Eric Gill (1882 – 1940) was an English sculptor, stonemason, typographer and printmaker; a controversial figure whose fascination with erotica and sex were at odds with his deep religious beliefs. He spent his formative years in Brighton and Chichester before a period of study in London. After marriage in 1904, he moved with his young family to Ditchling in Sussex where he set up an artistic community. In 1924 Gill and his disciples left for Capel-y-ffin in Wales, followed four years later by a move to a home near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. Among his many enduring artistic achievements are the typefaces Gill Sans, Perpetua and Joanna; the group of sculptures Prospero and Ariel for BBC Broadcasting House; numerous First World War memorials; and a vast array of illustrations for the private Golden Cockerel Press. He died in 1940 and is buried in Speen Churchyard, in the Chilterns.
