THE ST.ALBANS REREDOS

Docu-poem into a famous British sculptor's life and mind.

Sir Alfred Gilbert -- the top sculptor of his day -- created the statue of Eros in London's Piccadilly Circus in the late 19th century. He also created but did not finish the reredos for St.Alban's Abbey during its resoration. He was much admired by Rodin, but had trouble finishing his work and he was so beset by debt he fled to Belgium and went bankrupt.

 

Lord Aldenham -- director of the Bank of England, linguist and lexicographer -- was one of patron's behind the Abbey's restoration. He was a gentle and likeable Victorian gent. Lord Grimthorpe, a wealthy lawyer who put up huge sums for the work, was Aldenham's foil and was described by the Bishop of St.Albans as 'one of the most cruel and exacting men alive'.

 

In the midst of everything stood a medieval abbey despoiled by Henry 8 in 1539, with further depletion in Cromwell's time a century later...and an artist struggling with his work, in this case a marble sculpture of Christ rising flanked by two angels with wings made of irridescent paua shells from New Zealand...unfinished to this day... 

 

 

THE ST.ALBANS REREDOS

 

1932

Three decades on

The verger watches the eighty-year old sculptor standing there

An hour passes...

Studying his reredos

Unfinished

Another hour passes

The sculptor turns

Walks silently away

Never to return

 

1890

Sir

This important commission...

The reredos

To be the focal point of our restoration works

Yours, Aldenham

 

1896

Dear Lord Aldenham

Clear debts incurred

My figure of Agape...

Duke of Clarence's tomb...

Debts mounting my lord...

 

My Dear Gilbert

£525 to paid this instant

Aldenham

 

Nothing done...

Debts mount

Five children

My wife's ever deepening melancholia

Money

Debts, debts

 

To be paid this instant

Yours Aldenham

 

A cheque made to you in the sum of...

Yours Aldenham

 

My mortgage weighs my lord

Works...

Smashed...

Not right, nothing ever right...

I seek only perfection

 

But it was beautiful, sir

 

Knock, knock

Re your debts, sir

Be a good sir, sir

Must pay, sir

Fees seized

Gobbled up

 

Lords Grimthorpe and Aldenham fight

Grimthorpe: 'that, venemous, pompous, righteous bully' - Pevsner

An inspector relieves himself from a scaffold on the altar screen

Outrage! Utter outrage!

 

Gilbert chips away at Christ

Tints, chips, polishes marble

Angels' wings

Tilts paua shells into light

Just another artist lost in Christ 

 

Dear Archdeacon Lawrence

Suggest unveil High Alter Screen to waiting public

All Saints Day, 1899

Yours Aldenham

 

Dear Gilbert

All ready

Bar the reredos

When?

Aldenham

 

Dear Gilbert

When?

Aldenham

 

When?

WHEN?

 

Architect calls

Knock, knock

No answer

No Gilbert

 

Money paid

Another £1,500

Aldenham

 

Humblest apologies

Gilbert

Can't find orb for angel

Sorry

Not well

 

An invite to...

The Earl and Countess of St.Alabans

To mark the completion of St.Albans Abbey rstoration

High Altar Screen and reredos

 

Wineglass stains on Gilbert's letters

Birthday?

Was it my birthday?

 

October, 1899

Sculpture arrives at Abbey -- finally, finally

Propped up against altar

Unfinished

But here

 

Night before Nov 1

Architect dies -- sudden

Shock, utter shock

Ceremony continues

 

Abbey fills

O solemnity!

England's finest

Hundreds of

Tall hats

Great finery

Bells

Choir

Hear it...

'FOR ALL THE SAINTS'

For you and I...

'HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!'

Are the green man carved in a pier...

'WHEN I SING THE WONDROUS CROSS'

For you and eye are the Abbey's ears...

