Twickenham Art School
Note: If old Twickensian art students read this, please go on line to the oldtimes.com.
Many of us would enjoy your rems and they would add to the lore and language of art-school students. In the USA we have alumni orgs, ‘twould be good to round up a few of us ancients from Twickenham to create a similar construction around our old school.
Further note: Remembering details from fifty years ago, it is much easier to recall what happened to me than others, so forgive me if I veer off focus occasionally when aiming to pin down Barney.
•••
Conceived in Camberly during the Battle of Britain, I was born as the Blitz began, two days after Pearl Harbor, on the tenth of December 1941. I was raised just down the road from Stonehenge, in a ration-book England red-brick home on a pre-Roman hill fort, next-door to an Iron Age well at the Rye’s. We were equidistant from both Mrs Purvis’ at Gallows corner and Mrs. Monday’s house of ill fame.
Mum was a school-teacher, dad a civil servant aeronautical engineer up at the aerodrome. After moving to Teddington in south-west London, and having attended a number of schools with not much to show for it, I was at the tag end of 13 years old when I went first went to Twickenham junior art school in south west London, in September 1955 and graduated in May of 1961. Colin Fulcher (aka Barney Bubbles) was in the year below me, arrived in September 1958, took an extra year and graduated in May of 1963.
Twickenham art school, now Richmond upon Thames College, had a good reputation for its practical printing connections back in the day, and most years it won the competition for lead in the parade entering the Albert Hall in the Royal College of Art (RCA) Grand Ball at the end of year. This was a parade of all the art schools from around London, all dressed up in their fanciest imaginings. That was until1958, when they closed down the Ball for a while as out of control – a girl on a parade float with all-over gold body-paint died as a result of her clogged skin. This was the origin of Ian Fleming’s, Goldfinger story.
Twickenham college on Edgerton Road, opened in 1937, was built in that thirties British Moderne style, with institutionally regular classrooms and corridors, all painted green and cream, with a dividing tan stripe at chest height. Concrete floors. There was a ring of about a dozen of these government funded art schools all round London, in Kingston, Ealing, Highgate and elsewhere, with the RCA and the private Slade, Central and others in the center. Twickenham, in South-west London, as well as all the other art schools of the time, and maybe now too, were inspired by the arts and crafts movement of William Morris that stressed pride in your tools and nature as truth. As a result, in addition to life and documentary drawing, we learned painting in gouache, watercolor, and oil; illustration, photography, TV and movie production, screen printing, lithography on stone and metal, hand-set letterpress, wood-engraving, lino- and woodcuts.
There were no biggie exams to get into art school then, no GCE’s, no nothing except a simple drawing test – which meant that they were, intentionally, a catch-all grab-bag for those oddballs, like myself, with no other way to escape the ghastly Sec Mod scene – or in Barney’s case Grammar school. As a result, the art schools of the time had a very wide range of intelligence and ability. For me, and many others, art school meant liberation from fifties semi-detached convention. Because of the simple requirements to get into art school, I was able to leave the rigors of St. Mark’s Secondary Modern School in all its monolithic, brown brick austerity, with no qualifications gained – or required. As a result there was a right regular mixed crew of talent in the classes at Twickenham.
My youngest daughter, Alessandra Bolger, age 15 (in 2007), is now studying Theatre Tech at School of the Arts here in San Francisco – she went when she was 14 – so I’m happy to say young artists can still start early here too.
There were many art students from that system, such as the mysterious illustrator Chris Higson, stepson of the British film director Karel Reisz (sp?), class of ’60 (nobody seems to be able to find detail on him or know his fate of late), who recurs often in this story, or the art director, John Simioni, who left college early and later hired Barney for a beer job. They all had great talent and skills – but seem to have wafted away unheard of by me in the sticks, except maybe for the designer of Time Out, Pearce Marshbank. Please correct me if I’m wrong… Well, David ‘Chas’ Chedgey did, for one – he’s now deservedly a famous sculptor. But many art students became serious musicians and they were most definitely heard. ‘Mac’ McClaglan, a Twickenham rocker, was a good Fulcher (and Bubbles) friend, and who, after a start with the Muleskinners became a Small Face and a Rolling Stone, he’s lived the life and is still kicking yet.
