Nicholas Fairplay – Biography & Resume
Born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, UK, Nicholas Fairplay began his apprenticeship at age 16 as a stone carver at Chichester Cathedral in England and thereafter became gargoyle carver on the restoration of the North front and Henry 7th Chapel of Westminster Abbey. After receiving his degree from City and Guilds of London Art School in life drawing and clay modeling, he won the Beckwith Travel Scholarship for Drawing and continued his studies of Renaissance, Baroque and Roman Architecture and Sculpture in Rome.
Through an Endowment of the arts Program Mr. Fairplay was recruited as head carver at St. John the Divine in New York where he directed the carving studio as well as instructing and training an international group of select students and carvers. Upon returning to England he worked for the British National Trust restoring historical buildings and monuments considered treasures in the English Heritage.
As a result of Mr. Fairplay’s extensive knowledge of stone carving he was invited to be consultant on the Giza Pyramid Archeological Mapping project for the University of Chicago Research team, and the following year was a expert advisor and was featured in the filming of the Nova Documentary on Pharaonic Pyramid Construction for PBS. He is the subject of a documentary “Nicholas Fairplay: Stone Carver,” a co-production of Oberlin College faculty and students and Allen Memorial Art Museum. In 1995, Nicholas was elected a member of the Association of Master Carvers of England. He is also a professional member of the Stone Carvers Guild of the United States.
Master Fairplay with his trainees and a gablet they produced for the North Tower of St John The Divine. Photo by Andrew Rodriguez.
Fairplay Stonecarvers L.L.C.
Oberlin, Ohio
President, Designer, Draftsman and Master Stone Carver
March1995 – January 1997
Agrell and Thorpe Limited, British Classical Carvers
San Francisco, California
Master Carver and Designer, Stone Carving Instructor
September 1996 – September 1997
Academy of Art College
San Francisco, California
Workshop for Students – Beginning Stone Carving, Sculpture
Instructor and Independent Study Sculpture Instructor
February 1994 – February1995
London Carvers
London, England
Freelance Carver with Master Carver Neil Simmons
August 1990 – December 1993
Cathedral Stoneworks
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania
Project Manager, Master Carver, Design Development,
carving on site five niches on the College of Fine Arts,
each niche a different style
English Heritage, Department of the Environment
London, England
Architectural Sculptor, marble and stone carver, modeling and plaster work
December 1988 – February 1989
American Recearch Center, Yale University, University of Chicargo
Giza Pyramids Archeollogical Mapping Project
Giza, Egypt
Consultant on stone monuments, tools and methods of ancient Egyptian pyramid builders
English Heritage. Carving Queen Victorias’s Coat of Arms for Dartford County Court House.
Excavation site east of Khafre’s pyramid with the excavation team.
English Heritage, Department of the Environment
London, England
Architectural Sculptor, marble and stone carver, modeling and plaster work
January 1987 – April 1987
Building Crafts Collage
London, England
Instructor of stone masonry, architectural carving, drafting, templates,
practical cutting techniques and theory.
Freelance carving with Master Carver Mel Morris Jones.
Kilmersdon, Somerset, England
September 1991 – November 1991
Nova Documentary on Pharaonic Pyramid Construction
Consulting Advisor on Egyptian pyramid techniques and interview in the documentary.
September 1984 – October 1986
Cathedral of St John the Divine
New York, New York
Master Carver instructing design, drawing, modeling, carving, technical drawing and theory.
February 1983 – September 1984
Freelance Carving with Master Carver Mel Morris Jones.
Kilmersdon, Somerset, England
November 1982 – February 1983
Rattee and Kett Contractors, Westminster Abbey
London, England
Dismantled and rebuilt flying buttress on Nave.
August 1982 – November 1982
Freelance carving with Master carver Mel Morris Jones
Kilmersdon, Somerset, England
June 1982 – August 1982
British School in Rome
The Beckwith Scholarship for Travel
Rome, Italy
Drawing buildings and architectural ruins in Rome.
July 1981 – October 1981
Ulverston Parish Church
Ulverston, England
Restoration of medieval sanctuary window
Carving the 12′ statue of Elijah for St John the Divine. Photo by Andrew Rodriguez.
Mr Fairplay during his apprentiship with Chichester Cathedral Stoneworks.
Westminster Abbey
London, England
Stone Carver Journeyman
Restoration of the 13th century North Front
October 1979 – June 1982
City and Guilds of London Art School
London, England
Studied figure drawing and sculptural modeling.
January 1978 – October 1979
Rattee & Kett Contractors, Westminster Abbey
London, England
Stone carver Journeyman
Restoration of the 13th century North Front and 15th century Henry VII Chapel
June 1973 – December 1977
Chichester Cathedral Stone Works
Chichester, Sussex, England
Stone Cutting and Carving apprenticeship
Studied drafting, template making, stone cutting, carving and setting.
June 1973 – December 1977
Weymouth Technical Collage
Weymouth, Dorset
Block release to study technical drawing, practical masonry and theory.