Doctoral dissertation on Bligh Bond
A talk by Tim Hopkinson-Ball
Frederick Bligh Bond, photographed in 1921. According to Wikipedia, he was generally known by his second given name, Bligh.
An excellent talk on the eccentric architect Frederick Bligh Bond (1864–1945) awaited members of the Conservation Society who attended the Antiquarian Society’s annual general meeting on November 12 in the library.
Dr Tim Hopkinson-Ball, whose doctoral thesis (University of Kent, 2003) is on Bligh Bond, concentrated not on Bond’s interest in the paranormal and mysticism, for which he is probably best known, but on his substantial achievements as a talented architect. He gave a full account of Bond’s family circumstances, professional life, successes and troubles.
Tim Hopkinson-Ball, who lives in Glastonbury, is now an Abbey trustee.
The slides were of particular interest, from Bond as a rather wistful young child, to Bond as an old man beside the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey; this was one of only two surviving stills from the film that was made of the Abbey restoration nearly a century ago.
Other slides were of Bond’s elaborate civic buildings, and a very rare early colour photograph taken by Bond himself of a handsome house he designed.
Bond’s interest were wide. He experimented with the scientific development of photography, was a keen mathematician and wrote copious curious poetry.
In Somerset he did much church restoration work, as at St John’s, specially on rood screens, inspired by a fragment excavated from the Abbey. In Glastonbury his best known work is the war memorial beside St John’s Church and the cover for the Chalice Well.
We look forward to Dr Hopkinson-Ball’s book on Bond with the greatest interest.