Joseph Bernard Clark
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bernard Clark was a British ornamental plasterer
and co-founder of the specialist plasterwork company of Clark & Fenn.
Born in Dundee
on 25 March 1868, the son of a plasterer, Clarks family moved to London
when he was still young. In 1913 Clark joined with Harry Fenn, a surveyor, founding a company at Loughborough Junction
to specialise in ornamental fibrous plasterwork and Plaster of Paris work.
The business was a rapid success with commissions from the new cinemas and major theatres who competed against each other through the splendour of their interior decoration. For designs, Clark & Fenn worked closely with G. Jackson & Sons, founded in 1780 with Robert Adam
as a designer. The company soon moved to larger premises at Clapham
Old Town where they were able to prefabricate much of their work off-site. This allowed them to take the mouldings ready-prepared for installation to a theatre or cinema, minimising the disruption to performances and rehearsals.
Notable works include:
Plasterer
A plasterer is a tradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls...
and co-founder of the specialist plasterwork company of Clark & Fenn.
Born in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
on 25 March 1868, the son of a plasterer, Clarks family moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
when he was still young. In 1913 Clark joined with Harry Fenn, a surveyor, founding a company at Loughborough Junction
Loughborough Junction
Loughborough Junction is an area of South London, in the Borough of Lambeth, which lies on the borderline of Brixton and Camberwell. It is centred at a junction which consists of 6 railway bridges which can all be seen at once from the centre of the junction. Loughborough Junction can be found...
to specialise in ornamental fibrous plasterwork and Plaster of Paris work.
The business was a rapid success with commissions from the new cinemas and major theatres who competed against each other through the splendour of their interior decoration. For designs, Clark & Fenn worked closely with G. Jackson & Sons, founded in 1780 with Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
as a designer. The company soon moved to larger premises at Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
Old Town where they were able to prefabricate much of their work off-site. This allowed them to take the mouldings ready-prepared for installation to a theatre or cinema, minimising the disruption to performances and rehearsals.
- Theatre Royal, Drury LaneTheatre Royal, Drury LaneThe Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
- Grand Theatre LeedsGrand Theatre LeedsThe Grand Theatre is a theatre and Opera house in the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was designed by James Robinson Watson, chief assistant in the office of Leeds-based architect George Corson, and opened on 18 November 1878...
- London PalladiumLondon PalladiumThe London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
- Somerset HouseSomerset HouseSomerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
in the StrandStrand, LondonStrand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length... - St. Clement Danes in the Strand,
- Granada, TootingGranada, TootingThe Granada Cinema in Tooting, an area in the borough of Wandsworth, London was one of the great luxurious cinemas built in the 1930s. It is considered by many to be the most spectacular cinema in Britain.-History:...
External links
Sources
- Friends of West Norwood cemetery Biography of Joseph Bernard Clark (1868-1940) Master Plasterer