Walter Ritchie (1919–1997) was a British

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Biography

Ritchie was one of the last living pupils of

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as "the greatest artist-craftsma ...

at Pigotts near

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

before the Second World War. Eric Gill died in 1940. Many of his public works were in stone, wood, metal and brick relief, as many of his commissions were for public buildings it depended on how much money was available to what materials were used and a lot of schools and public building chose brick as they could get more for the money, but some have suffered loss from building redevelopment. Sir Herbert Read took an interest in the young sculptor and tried to introduce him to the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

social life where he would be assured commissions. Instead, Ritchie chose to stay at home in

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District of Warwickshire, England, southwest of Coventry and north of both Warwick and Leamington Spa. Situated at the centre of t ...

which he had moved to in 1940 because of the Coventry Blitz.

Public works

* ''Man's Struggle'': Two large

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...

reliefs in Coventry Precinct (created between 1954 and 1959) Since relocated to the outer wall of the

Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Herbert Art Gallery & Museum (also known as the Herbert) is a museum, art gallery, records archive, learning centre, media studio and creative arts facility on Jordan Well, Coventry, England. Overview The museum is named after Alfred Herbert, ...

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

. *"Richard Lee Memorial Sculpture - Dove of Peace" Bronze approx 4570mm, on 4m pole, Richard Lee School, The Drive, Coventry. Wooden sculpture for the Dove before casting in Bronze is displayed in the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. * '' The Queen and the Washerwomen'': Intaglio relief in brown-veined Napoleon marble. Commission for Natwest Bank 1980. 32 Corn Street Bristol. * ''The Creation'': Series of large carved brick relief panels at

Bristol Eye Hospital Bristol Eye Hospital is a specialist ophthalmic hospital in Bristol. It is part of the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. The University of Bristol Dental Hospital is adjacent, and the Bristol Royal Infirmary The Bri ...

(created between 1981 and 1986). * ''Len Hutton'':

The Oval The Oval, currently named for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club sinc ...

cricket ground, London (created between 1988 and 1993). * ''Three Aspects of a Girls Education'':

North Leamington School North Leamington School (NLS) is a mixed, non-selective, comprehensive school for students aged 11 to 18 years located at the northeastern edge of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England. It is rated as a ''good'' school by Ofsted, and has 6.7% o ...

. * ''Lovers'': Brick relief panel,

Delapré Abbey Delapré Abbey is a neo-classical architecture, neo-classical mansion in Northampton, England. The mansion and outbuildings incorporate remains of a former monastery, the Abbey of St Mary de la Pré (the suffix meaning "in or of the Meadow"), ...

Walled Garden,

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

(damaged). * ''Lady with Kittens'': Brick relief panel, Delapré Abbey, Northampton. * ''The Flight into Egypt'': Brick relief at St Joseph's Church,

Whitnash Whitnash is a town and civil parish located southeast of, and contiguous with Leamington Spa and Warwick in Warwickshire, England. In 2001, it had a population of 7,760 which increased to 9,129 in the 2011 census, increasing again to 10,489 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 ...

. * ''Growth'': Aluminium sculpture,

Kenilworth School and Sixth Form Kenilworth School and Sixth Form, also known as Kenilworth School and Sports College, is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form based in Glasshouse Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. History Built in 1961 Kenilworth School was t ...

Gallery

File:Woman&cat.jpg, ''Lady with Kittens'', Delapré Abbey. Image:The Lovers.JPG, ''The Lovers'', Delapré Abbey. File:Flight into Egypt by Walter Ritchie, detail.JPG, Detail of ''Flight into Egypt'', Whitnash.

Publications

* * *

Illustrations for publications

* ''Quadruped Octaves'' (1983) ( / 0-9506205-3-X) Hall, Gaston. Illustrated by W. Ritchie. * ''Alphabet Aviary'' (1986) by Gaston Hall, illustrations W. Ritchie.

Published by Ritchie (Kenilworth)

* ''My time with Eric Gill – A Memoir by

Donald Potter Donald Steele Potter (21 April 1902 – 7 June 2004) was an English sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher. Early life Don Potter was born in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of a school teacher, and attended a private school. ...

'' (1980) . Limited edition of 500 copies n erratum slip glued into books states that only 400 copies were printed * ''Damaged Beauty needs a new design: 20 Poems'' (1981) by John Bate. Limited edition of 310 copies.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, Walter 1919 births 1997 deaths English sculptors English male sculptors 20th-century British sculptors