Denis Alva Parsons,

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

, ARBS (14 November 1934 – 4 April 2012) was an English sculptor and carver in wood and stone, working in the tradition of "direct carving" technique and figurative bronzes.

Career

Parsons was a sculptor, one of the last traditionally-schooled craftsmen in a long British carving tradition. He was accomplished in "Direct carving" – cutting figures out of a block of stone or wood. This was seen as a primary test of the artist's abilities in releasing the figures "hidden" in the inert materials. Born near

Polesworth Polesworth is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Polesworth is situated close to the northern tip of Warwickshire, adjacent to the border with Staffordshire. It ...

, Warwickshire, Parsons spent his whole working career in the Midlands. In the 1950s, he served a seven-year apprenticeship with Robert Bridgeman and Sons,

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west of B ...

, later to become Linford Bridgeman a company concentrating on architectural and ecclesiastical carving and sculpture. At the time, the company employed a substantial team of carvers, each with a specialist skill in figurative sculpture, foliage carving and letter cutting. From each craftsman, Parsons was fortunate to acquire traditional skills that had been developed and handed down over many generations. Later he became the company's head sculptor before setting up his own studio near

. In a career lasting over fifty years, Denis Parsons established a reputation in the field of wood and stone carving, both figurative and architectural. A range of his figurative work can be found in locations worldwide. St Joseph's R.C. Church at Darlaston,

Wednesbury Wednesbury () is a market town in Sandwell in the county of West Midlands, England. It is located near the source of the River Tame. Historically part of Staffordshire in the Hundred of Offlow, at the 2011 Census the town had a population of ...

, West Midlands, features four of his figures. The

Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum is a biographical museum and bookshop located in the centre of the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire, in England. The building is a Grade I listed building situated at the corner of Market Street and Breadmarket S ...

, Staffordshire, UK exhibits a figure of Dr Johnson in the round created by Parsons. St Ambrose R.C. Church,

Kidderminster Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it had ...

displays Parsons' interpretation of St Ambrose in lime wood. The crypt chapel at St Marylebone Parish Church, London, contains a crucifix by Parsons. His work is to be found in many of the great buildings across the UK – including

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 ...

, the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...

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 ...

where Parsons was responsible for the restoration/replacement of eight large figures and decorative stonework on the North Transept. He worked on major conservation projects for the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

including

Little Moreton Hall Little Moreton Hall, also known as Old Moreton Hall, is a moated half-timbered manor house southwest of Congleton in Cheshire, England. The earliest parts of the house were built for the prosperous Cheshire landowner William Moreton in about ...

, which is featured in The Building Conservation Directory of 1994. Parsons demonstrated carving on behalf of The Royal Fine Art Commission (now known as the

Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) was an executive non-departmental public body of the UK government, established in 1999. It was funded by both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for C ...

) at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in July 1989 in the presence of

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

and an exhibition titled "On the Side of the Angels" at the commission's head office in St James's Square, London, in March 1992 in the presence of

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

and the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

representing Linford Bridgeman, Lichfield. In 1992, he was elected an Associate of the

Royal British Society of Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

, as member 161. In 1993, he was awarded the MBE in recognition of his services to conservation. In 2013, The Denis Parsons Foundation was created under the auspices of The City of Lichfield Worshipful Company of Smiths to provide funds to assist local apprentices in practical skills. A tribute to Denis Parson was published in the Lichfield Gazette in June 2013 and again shortly afterwards when they featured the establishment of the Denis Parsons Foundation. Parsons contributed an article to Practical Woordworking magazine in 1992. Parsons has been featured in many publications, including Public Sculpture of Staffordshire and the Black Country. Parsons talks to Marion Hancock about his career in ''The

Architects' Journal ''Architects' Journal'' is an architectural magazine published in London by Metropolis International. History The first edition was produced in 1895. Originally named ''The Builder's Journal and Architectural Record'', from 1906 to 1910 it was kn ...

''. Parsons is featured in '' Country Life'' Magazine, where he was referred to as "one of the country's most expert architectural sculptors".