I don’t think many Junior art students made it all way through senior art. Den Jolly – his dad was an undertaker, Den dug it; good ol’ bad boy Gingel went off to work in automotive in Teddington; Bob Poole went into Hounslow based serigraphy – they all left. Wendy Mulvaney was a tough girl who could out draw the fastest, was a friend of Illustrator, Chris Higson; she dropped out later. June Woodhams, she left early too, there were rumors. Reuben Archer, he had an uncle who had work for him, and he left. Chris Archer, no, tell a lie, it was Chris Williams, went to Yosemite one summer, smoked dope there, so he said in a letter, never came back to school, was a good friend of Fulcher for a while. But Dave Palmer, Chris Terry, and others from the juniors studied for the full four years in senior art school, along with newbies Dianne Hillier (who married Mick Jackson), Elaine Channing (married Eddie) and Fulcher, who stayed an extra year. So, as he he said, “I can do anything I want.”
James Mortleman 7:53 pm on November 2, 2011 Permalink |
My mum went to Twickenham Art School in the 1940s, though she’s 10 years your senior so was there a decade earlier than you, I guess. However, she’s just published a book detailing her Twickenham youth. See http://bit.ly/aaevents
tony swann 4:01 pm on March 8, 2012 Permalink |
Hi attended the twickenhamham art college during the early seventies now working as advertising and marketing consultant perviously a award winning executive creative director in south africa now trying to trace any students of that era dave rose lindsey robin kathrine bond any one else
ian 6:52 pm on October 4, 2014 Permalink |
hi Tony
How u been keeping, hope the years have been kind, i was in illustration class next to u in graphics.
u got some tickets to the BBC if that puts me context.
Francine (Gibson) 6:07 pm on March 30, 2016 Permalink |
Saw your post from 4 years ago. I was in your graphic design class along with Katherine, Geoff, Simon etc. Saw Katherine a few years ago in Surrey before I moved to Dorset. Have you been able to trace anyone else?
davidwills 4:51 am on March 13, 2012 Permalink |
Hi
So glad you wrote , I’m sure a few more will be by and soon. There are others scattered around the site if you look. Notably under the Muleskinners posts where Mac Mclagan chats with his former band members. We’re a varied crowd.
Emma Tinniswood 8:01 pm on October 10, 2012 Permalink |
Hi, I am writing an essay on education for my MA in the area and as part of my current essay need to write a history of Twickenam Technical college and art school. Does anyone have any info, memories, ideas etc about the college or the art school they would be willing to share for my essay! Thanks, Emma
davidwills 7:21 pm on December 8, 2012 Permalink |
Hi Emma, I tried to contact you, but no luck, maybe you might email me at dctwills@earthlink.net
Judy Morgan-Anstee 6:43 pm on October 17, 2014 Permalink |
Hello there – I went to Twickenham art college in 1953 at the ripe old age of fifteen – I was then called Judy Burton and many years later married a fellow student who was there at the same time called Bryan Morgan-Anstee. We went to at least three of the Chelsea arts balls and our floats were allowed one circle of the floor of the Albert Hall before the rugby players let the crowd in on us – all great fun and I have never heard of anyone being harmed in any way. We both worked as commercial artists later, but now paint mainly for pleasure.
Best wishes
Judy
Maurice Smith 6:52 pm on December 20, 2015 Permalink |
I went to Twickenham junior art school from Orleans Sec Mod in 1950.
When we were accepted to the junior art school our mothers were given the pattern for a blue smock which they were expected to run up on the Singer sewing machine. The girls had to wear green smocks with a black bow. All the boys from the technical college used to take the Mickey when we passed by.
