Alfred Turner RA
Born 28 May 1874
Died 18 March 1940
Active: 1895 - 1938
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor
Born in London. He was the son of a sculptor, C E Halsey-Turner. Alfred studied at the South London Technical School of Art and at the Royal Academy Schools. He worked as an assistant to Harry Bates and then taught modelling at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. He married Charlotte Ann Gavin in 1899 and they had two daughters, one of whom was the sculptor, Winifred Turner.
His most important works include: the sculptural groups for the law courts at the Old Bailey, London; a statue of Owen Glyndwr for Cardiff City Hall; the horse with two leaders crowning the South African War Memorial at Delville Wood; memorials to Queen Victoria at Sheffield, North Shields and Delhi; First World War memorials at Fulham, Victoria College, Jersey, and Northampton; a memorial to King Edward VII at Lyallpur.
Wealth at death: £4,670 16s. 8d.
Probate date: 11 July 1940
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
Dreams of Youth
1926
Memorial to John Constable
1936 (Presumed)
The Vision
1938
Locations
Address 60 Stockwell Park Crescent Lambeth London | View on map
1898 (Circa)
Address 6 Hurlingham Road Fulham London SW | View on map
1910 (Circa) - 1913 (Circa)
Studio located at 1 Stratford Studios Stratford Road London W | View on map
1901 (Circa) - 1904 (Circa)
Studio located at 2 Stratford Studios Stratford Road London W | View on map
1905 (Circa)
Studio located at 23 Harley Studios Priory Grove London W | View on map
1907 (Circa)
Studio located at Studio, 44 Munster Road Fulham London SW6 | View on map
1914 (Circa) - 1940
Occupied the Studio at this address
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Aberdeen Artists' Society Exhibition of Works of Modern Artists, 1926
'Dreams of Youth'
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1898 - 1937
Exhibited 25 times, often two or three works, about 45 works in all
Exhibited at Palace of Arts Empire Exhibition Scotland, 1938
1938
Exhibited at The Royal Scottish Academy Exhibition, 1826-
1938
Exhibited at the annual exhibition 1 time: 1938 (1 work)
Exhibition committee member for United Artists' Exhibition (Royal Academy of Arts), 1939
1939
Representing the Royal Academy; responsible for the arrangement of sculpture.
Selection committee member of Chantrey Bequest (Chantrey Fund; Royal Academy of Arts), 1875-1948
1932 - 1936
Served on the Fund's Selection Committee in 1932, 1935, and 1936 (Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1932', 1933, p. 23).
Won prize Landseer Scholarships (Royal Academy of Arts), 1884-1950
1897
Institutional and Business Connections
Committee member of Royal Academy Schools
1926
Served on the Selection Committee in 1926. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1925', (1926), p. 34.
Elected ARA Royal Academy of Arts
30 November 1922 - 5 December 1931
Elected RA in 1931.
Elected RA Royal Academy of Arts
5 December 1931 - 18 March 1940
Died in 1940. Turner's Diploma work was a bronze statuette entitled 'Dreams of Youth'. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1932', (1933), p. 82.
Fellow of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1923 - 1940
Died in 1940.
Member of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1905 - 1940
Amongst the second wave of those invited to join 'without further nomination' [2 March 1905, Royal Society of British Sculptors, Minutes of Council Meetings, Vol.I]. Died in 1940.
Member of council Royal Society of British Sculptors
1924 - 1925
Member of council Royal Academy of Arts
1933 (Presumed) - 1939 (Presumed)
Served as a Member of the Council from 1933 to 1934, July 1935 to 1936, and 1939 See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1934', (1935), p. 43.
Studied at Royal Academy Schools
30 July 1895 - July 1898
These dates are provided by Popp and Valentine, in 'Royal Academy of Arts Directory of Membership', (1996), p. 121.
Turner won a first prize of £30 for model of a design, and a second prize of £20 for a set of three models of a figure from the life, in 1896. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1896', (1897), pp. 33-34. In 1897, he won the gold medal and travelling scholarship of £200 for a composition in sculpture, and a first prize silver medal of £50 for a set of three models of a figure from the life. Turner was awarded the Landseer scholarship for sculpture in the same year. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1897', (1898), p. 31.
Teacher of modeling at Central School of Arts and Crafts
1907 - June 1941 (Presumed)
In 1907 Turner is listed as a teacher of 'Modelling and Ornament as applied to Architecture and the allied crafts: Modelling from the Life'.
From 1908 onwards he is listed as teacher of modelling (including life) in the department of Drawing, Design and Modelling.
From 1920 Turner is listed as teacher of modelling, stone carving and ivory carving in the School of Painted and Sculptured Architectural Decoration, and Stained Glass. He is last listed in the 1940-1941 prospectus. Note that there are no avaliable prospectuses from 1941-1942 and 1942-1943. Turner is not listed in the 1943-1944 prospectus.
