British stained glass and postage stamp designer. Bell designed pub signs, then became known as a stained glass designer as the head of Clayton and Bell, which had been one of t ...

and

Lawrence Lee Lawrence Stanley Lee (18 September 1909 – 25 April 2011) was a British stained glass artist whose work spanned the latter half of the 20th century. He was best known for leading the project to create ten windows for the nave of t ...

. *

St Andrew, Holborn The Church of St Andrew, Holborn, is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without. History Roman and medieval Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 exc ...

, London. Mural and stained glass, each depicting doves. * St Andrew and St George,

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...

. Stained glass: ''The Christian Year''. * St Edward,

New Addington New Addington is a town in South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located 5 miles south east of Croydon, south of Addington Village and north of Biggin Hill. History Until the 1930s, the area now known as New Addingt ...

, London. Stained glass: ''St. Edward'' and ''Symbols of Kingship'', incorporating images of

Melchizedek In the Bible, Melchizedek (, hbo, , malkī-ṣeḏeq, "king of righteousness" or "my king is righteousness"), also transliterated Melchisedech or Malki Tzedek, was the king of Salem and priest of (often translated as "most high God"). He is f ...

Hezekiah Hezekiah (; hbo, , Ḥīzqīyyahū), or Ezekias); grc, Ἐζεκίας 'Ezekías; la, Ezechias; also transliterated as or ; meaning "Yahweh, Yah shall strengthen" (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Kingdom of Jud ...

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and

Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...

. *

. Six stained glass panels in the altar rails, 1955. ** A collaboration with architects

Seely & Paget Seely & Paget was the architectural partnership of John Seely, 2nd Baron Mottistone (1899–1963) and Paul Edward Paget (1901–1985). Their work included the construction of Eltham Palace in the Art Deco style, and the post-World War II restorati ...

. *

St John the Baptist Church, Peterborough St John the Baptist Church is a Grade I listed Church of England parish church in the city of Peterborough, now Cambridgeshire, England. Location The present St John the Baptist Church is situated in Cathedral Square and is only a few minutes w ...

. Stained glass (1968) depicting notable people connected to Peterborough: Symon Gunton, vicar of the parish during the plague, between 1665–7 (d.1676), Nurse

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Be ...

(d. 1915), Captain Thomas Mellows (d. 1944, fighting in the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

), and

William Law William Law (16869 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, King George I. P ...

(d. 1761). * St John, Clerkenwell, London. Priory chapel stained glass: ''Arms of Lord Webb-Johnson''. ** A collaboration with architects

. *

St John the Divine, Kennington St John the Divine, Kennington, is an Anglican church in London. The parish of Kennington is within the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. The church was designed by the architect George Edmund Street (who also built the Royal Courts of Justice on S ...

, London. Murals, showing ''The Virgin Mary and Jesus in a Floral Garden'', ''Lilies and Roses'', ''Pièta''. (1966). * St John the Divine,

Selsdon Selsdon is an area in South-East London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is located south of Coombe and Addiscombe, west o ...

, London. Stained glass. * St Laurence, Tidmarsh, Berkshire. Stained glass depicting 22 scenes from the life of a deceased benefactor. * St Margaret, Ifield, Kent. Stained glass. * St Mark's, Regent's Park. Stained glass: St Peter and St Mark (1957). *

St Mary Islington Islington was a Civil parishes in England, civil parish and Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, metropolitan borough in London, England. It was an ancient parish within the county of Middlesex, and formed part of The Metropolis from 1 ...

, London. Murals: ''Judgement'' and ''Eight Attributes of Christ'', (c.1956). ** A collaboration with architects

. * St Mary,

Long Ditton Long Ditton is a residential suburb in the Borough of Elmbridge, Surrey, England on the boundary with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London. In medieval times it was a village, occupying a narrow strip of land. Neighbouring settlem ...

, Surrey. Stained glass: ''Annunciation''. * St Mary,

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

. Stained glass: ''Serpent of Paradise'', ''Serpent of Healing'', ''Sword of Spirit'', ''Local scenes & connections'', ''Suffer little children'', ''Prodigal Son''. * St Mary the Virgin,

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

. Stained glass depicting symbols of the Virgin Mary. * St Michael and St George, White City, London. Mural above the high altar (1954). ** A collaboration with architects

. * St Michael, Sutton Court,

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

, London. Stained glass: ''

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

''. *

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, London. Stained glass for the American and OBE chapels. *

, Wellington. Stained glass: ''St Paul at the Areopagus'' (various windows, depicting scenes of the saint's life). *

St Paul's Church, Bedford St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church located on St Paul's Square in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. Formerly a medieval collegiate church, the large building of cathedral proportions with its later additions and iconic spire domin ...

. Stained glass in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the

Harpur Trust The Harpur Trust is a charity in Bedford, England. The stated aim of the charity is to help and support the people who live in and around Bedford, and to help them improve their lives by: * providing and promoting education * offering help and ...

. (1976). * St Sepulchre without Newgate, London. Stained glass: Musicians window (

Dame Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century ...

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomina ...

Sir Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the The Proms, Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introd ...

and

Walter Carroll Walter Carroll (4 July 1869 - 9 October 1955) was an English composer, music lecturer and author. He was born at 156 Great Ducie Street in the Cheetham district of Manchester. Early life and education He was a pupil at Longsight High School, M ...

. *

St Vedast, Foster Lane Saint Vedast Foster Lane or Saint Vedast-alias-Foster, a church in Foster Lane, in the City of London, is dedicated to St. Vedast (Foster is an Anglicisation of the name "Vaast", as the saint is known in continental Europe), a French saint whose ...

, London. Stained glass: ''Scenes from the life of St Vedast''. (1961). * Templewood House,

Frogshall Frogshall is a small hamlet within the civil parish of Northrepps in the English county of Norfolk. The hamlet is southeast of Cromer, north of Norwich and north of London. Craft Lanruns through the hamlet between Northrepps and Southrepps ...

Northrepps Northrepps is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is southeast of Cromer, north of Norwich and north of London. The village lies west of the A149 which runs between Kings Lynn and Great Yarmouth. The nearest rail ...

, Norfolk. Ceiling painting (1964) depicting scenes from the life of Paul Paget.'Templewood'
''Historic England''. Online resource. Retrieved 26 April 2019 ** A collaboration with architects

. *

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

, London, Stained glass: ''Six Acts of Mercy'' in lancet windows below the north transept rose window.

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Brian 20th-century British painters British male painters British muralists British stained glass artists and manufacturers Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bradfield College Alumni of the Byam Shaw School of Art Academics of the Byam Shaw School of Art Artists from Barnstaple 1912 births 1989 deaths Masters of the Art Worker's Guild 20th-century British male artists