George Blackall Simonds

George Blackall Simonds
Born George Simonds
6 October 1843
Reading, Berkshire, England
Died 16 December 1929 (aged 86), aged 86
Bradfield, Berkshire, England
Nationality English
Known for Sculpture
Notable work The Falconer (1873)
Maiwand Lion (1886)
Statue of Queen Victoria (1887)
Statue of George Palmer (1891)

George Blackall Simonds (6 October 1843 – 16 December 1929[1]) was an English sculptor and director of H & G Simonds Brewery in Reading in the English county of Berkshire.[2]

George was the second son of George Simonds Senior of Reading, director of the H & G Simonds, and his wife, Mary Anne, the daughter of William Boulger of Bradfield.[1] His grandfather was Reading brewing and banking entrepreneur, William Blackall Simonds.[1] He added Blackall to his name after the death of his brother, Blackall Simonds II, in 1905.[1] He was brother-in-law of the portrait painter, John Collingham Moore, and cousin of the botanist, George Simonds Boulger.

His best known works are The Falconer (1873) in Central Park in New York City (USA) and the Maiwand Lion (1886) in the Forbury Gardens in Reading in Berkshire (UK).[1]

In 1922, he temporarily came out of retirement to build the war memorial in Bradfield, the village where he lived in Berkshire. This commemorates the deaths in the First World War of those of the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers, including his son.

In 2005, users of Reading Borough Libraries, voted him winner of the 'Great People of Reading' poll.

Works

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Simonds, Raymond (2004). "George Blackall Simonds". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  2. ↑ "Simonds Brewery". BBC Berkshire. Retrieved 2007-03-07.

External links

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