The Airman Angel at Wallis House, Journal 20 (2012), by Joseph Mirwitch

Wallis House and its ‘airman’ mystery
The year 2012 saw the completion of Barratt Homes’ scheme for the conservation and conversion to residential apartments, of Wallis House on the Great West Road at Brentford. This building of special architectural importance, constructed in 1939 and originally known as the Simmonds Aerocessories Factory, was subsequently occupied by BOAC, and then by Beechams, (later SmithKline Beecham). It is the last art deco masterpiece of the architects Wallis, Gilbert & Partners. That firm was also responsible for the Firestone Factory on the Great West Road (built in 1928, and sadly destroyed in 1980), and the Hoover Factory at Perivale (built in 1931 and now converted to a Tesco superstore).

My involvement in researching Wallis House dates back to 1994/1995, at which time I was responsible for coordinating the Twentieth Century Society’s successful campaign to prevent the demolition and redevelopment proposed by the then owners of the building.

The Great West Road frontage, late 1950s with the Airman sculpture at the top of the central tower. (Local Studies Collection, Chiswick Library)

Wallis House is unique amongst  buildings designed by Wallis, Gilbert & Partners in that it incorporates a major piece of public sculpture. At the very top of the central tower, 140 ft above the ground, is a monumental  sculpture, which has become a well-known local landmark on the western approach to London, affectionately referred to by local people as ‘The Airman Angel’.

In 1979/80 I made exhaustive searches of contemporary reports, and of the archit-ectural and design literature, but was unable to find any reference as to who had designed the sculpture. I consulted a number of experts in the field, including the late Dr Joan Skinner, the leading authority on the Wallis, Gilbert & Partners oeuvre, but no-one could provide an attribution. The identity of the artist who designed this major work was a complete mystery.

Designing and installing the sculpture
This is a large work, approximately 250 per cent life-size. Seen from the ground, the sculpture appears to be that of a winged figure, an ‘airman angel’. In fact the wings are those of an eagle, whose head is located above the airman’s left shoulder, although this is only clear when viewed through binoculars. There is a second ambiguity inherent in the design, additional to that of the angel/airman. The figure is also a depiction of, and an allusion to, Icarus of Greek mythology. Icarus planned to escape imprisonment on the island of Crete by flying over the sea using wings of wax made by his father Daedalus. Icarus flew too close to the sun, his wings melted and he fell to earth and perished. The parachute harness on the airman figure can also be read as the straps by which Icarus’s wings are attached.

The sculpture showing the eagle looking over the airman’s left shoulder

The airman figure is shown in complete RAF kit of an Irvin flying jacket and trousers, sheepskin lined flying boots, and a ‘Biggles’-type flying helmet. This is an art work of 1940, and must surely have been inspired by ‘the first of the few’, the pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain. It is a historically significant work as well as being a brilliant design.

Only a schematic indication of an intended sculpture was shown in drawings of the architect’s original scheme for the building, which were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1938. None of the 66 detailed plans for the building included in the Wallis, Gilbert and Partners Archive includes a design for the sculpture. The Simmonds Aerocessories Factory was completed in 1940.

For reasons of national security there was no contemporary local or national publicity relating to the opening of this building. This was a ‘bombproof factory’ where aircraft electrical components vital to the war effort were to be made. The first review of the building in the architectural press was not published till 1949 (Architects Journal, 13 November 1949, pages 427–430).

The sculpture was installed about the time when the factory became operational early in 1940. The sculpture was cast in reconstituted stone. This work was done by the cast stone manufacturers Emerson & Norris, whose premises were less than half a mile away along the Great West Road.

The upper part of the sculpture photographed on the scaffolding for the Twentieth Century Society in 2007

Who was the sculptor?
In 2006 work began on conservation work at Wallis House and its con-version to residential use. In early 2007 scaffolding was installed at the top of the building, which made possible close examination and the photographing of the sculpture. I spotted the inscription ‘Gilbert Sc. 1940’, incised low down on the sculpture. I also noted what may be another initial letter inscribed within the ‘G’ of Gilbert. This may be a ‘D’, but due to the decay of the surface I could not be sure of this. The ‘Sc.’ after the ‘Gilbert’ can be presumed to be the customary abbreviation for ‘sculptor’.

On finding this signature, my initial hypothesis was that the sculptor was Donald Gilbert (1900-1961). He was the grandson of Sir Alfred Gilbert, who made the famous cast aluminium statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus.