Visitor at Royal Academy Schools
October 1926 - June 1929
Visitor to the School of Sculpture from October 1926 to June 1927, and from October 1928 to June 1929. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1926', (1927), p. 32.
Personal and Professional Connections
Assistant to Harry Bates
Mother/father/parent of Winifred Turner
Nominated by George Henry
22 April 1920
For RA.
Nominated by William Goscombe John
22 April 1920
For RA.
Nominated by (Edgar) Bertram Mackennal
22 April 1920
For RA.
Nominated by Frederick William Pomeroy
22 April 1920
For RA.
Nominated by Henry Alfred Pegram
22 April 1920
For RA.
Nominated by Henry Poole
22 April 1920
For RA.
Nominated by Francis Derwent Wood
22 April 1920
For RA.
Nominated by William Lionel Wyllie
22 April 1920
For RA.
Nominator of Maurice Lambert
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominator of Edmund Thomas Wyatt Ware
1916 (Presumed)
For membership of the Royal Society of British Sculptors
Nominator of Edgar Allan Howes
1 November 1927 - March 1935
Two nominations for RA, in 1927 and 1935, both unsuccessful.
Nominator of Alfred Frank Hardiman
1 November 1927
For RA.
Nominator of Charles Thomas Wheeler
1 November 1927
For RA.
Nominator of Albert C. Carter
1927 (Presumed)
For membership of the Royal Society of British Sculptors
Nominator of E. Roland Bevan
26 April 1928
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Charles William Dyson-Smith
30 March 1932 (Presumed)
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of (Arthur) Eric Rowton Gill
8 January 1932
For RA.
Nominator of Thomas Mewburn Crook
March 1933
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Leonard Stanford Merrifield
November 1933
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of James Alexander Stevenson
March 1933
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Stanley Nicholson Babb
March 1934
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Gilbert William Bayes
March 1934
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Ernest George Gillick
March 1934
For RA.
Nominator of William Ernest Reynolds-Stephens
March 1934
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Winifred Turner
27 April 1934
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of James Arthur Woodford
22 April 1934
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominator of Alan Lydiat Durst
19 December 1935
For Associate of the Royal Academy ARA].
Nominator of John Rattenbury Skeaping
11 February 1936
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominator of William James Bloye
1 March 1938
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA]; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Herbert William Palliser
28 March 1939
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA]; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Wilfrid Edgar Dudeney
1939 (Presumed)
For membership of the Royal Society of British Sculptors (Turner taught Dudeney at the Central School of Arts and Crafts)
Sources
Aberdeen Artists' Society. Nineteenth Exhibition of Works of Modern Masters, 1926
November 1926
p. 81
Annual Report from the Council of The Royal Academy to the General Assembly of Academicians for the Year 1932, 1933 Royal Academy Annual Reports
1933
pp. 23, 39, 82
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
2009
RG14PN351 RG78PN11 RD3 SD5 ED14 SN160
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
2010
Name: Alfred Turner
Probate Date: 11 Jul 1940
Death Date: 18 Mar 1940
Death Place: London, England
Registry: London, England
List of Members: Royal Society of British Sculptors
2008
London County Council Central School of Arts and Crafts. Prospectus & Time-Table for the Session Commencing 21 September 1908
21 September 1908
p. 3.
London County Council Central School of Arts and Crafts. Prospectus & Timetable for the Session Commencing 24 September 1907
24 September 1907
p. 3.
London County Council Central School of Arts and Crafts. Prospectus and Time-Table of Session beginning 27 September 1920
27 September 1920
Unpaged timetable.
London County Council Central School of Arts and Crafts. Prospectus and Time-Table of the Session, 1940-1941
September 1940 (Presumed)
Unpaged timetable.
Palace of Arts
Empire Exhibition
Scotland
1938
The Fine Art Section of the Empire Exhibition
1938
Royal Academy of Arts Nominations for Associateship, 1906-1927
1927
p.177.
Royal Academy of Arts Nominations for Associateship, 1927-1938
1938
pp.18-19, pp.33-34, p.61, p.70, p.119, p.141, pp.143-144, pp.149-150, p.190, p.210, p.213, p.221, pp.225-226, p.247.
Royal Academy of Arts Nominations for Associateship, c.1939-c.1961
1961 (Circa)
p.118.
Royal Society of British Sculptors. Minutes of Council Meetings No. 1, 1905-1913
19 May 1913
2 March 1905.
The Times Digital Archive 1785-1985
2008
The Times, Thursday, Mar 21, 1940; pg. 11; Issue 48570; col E
Obituaries
Category: Obituaries (accessed 11 August 2010)
Citing this record
'Alfred Turner RA', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib2_1215528314, accessed 24 Mar 2023]
