Detail of the Citizens Regency Building Society (now the Allied Irish Bank),Marlborough Place

Architect: John Denman - Sculptor: Joseph Crib, 1933.

The behatted gentleman on the left portrays John Denman: this is one of a number of bas reliefs that decorate the arched window openings of this building.
As it was the offices of a building society it was appropriate that the sculptures portray different aspects of the building industry.
Joseph Crib was a pupil of Eric Gill at Ditchling.

A few notes about Joseph Cribb:
1892 Born at Hammersmith.
1906 went to work for Eric Gill in Hammersmith workshop as letter cutter.
1908 Moved to Ditchling to continue to work for Eric Gill.
1913 Apprenticeship completed.
1916 Enlisted Royal Sussex Regiment. Fought & wounded at the Battle of the Somme.
1917-19 Served with Royal Engineers in France.
1919 Working with War Graves Commission on layout of cemeteries in France.
1919-1967 Working at Guild of St Joseph & St Dominic on Ditchling Common where from 1924 he was running the stone cutters workshop.
1906-1937 Was also doing work for Gill.
1940-42 John Skelton working for Joseph.
1967 Died on his way to work on Ditchling Common..
In Ditchling Joseph Cribb's work can be seen in the churchyard and parish burial ground, on the War Memorial and in St Margaret's Church - and in many other Sussex churches and churchyards.

More information from Ditchling Museum