Malcolm David Thackwray

The Browning Memorial Wall was designed and sculpted by Malcolm Thackwray in 1965 after he won a competition to erect a sculpture in memory of the 19th Century poet Robert Browning. The sculpture, titled 'Two Doves', which symbolises peace, love and learning, was produced by Malcolm during his time working as an assistant to sculptor, artist, and designer William Mitchell, who encouraged him to enter the competition.

The sculpture is inspired by Mitchell's abstract heavily modelled concrete surface murals and public works of art, but the design and construction was solely that of Malcolm Thackwray. Sadly, due to misinformation, the current plaque credits the work to William Mitchell, but this is incorrect, and the plaque is expected to be replaced in due course to rightfully recognise Malcolm Thackwray as the designer and sculptor. Documentation to this effect can be viewed below.

In 2015, the London Remembers website issued the following correction regarding the attribution of the sculpture, following evidence provided by Malcolm and his family.

London Remembers (2015): "The attribution of this work, ‘Two Doves’, to William Mitchell is being changed to credit Malcolm Thackwray instead. Mitchell has requested that the plaque be replaced to reflect this change. The authorship of this sculpture has been confused:  There is documentary evidence that it was created by Malcolm Thackwray. He was at the time working in William Mitchell’s studio as an assistant and at Mitchell's suggestion entered the 1965 competition for a design for the Robert Browning Commemorative Sculpture. Mitchell was involved in discussions about the design, which won the competition."

See London Remembers for the original text here.