We were an unruly bunch and I overhead the head (Mr Coulson Davis) say to one of the staff who was fed up with us that we were all out when we reached fifteen.
I got my act together and stopped mucking about and with my best friend Geoffrey Kiss at the age of fifteen moved up to the grown up art school; most of our fellow schoolmates did in fact leave at fifteen not seeing any real future in the art field.
We were trained to do “commercial art”; painting with gouache, stippled or dry brush renditions of sparking plugs, tooth brushes and all sorts of small objects, all set up in little boxes in a darkened room and lit from the side with dramatic effect. Mr Wentworth Shields would pull up a chair next to us and discuss our efforts.
We would also spend days painting letters on gouache backgrounds with tiny brushes. We used to love the complicated type faces that were fashionable at the time like Thorne Shaded and Profil which was used a lot at the time of the Festival of Britain.
The printing school taught us how to set type and we learnt about all the different printing methods; lithography letterpress, silk screen etc.
We did life drawing and were also expected to go out with our sketch books to register the beauty of Twickenham and Richmond. By this time Geoff and I had abandoned our gabardine raincoats and were kitted out in duffel coats and had our trousers taken in so we looked like bona-fide art students of the fifties. We did however still wear ties and jackets and not the baggy cable knit sweaters sported by the St Ives group of painters at that time.
Much to the obvious annoyance of Mr Shields and Mr Kirby I decided to go up to London and study at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and was followed a few months later by my inseparable best friend Geoff who also checked in at the YMCA on Great Russell Street, a short walk past the British Museum to the Central.
Twickenham Junior School of Art gave a fine grounding if one planned to continue to other art schools. Twickenham School of Art was an exciting place for a young impressionable lad of fifteen who found himself with more mature students who had arrived from grammar schools and were a couple of years older. We learnt as much from our fellow students as we did from the staff.
The Central School of Arts and Crafts was nonetheless a different place; studying graphic art we were exposed to the finest painters illustrators and typographers working in the country at that time, I have kept all my work done all those years ago and can see the evolution from Twickenham to the Central.
Maurice Smith 7:13 pm on December 20, 2015 Permalink |
I went to Twickenham junior art school from Orleans Sec Mod in 1950.
When we were accepted to the junior art school our mothers were given the pattern for a blue smock which they were expected to run up on the Singer sewing machine. The girls had to wear green smocks with a black bow. All the boys from the technical college used to take the Mickey when we passed by.
We were an unruly bunch and I overhead the head (Mr Coulson Davis) say to one of the staff who was fed up with us that we were all out when we reached fifteen.
I got my act together and stopped mucking about and with my best friend Geoffrey Kiss at the age of fifteen moved up to the grown up art school; most of our fellow schoolmates did in fact leave at fifteen not seeing any real future in the art field.
We were trained to do “commercial art”; painting with gouache, stippled or dry brush renditions of sparking plugs, tooth brushes and all sorts of small objects, all set up in little boxes in a darkened room and lit from the side with dramatic effect. Mr Wentworth Shields would pull up a chair next to us and discuss our efforts.
We would also spend days painting letters on gouache backgrounds with tiny brushes. We used to love the complicated type faces that were fashionable at the time like Thorne Shaded and Profil which was used a lot at the time of the Festival of Britain.
The printing school taught us how to set type and we learnt about all the different printing methods; lithography letterpress, silk screen etc.
We did life drawing and were also expected to go out with our sketch books to register the beauty of Twickenham and Richmond. By this time Geoff and I had abandoned our gabardine raincoats and were kitted out in duffel coats and had our trousers taken in so we looked like bona-fide art students of the fifties. We did however still wear ties and jackets and not the baggy cable knit sweaters sported by the St Ives group of painters at that time.
Much to the obvious annoyance of Mr Shields and Mr Kirby I decided to go up to London and study at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and was followed a few months later by my inseparable best friend Geoff who also checked in at the YMCA on Great Russell Street, a short walk past the British Museum to the Central.