Gallery

St_Dunstan.jpg, St Dunston
Lime wood
'' St Dunstans RC Church, Kings Heath, Birmingham'' Crucifix_-_Ash.jpg, Crucifix
Ash
''Crypt Chapel, St Marylebone Parish Church, London'' Sir_Edwin_Lutyens_1.jpg, Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens
Bleached Brazilian mahogany
''Private collection'' Wheatsheaf_-_NFU_Logo_-_Clipsham_Stone.jpg, NFU Logo
Clipsham Stone
''Entrance foyer of the new head office, Tiddington, Stratford-upon-Avon'' St_Kenelm_in_situ.jpg, St Kenelm
Lime Wood
''Our Lady and St Kenelm RC Church, Halesowen, West Midlands'' St_Kenelm_completed,_in_situ.jpg, St Kenelm
Lime Wood
''Our Lady and St Kenelm RC School, Halesowen, West Midlands'' St_Ambrose_-_rear_view.jpg, St Ambrose – rear view
Lime wood
''St Ambrose RC Church, Kidderminster'' St_Mary_and_Child_Christ_in_situ.jpg, St Mary and Child Christ
Lime wood
''St Mary's Hospital Chapel, London'' Denis_Parsons_Decorative_Carving_1.jpg, Decorative carving
Oak
''Location unknown'' Denis_Parsons_Decorative_Carving_2.jpg, Decorative carving
Oak
''Location unknown'' Salacia_Queen_of_the_Ocean.jpg, Salacia, Queen of the Ocean
Lime Wood
''Private Commission'' Archangel_Gabriel,_Walsall.jpg, Archangel Gabriel
Clipsham stone
''St Gabriel's RC Church, Walsall'' Sir_William_Dugdale_Portrait_Bronze.jpg, Sir William Dugdale, Bt
Bronze bust
''Merevale Hall, Atherstone, Warwickshire'' Sir_William_Dugdale_portrait_bronze.jpg, Sir William Dugdale, Bt
Bronze bust
''Merevale Hall, Atherstone, Warwickshire'' St_Nicholas_Owen,_1550_-_1606_01.jpg, St Nicholas Owen
Lime wood
''St Joseph's RC Church, Darlaston, Wednesbury'' Wall_Sconce_by_Denis_Parsons.jpg, Wall Sconce
Lime wood, gilded
''Private collection'' Augustus_Welby_Northmore_Pugin_bust_01.jpg, Augustus Pugin
Japanese Oak
''Private collection'' Augustus_Welby_Northmore_Pugin_bust_02.jpg, Augustus Pugin
Japanese Oak
''Private collection'' Portrait_image_of_Erasmus_Darwin_outside_entrance_to_Erasmus_Darwin_House.jpg, Erasmus Darwin
Stone
''Erasmus Darwin House, Lichfield'' Blessed Virgin Mary and Child Christ 4.jpg, Blessed Virgin Mary and Child Christ
Bronze
''Church of Our Lady, Merevale, Warwickshire'' Memorial_Tablet_in_situ_Commemorating_the_centenery_of_Bishop_Colliers_death.jpg, Memorial Tablet
Welsh blue slate
''St Osburg's RC Church, Coventry'' Dr_Samuel_Johnson_3.jpg, Dr Samuel Johnson
Burmese teak
''Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum, Lichfield'' Dr_Samuel_Johnson_4.jpg, Dr Samuel Johnson
Burmese teak
''Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum, Lichfield'' Heraldic_Symbols_for_Palace_of_Westminster_02.jpg, Heraldic Symbols
Stone
''Palace of Westminster'' Catherine_of_Valois.jpg, Catherine of Valois
Portland Stone
''Westminster Abbey, North Transept'' Archangel_Raphael_%26_Uriel_-_Westminster_Abbey.jpg, Archangel Raphael & Uriel
Portland Stone
''Westminster Abbey – Upper part of North Transept'' Heraldic_Symbols_for_Palace_of_Westminster_01.jpg, Heraldic Symbols
Guiting Stone
''Palace of Westminster'' Trophy_boxes,_St_Pauls_Cathedral_06.jpg, Trophy Box
Oak
''Order of the British Empire Chapel, St Paul's Cathedral, London'' St Joseph and Child Christ.jpg, St Joseph and Child Christ
York Stone
''St Joseph's RC Church, Darlaston'' White_Lions_Banbury_5.jpg, White Lions
Cedar
''White Lion Hotel, Banbury'' St_Ambrose_Barlow_by_Denis_Parsons.jpg, St Ambrose Barlow
Lime wood
''St Ambrose Barlow RC Church, Birmingham, UK'' Rondel,_Our_Lady_%26_St_Peter.jpg, Rondel, Our Lady & St Peter
Cotswold Stone
''Prinknash Abbey, Cranham, Gloucester'' Yoga_figure.jpg, Yoga figure
Resin
''Sculptors collection'' Jean-Baptiste-Marie_Chapaghat_1786_-1859_(St_John_Vianney).jpg, St John Vianney
Mahogany
''Location believed to be Ontario, Canada'' Medusa_by_Denis_Parsons.jpg, Medusa
American Cherry
''Sculptors collection'' Shell_Fountain_1.jpg, Triple Shell Fountain
Portland Stone
''Abbots Ripton Hall, Huntingdonshire'' Amphitrite_1.jpg, Amphitrite
Lime wood
''Sculptors collection'' Amphitrite_2.jpg, Amphitrite rear view
Lime wood
''Sculptors collection'' Denis_Parsons_self_portrait_01.jpg, Denis Parsons self-portrait
Lime wood
''Sculptors collection'' Denis_Parsons_self_portrait_02.jpg, Denis Parsons self-portrait
Lime wood
''Sculptors collection''

Selected works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Denis Alva English woodcarvers English sculptors English male sculptors 1934 births 2012 deaths 20th-century English artists 20th-century British sculptors 20th-century English male artists