Henry Poole (1873 – 1928)

From: sculpture.gla.ac.uk:

“Henry Poole RA. Born 28 January 1873. Died 15 August 1928. Active: 1894 – 1928. Country of birth and death: England. Sculptor, watercolourist.

Born in Westminster. He was the son of Samuel Poole (born c.1839 in London), sculptor. Henry’s brother, Samuel Poole Jnr. (born c.1871) was a painter. Henry studied at South London Technical School of Art c.1888 and then at the Royal Academy Schools between 1892-7. He was a pupil of Harry Bates and George Frederic Watts. Poole worked with the architect E.A. Rickards on many public buildings and monuments including Westminster Central Hall and Cardiff City Hall. For the latter building Poole created one of his most important sculptures, Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerallt Gymro), the Norman-Welsh clergyman and chronicler.

He worked for the army school of camouflage founded by Solomon Joseph Solomon, at Hyde Park during World War I.

Poole was made Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy Schools in 1921 and worked there till his sudden death in 1928.

There are architectural sculptures by Poole on buildings in Bethnal Green, Deptford, and Rotherhithe. Among Poole’s other commissions are: statues of Lord de Vesci, Earl Cowper, and Sir Daniel Cooper; statuary groups for the United Kingdom Provident Institution, Strand, London;…

Three pediment sculptured figures rescued from the United Kingdom Provident Institution building at 190-196 Strand (demolished 1970s), now in Milford Lane, London WC2.

…the Council Chamber, Birmingham; the King Edward Memorial, Bristol; the bronze lions for the Shanghai Bank (later recast by William Wagstaff in Hong Kong for the additional branch of the bank opened in 1935); a statue of St. George in the Chapel of St. Michael and St. George, St. Paul’s Cathedral; the war memorial at Evesham; the memorial to Captain Albert Ball, V.C. airman, Castle Green, Nottingham…”

From Speel.me.uk:

“His own father had been an architectural carver, and much of Poole’s work was architectural sculpture, particularly for buildings by the architectural partnership Lanchester and Rickards. Among his works for them include a group for Cardiff City Hall (Patriotism and Unity – noted on this page), decorative sculpture for Deptford Town Hall, the work for 144-146 New Bond Street,