Pam Taylor ARBS (1929–2014) was a Welsh sculptor. She created many bronze sculptures by commission, including several memorials relating to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Life

Taylor was born in

Pontypridd Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. Geography Pontypridd comprises the ...

in Wales, and studied from 1947 to 1950 at the Sir John Cass College of Art in London, where teachers included

Edward Bainbridge Copnall Edward Bainbridge Copnall (29 August 1903 – 18 October 1973) was a British sculptor and painter. Best known for his architectural and decorative sculptures featuring allegorical and religious subjects. He was the President of the Royal Soci ...

. She exhibited works at many galleries. She became a member of the

Society of Portrait Sculptors The Society of Portrait Sculptors is a British organisation of sculpture, sculptors "committed to making portrait and figurative sculpture accessible to a wider public". It holds an annual exhibition of some 70 sculptures, of which about two thir ...

in 1975, and an associate member of the

Royal British Society of Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors (RSS) 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 in South Kensington, Lo ...

in 1980.

Works

Taylor's works include the following: * A bust of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, by the

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the ...

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...

, Berlin, Germany, was presented by the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...

in 1987, on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of Berlin. Opernplatz ("Opera Place"), where the bust is sited, was renamed Shakespeareplatz. Another bust of Shakespeare was commissioned by the City of London Corporation for the restored Globe Theatre in London. * A memorial to the RAF Commonwealth and Allied Air Forces who served in World War II was unveiled in 1989 on

Plymouth Hoe Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south-facing open public space in the English coastal city of Plymouth, Devon. The Hoe is adjacent to and above the low limestone cliffs that form the seafront and commands views of Pl ...

in Devon. A bronze statue, "The Unknown Airman", is on a plinth of Cornish granite. * A bronze statue of an airman, on a stone plinth, was unveiled in 1999 in Pier Gardens in

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry ...

, Lincolnshire. It commemorates the members of

RAF North Coates Royal Air Force North Coates or more simply RAF North Coates is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station in Lincolnshire, England, six miles south-east of Cleethorpes, and close to the mouth of the Humber estuary ...

Strike Wing who served in World War II. * Statues made in 2001 of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

and

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

, commissioned by

Felix Dennis Felix Dennis (27 May 194722 June 2014) was an English publisher, poet, spoken-word performer, and philanthropist. His company, Dennis Publishing, pioneered computer and hobbyist magazine publishing in the United Kingdom. In more recent times, t ...

, are in the Garden of Heroes and Villains nea Dorsington, Warwickshire. * "The Long March", in the

Royal Air Force Museum London The Royal Air Force Museum London (also commonly known as the RAF Museum) is located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, in North London's Borough of Barnet. It includes five buildings and hangars showing the history of aviation and the Royal Air ...

, was unveiled in 2003 by

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

. It is a memorial to RAF prisoners of war who died during a march westward in early 1945 from their prisoner-of-war camps, enforced in order to prevent their being liberated by advancing Russian forces. The bronze sculpture shows a PoW dragging a makeshift sled containing his possessions. The Royal Air Force Museum also contains bronze busts made by Taylor in 1978 of Sir

Douglas Bader Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...

and Sir

Arthur Harris Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet, (13 April 1892 – 5 April 1984), commonly known as "Bomber" Harris by the press and often within the RAF as "Butcher" or "Butch" Harris, was Air Officer Commanding, Air O ...

. * "Canvey Old and New", in Labworth Park,

Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames Estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office for National Statistics. ...

in Essex, was commissioned by Essex County Council and unveiled in 2005. A competition was organised by Essex Youth Service, and the winning design by Vicky Moore was sculpted by Taylor. A hand rising from the water holds a representation of Canvey Island.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Pam 1929 births 2014 deaths People from Pontypridd Alumni of London Metropolitan University 20th-century Welsh sculptors