 

'And all about were in tears'

Times Of London

'Sobbing'

Still audible over the years

Sobbing at the beauty of it

Stirring words

Stirring sights

Stirring

 

And yet...the reredos...

Evident to every eye

Unfinished

 

Silence

 

Dead architect's son prods recalcitrant sculptor

Who takes to his bed -- again

 

May, 1900

A little light work

Paua shells of angels wings angled to sunlight

 

August, 1901

Gilbert bankrupt

Flees to Belgium

Debts

Unfinished work

Trail of

Man a mess

Talk of 'the bottle'

 

1907

Aldenham dies

 

1932

Can't finish it Aldenham...

Will never be...

I should have

Alabaster

I should have held out for alabaster

Still...

Here we are

Marble you are

Tried my best for you

Not that they care

Not that they notice

They think my Agape is Eros...Eros!

Glad I chose the paua shells

Rodin outdoes me at every turn

Wish I...

Too late now

Imagine Blomfield dying like that!

Night before

You were good to me Aldenham

Pity I wasn't Director of the Bank of England...

Who'd be a sculptor?

Still...

I was close to you

Did you really rise from the dead?

To carve Christ

To touch Christ

To know Christ

Poor old Grimthorpe

To be reduced

To a line in a lexicon

Verb, transitive

Grimthorpe -- to restore a building with lavish expenditure

Rather than with skill or taste

Yet what will they of me when I am gone?

Movement?

Colour?

Tension?

What's the verger staring at?

I've paid my debts, sir!

 

And with that the artist turns his back on his art

And walks silently away.

 

1934

Dies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[emmajoy]

The introduction to the actual prose-poem is very heart-touching. The remainder of it is fascinating history and exceptional writing.
Thank you, thank you for filling in at least one gap in my education: what an interesting account. I always feel that somewhere there's going to be a hidden message in your writing, maybe it's in the interpretation of your format, and, quite unique style.
Seems that so many of the mastersmiths in the world of creativity have suffered periods of the minimal medium or/and cash. So appreciate the commings and goings of messages, the characters revealing themselves in a mere handful of words.
Sir Orlando, your writing and research is exceptional.

[Emily B]

I wonder why it is that artists are allowed, expected, to be shocking and indecent and flighty. My mind takes off on flights of creative fancy and I have to think

no, no, mustn't shock those around me

The torturous life of genius unrealized. Well said.

[Bubo]

This is such a great write.........runs like a beautiful, sad story, but also so much history!
So much info to take in..........so much sadness and tradegy in the name of art.........
you are really an indepth writer, who pulls out all to get that image placed in the readers mind.

[Amor-de-angel]

Were you a history teacher once? I loved the details in this. You are so versatile in your writing.
Well done Sir Ron.

[poddar kushal]

a departure from what we usually read or write and successfully done.can you write about a period of history next?

[[untitled]]

Reredos and debts owed and paid, were you inebriated when you wrote this? No one writes like you do, you have style my dear Watson! Aldenham finally dies PHEW!!! I'm aware that the entire piece is heavily peppered with historical fact, but your sense of humour is outrageous throughout. Pity you aren't the Prime minister.
Fill in the missing words and fix the typos! I think that Henry the 8th did more than despoil Abbeys, he despoiled a few heads when he reigned supreme! I honestly have no idea about this, I can pick up the gist in certain areas, but not in others. You would know exactly where you were going with it and I wish I could comment coherantly. I will say that your brilliant language skills and the lead-in have a proffessional air about them.
Cheers, have another port on me!
Helen :-))))))))))))

[Ken Simm.]

An excellent interesting stylistically different write. Fascinating piece of art history. And equally fascinating insight into the Victorian mind.

[Phil Sanders]

Fascinating write...........

[The Archangel Gabriel]

Oh, contract labor! Will the trials and tribulations ever end? Great story. I liked the historical perspective - fresh and interesting. For some reason, I missed that day of European History class... Nice to get it on that make up! Great write.

-Gabe