Although probably best known for his pottery figures and bronze portrait busts, Donald Gilbert also undertook monumental architectural sculpture. One of the sculptures at the Adelphi is his work. He was mainly a moulder, who worked in various materials, and therefore could well have done work cast in reconstituted stone. His dates are right. Also, he was based in West London at the relevant time. The inclusion of the eagle could also possibly be significant, as Donald Gilbert did sculptures of animals.

At the 1938 RA exhibition Thomas Wallis, the senior partner and lead designer with Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, showed his design for the building, Donald Gilbert also exhibited various pieces at that same show, including the Coronation Medal commissioned by Their Majesties the King and Queen. This sculpture is different in style and conception from Donald Gilbert’s formal bronze portrait busts. However, there is a distinct stylist affinity with his ceramic figures, particularly the art deco statuettes he designed for Denby. There is also some resemblance between this sculpture and the stone carving of an airman which Donald Gilbert contributed to the Burnley War Memorial group (1931), the other figures in which are by his father Walter Gilbert (1871–1946).

The attribution confirmed
I investigated whether any other designer or sculptor with the name ‘Gilbert’ could possibly be associated with this work. From available information I was able to exclude the possibility that ‘Gilbert’ refers to Wallis, Gilbert & Partners. The ‘Gilbert’ in the firm’s name relates to a prospective partner when that firm was formed back in 1919, but who left shortly thereafter. It was never the firm’s practice to use a ‘Gilbert’ signature. I also considered the possibility that this sculpture could be the work of Gilbert Ledward. I consulted Catherine Moriarty, (the leading authority on that sculptor) as to whether the ‘signature’ I had found could be that of Gilbert Ledward. She advised me that Gilbert Ledward invariably signed his sculptures ‘Gilbert Ledward RA’, and he always insisted on ‘RA’ being included. Stephen Gilbert (another grandson of Sir Alfred, and Donald Gilbert’s cousin) can be ruled out on obvious stylistic grounds. In any case I am informed he only turned to making his metal abstract sculptures post war. Walter Gilbert (Donald Gilbert’s father) could also be excluded as by 1940 he was no longer active.

The sculpture with the eagle looking over the airman’s left shoulder

Further confirmation of the attribution to Donald Gilbert came thanks to English Heritage’s records. Donald Gilbert had included in his list of principal works (published in Artists’ Who’s Who during the 1950’s) a sculpture titled Inspiration to Flight. The entries in that publication were compiled by the artists concerned.) There is no description or location given. However the title would certainly fit the ‘Airman Angel’ very well. I was advised by English Heritage that they have a record of Donald Gilbert’s Inspiration to Flight being located in Brentford, but without any precise address or location being specified. This is convincing proof that the sculpture is by Donald Gilbert. It would be too much of a coincidence to contemplate that there could be another Brentford sculpture by Donald Gilbert of a design that fits this title. It was on this basis that Professor Frances Lloyd accepted the Donald Gilbert attribution of this sculpture as Inspiration to Flight for inclusion in her recently published book The Public Sculpture of Outer South and West London, (Liverpool University Press, 2011, see Introduction p xix and pp 106 and 107), published as part of the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association National Recording Project.

Late in 2011 Carolyn Hammond drew my attention to a discovery made by Duncan Walker of Brentford Dock Residents Association. He had found that in 2004 Bonhams, the fine art auctioneers, had sold a bronze plaque with a relief figure of an airman surmounted with eagles wings, titled Inspiration to Flight and signed by Donald Gilbert with an identical signature to the one on the Airman Angel sculpture. It is clear from the auction catalogue photograph that this small bronze is the maquette, the original small prototype design, for the large cast concrete work. This, at last, provided the final and conclusive proof of the attribution.

Acknowledgements
I was assisted at various stages in my researches by helpful advice from: Diane Bilbey, Department of Sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum; Catherine Moriaty of Brighton University, Ian Leith of the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, Carolyn Hammond of the Brentford and Chiswick Local History Society, the late Dr David Peace and the late Dr Joan Skinner. I would like to record my grateful thanks to all of them for their invaluable counsel and pointers. My thanks also to Mercedes Benz, Brentford, who allowed me onto the roof of their former building back in 1994, and into their new building more recently, so I could better view and take photographs of the sculpture

Joseph Mirwitch is a planning lawyer, an architectural historian and a campaigner for the protection of the built heritage. He lives in Chiswick

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