The Pippet family are a family of designers and artists based in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, who specialised in

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

decorative schemes for churches, ecclesiastical metalwork and

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows as well as some textile items. They were part of the British Gothic Revival, notably working for John Hardman & Co in the style of

Pugin Pugin most commonly refers to Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812–1852), an English architect and designer. Members of his family include: * Augustus Charles Pugin Augustus Charles Pugin (born Auguste-Charles Pugin; 1762 – 19 Decem ...

Joseph Aloysius Pippet

Born in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

in 1840 he was briefly educated at Downside Catholic school until his family moved to Leamington after his father was appointed land agent to the Throckmortons. As mentioned in his obituary, his father was a notable convert to Catholicism. Joseph was apprenticed at John Hardman and Co sometime in 1853, becoming a reliable designer and design practice co-ordinator. He designed the interior decoration for Pugin's

All Saints' Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania * All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Brisbane, Queensland *All ...

Barton-upon-Irwell Barton upon Irwell (also known as Barton-on-Irwell or Barton) is a suburb of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 12,462 in 2014. History Barton Old Hall, a brick-built house degraded to a farmhouse, was the seat of the ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, as well as wall paintings for Shrewsbury Roman Catholic Cathedral, the latter of which had become hidden in twentieth century refurbishing but revealed in restoration work since 2019. He worked particularly closely with Pugin's apprentice and son-in-law J.H. Powell. In the 1860s he decorated St Peter's church,

Hascombe Hascombe is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England. It is around southeast of Godalming in the Borough of Waverley. The settlement contains a large cluster of cottages and country estates, St Peter's Church, the village green, a fountai ...

. Other examples of his work are in: Holy Trinity Church, Winchester;

Salford Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist, usually known as Salford Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral on Chapel Street in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Salford and mother church of the Diocese of Sal ...

; Church of the Sacred Heart, Caterham, Surrey. He married Juliet Elizabeth Mary Canning of Handsworth,

in 1865 and had sixteen children. Juliet managed her husband's accounts, writing letters concerning wages and more personal problems to J.H. Powell of Hardman and Co on behalf of Joseph. She was also an exceptional embroiderer, as were two of her daughters. Out of seven daughters four became

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s, one of whom became the

Abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

Teignmouth Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14 ...

. He died in September 1903 at his house in Solihull from pneumonia. There was a solemn requiem held at St Augustine of England Church, Solihull, the family church with many artistic contributions by his family; his funeral took place at

Baddesley Clinton Baddesley Clinton () is a moated manor house, about 8 miles (13 km) north-west of the town of Warwick, in the village of Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire, England. The house probably originated in the 13th century, when large areas of the ...

. File:Hascombe, St. Peter's Church- The nave painted with the 153 fishes caught in St. Peter's net 4 (geograph 6163411).jpg, The nave, St. Peter's Church, Hascombe File:Hascombe, St. Peter's Church- Painted window arches 2 (geograph 6163497).jpg, St. Peter's Church, Painted window arches File:Hascombe, St Peter's church, reredos 1.jpg, St. Peter's Church, sanctuary File:Caterham, Sacred Heart Church, angels in the chancel (left).jpg, Sacred Heart Church, Caterham

Elphege and Oswald Pippet

Elphege Joseph, born 1868, and Oswald Cody, 1869, and to a lesser extent their younger brother Wilfred, 1873, all worked for Hardman and Co. Later, Elphege and Oswald became independent subcontractors and designed many buildings for the company well into the 1930s. Some of their designs include: * Chancel Decoration, Church of Our Lady,

Ilkeston Ilkeston ( ) is a town located in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England, with a population of 40,953 at the 2021 census. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/textiles, have now all but disappeared. Part of t ...

* Chapel Painting, St Anthony's Convent,

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

* Decoration of the Sacred Heart Chapel, St Mary's,

Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...

* Decoration, Church of the Annunciation, Chesterfield * Shrine Chapel Decoration,

York Oratory The Oratory Church of Saint Wilfrid, York (or York Oratory for short) is a Catholic Church, Catholic church in York, England. A church dedicated to St Wilfrid, Saint Wilfrid has stood in York since medieval times. The church is known as the "Mo ...

* Chapel Decoration, St Gregory's Convent,

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

* Lady Chapel Decoration, St Catherine's,

* Decoration of Seminary Lady Chapel, St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw * English Martyrs' Chapel,

Nottingham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St. Barnabas is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the city of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Nottingham and seat of the Bishop of Nottingham (Roman Catholic), Bi ...

* Interior Decorations of Sacred Heart Chapel, Sanctuary and Holy Family Chapel, Nazareth House,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

* Decoration of Oratory, Convent of the Sisters,

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

* Sanctuary Decoration, St Joseph's, Richmond * High Altar, St Wilfrid's, Cotton * Sanctuary Ceiling, St Scholastica's Abbey,

* Blessed Sacrament Chapel, St Barnabas' Cathedral,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

Gabriel Pippet

Born 1880, Gabriel Joseph Pippet became a renowned designer of

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

and

opus sectile ''Opus sectile'' is a form of '' pietra dura'' popularized in the ancient and medieval Roman world where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to make a picture or pattern. Common materials were marble, mother of pearl, and gla ...

. His finest work can be seen at the Church of the Sacred Heart,

Droitwich Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. ...

. He also designed a set of

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

for Corpus Christi Church,

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, USA between 1896 and 1914. He taught art at Achimoto College, Gold Coast (now

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

). Two 'lost' murals were restored in 2024 at the Oxford Oratory Church of St Aloysius Gonzaga by Cliveden Conservation.

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* Bill Covington, 'J. A. Pippet and Hardman, Powell & Company', True Principles, vol. 2 No. 3, 2001 * Brian Doolan, 'The Pugins and the Hardmans', 2004 * Michael Fisher, 'Pugin Land', 2002 Gothic Revival architecture People from Solihull 19th-century British artists 19th-century English painters English male painters Religious artists 19th-century English male artists Catholic painters