Thomas Thornycroft

Thomas Thornycroft (19 May 1815 – 30 August 1885) was an English sculptor and engineer. Thomas Thornycroft was born near Gawsworth, Cheshire, the eldest son of John Thornycroft, a farmer. He was educated at Congleton Grammar School and then briefly apprenticed to a surgeon. He moved to London where he spent four years as an assistant to the sculptor John Francis. In 1840 he married Francis' daughter, Mary, who was also a sculptor. Thomas made an ... more

Thomas Thornycroft (19 May 1815 – 30 August 1885) was an English sculptor and engineer. Thomas Thornycroft was born near Gawsworth, Cheshire, the eldest son of John Thornycroft, a farmer. He was educated at Congleton Grammar School and then briefly apprenticed to a surgeon. He moved to London where he spent four years as an assistant to the sculptor John Francis. In 1840 he married Francis' daughter, Mary, who was also a sculptor. Thomas made an over-life-sized plaster equestrian statue of Queen Victoria for the Great Exhibition of 1851 which was much admired by the queen and by Prince Albert. He produced 50 bronze statuettes from this model and in 1868 a full-sized version for the exterior of St George's Hall, Liverpool, which was accompanied by a matching statue of Prince Albert. He made similar statues of the queen for Halifax in 1864 and for Wolverhampton in 1866. In 1867 Thornycroft was commissioned to carve in marble the group entitled Commerce for the Albert Memorial. He also... less