Thomas Gayfere (1720–1812) was a sculptor and master mason in a line of masons of the same name. His most impressive work is the Henry VII's Chapel in

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 ...

. Due to the similarity in names between at least three generations of the family it is not always possible to distinguish the work of one from another. Stylistically all worked in the High Gothic style for most of their work.

Life

He was born in the Wapping district of London in 1720 the eldest son of Thomas Gayfere, a stonemason, and his wife, Mary Townsend of

Burford Burford () is a town on the River Windrush, in the Cotswolds, Cotswold hills, in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is often referred to as the 'gateway' to the Cotswolds. Burford is located west of Oxford and southeas ...

, who was related to a family of masons in

Oxford 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 ...

. His father moved to the

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

district around 1725 to work with Christopher Cass.''Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851'' by Rupert Gunnis, p. 165 Gayfere was apprenticed to

Andrews Jelfe Andrews may refer to: Places Australia *Andrews, Queensland *Andrews, South Australia United States *Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places *Andrews, Indiana *Andrews, Nebraska *Andrews, North Carolina *Andrews, Oregon *Andrews, South ...

in 1734. In 1762 he obtained the highly prestigious position as Mason to

. In 1774 he became Master of the

Worshipful Company of Masons The Worshipful Company of Masons is one of the ancient Livery Companies of the City of London, number 30 in the order of precedence of the 110 companies. It was granted Arms in 1472, during the reign of King Edward IV; its motto is “God Is ...

. From 1802, he and his son Thomas Gayfere held a joint patent as Mason of

. They jointly worked on the reconstruction of Henry VII's Chapel under James Wyatt. He died on 4 April 1812 and is buried in the west cloister of

on 10 April. He left an estate of around £10,000 (around £500,000 in 2022). Thomas Gayfere the Younger (1755–1827) completed the work on Henry VII's Chapel in 1823.

Works

* Westminster Bridge (1747 to 1750) possibly with his father *18

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much lar ...

for Thomas Bridges (1756) *Remodelling of Harefield Church (1768/9) *Chapel in the Wood at

Strawberry Hill Strawberry Hill may refer to: United Kingdom *Strawberry Hill, London, England **Strawberry Hill House, Horace Walpole's Gothic revival villa **Strawberry Hill railway station United States *Strawberry Hill (San Francisco), California *Strawberry ...

for

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

(1773) *Fireplace in Strawberry Hill House (1774) *Monument to Mrs Rev William Vincent in

(1807) * Henry VII's Chapel (1809 to 1812) *North side of

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

(1810 to 1812)

Works by the Younger

*North wing of

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

(1809) * Henry VII's Chapel (1812 to 1823) *Rose window at Westminster Abbey (1814) *North side of

(1819 to 1822)

Recognition

Gayfere Street (just south of Westminster Abbey) was named after the family.

Gallery

File:Chapel in the Wood, Strawberry Hill 01.jpg, Chapel in the Wood, Strawberry Hill File:London IMG 0518.jpg, Rose window at Westminster Abbey File:Westminster Bridge, by Daniel Turner GAC 3118.jpg, Old Westminster Bridge File:Strawberry Hill House May 2013 26.jpg, Gayfere's fireplace in Strawberry Hill House

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gayfere, Thomas 1720 births 1812 deaths People from Wapping Westminster Abbey Burials at Westminster Abbey English sculptors Freemasons