Twickenham Junior School of Art gave a fine grounding if one planned to continue to other art schools. Twickenham School of Art was an exciting place for a young impressionable lad of fifteen who found himself with more mature students who had arrived from grammar schools and were a couple of years older. We learnt as much from our fellow students as we did from the staff.
The Central School of Arts and Crafts was nonetheless a different place; studying graphic art we were exposed to the finest painters illustrators and typographers working in the country at that time, I have kept all my work done all those years ago and can see the evolution from Twickenham to the Central.
Ernest Burden 12:34 am on October 3, 2016 Permalink |
Yes, I remember Mr Coulson Davis well (we nicknamed him “Dago”and as I recall he had a thing for our still life teacher Miss Parlby). Mr.Kirby was one of my favourites – I think he thought we were all a bit bonkers and he was probably right. Does anyone know what became of some of my friends? Michael Tadman – Freddie Wirth and Norman Lidster? And I wonder whether my saxophone painting is still hanging on the wall?
davidwills 1:29 am on August 22, 2019 Permalink
What years were you at Twickenham, I vaguely recall your name and friends but not sure. You painting is not hanging on the wall – the school was demolished and became part of Richmond education. Mr Kirby and Mr Wentworth Shields were really cool, both dead now. I was there 1954 – 1960.
Elaine Samuels 9:30 am on February 15, 2016 Permalink |
Hello David and Everyone,
My late father, Desmond Jones, went to Twickenham Art School during the Second World War. I have created a web site about him and his art, which has a page about the school, with some video interviews from former students. See:-
http://www.desmondjonesart.co.uk
I had a presentation and exhibition of his work at the college last week (12th February), with the current principal, Robin Ghurbhurun, the Mayor of Richmond and Arts and History Society presidents, family and friends. The Richmond Art Society President, Ken Paine PS, also went to Twickenham Art School during the Second World War. He is a fairly famous artist, working with pastels, with TV documentaries and books about his life.
http://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/artists/pastel-society/ken-paine-ps
The college is undergoing a major demolition and reconstruction with the incorporation of new digital imaging, photography and art facilities with the addition of a gallery space, which will also be a tech hub being used by the Haymarket Media group, who will help give students real business experience with photography and art.
The principal is going to have a permanent exhibition about the college history. I would think he would welcome contributions of information and recollections. He has local historian David Rose, from the Twickenham Local History Society, collating information. Contact David via the Society here:-
http://botlhs.co.uk/
K Bravery 10:18 am on March 6, 2021 Permalink |
I am desperately trying to pass on my late mother’s Art work. She did go to Twick Art Sch 1956-58 approx. Her name back then was Marilyn Rosam. She lived at home in Hampton Hill. She went on to do fashion and her drawings. Also original prints from magazine advertising Bentalls Centre fashion etc. I am unable to keep and really want someone to have/buy and love them.
davidwills 10:38 am on March 6, 2021 Permalink |
Hah, that’s about when I was there 54-60, but I was probably two years older, I was born in 1941. I do not recall the name.
Contact Bentalls maybe?
Twickenham art school is now incorporated into Richmond, perhaps they’d be interested or have an idea. If they are all in one folder and easily stored perhaps you could just keep them? Maybe a gallery would be interested. Do you have a relative who’d be interested? Write to a local newspaper… Sorry I’m not much help!
K Bravery 12:57 pm on March 8, 2021 Permalink |
My mother was born May 1940 and also my father went Richard Seaton born Dec 1939. Unable to keep any of them and not in a position to be able to make enquiries go places use internet etc and no family to pass to or would want. No contact with father sadly.
Thank you thou for your reply. There are loads of stuff from sch time her own drawings & sketches plus all her fashion paintings.
Not to worry. Sadly might just have to bin them just wanted someone to have and appreciate. them.