A bronze and stone mermaid fountain in Mermaid Square at the Guild of Students was by the sculptor William James Boyle.
'This exuberant and impressive fountain is a sculptural version of the mermaid from the University coat of arms, created originally for the precursor of the University of Birmingham, Sir Josiah Mason's Science College.
The joyful figure offers a warm, welcoming reception to all. Her face is smiling, her arms outstretched and her body curves up to the sky. Perhaps she is simply amused at what is going on around her, being directly outside the student bars!
The mermaid is riding bronze stylised waves on top of a layered bowl, shaped like scallop shell with lily flowers."
An explanation of why a landlocked university in the centre of England has a mermaid on its coat of arms is explained at the following link: (
visit link)
Further information on the coat of arms of Sir Josiah Mason can be found at the following link: (
visit link)
‘William James Bloye ARBSA (8 July 1890 – 6 June 1975) was an English Sculpture in Birmingham either side of WWII.
Life
He studied and later taught at the Birmingham School of Art (his training was interrupted by WWI), when he served in the RAMC from 1915 to 1917, he was eventually succeeded at Birmingham by John Bridgeman), where his pupils included, Gordon Henrickx, Roy Kitchin, Raymond Mason, John Poole and Ian Walters. He also studied stone-carving (letter cutting under Eric Gill around 1921.
In 1925 he became a member of the Birmingham Civic Society, having, at about that time, a studio at 111, Golden Hillock Road, Small Heath Birmingham. As Birmingham’s unofficial civic sculptor, he worked on virtually all public commissions including libraries, hospitals and the University. He often carved bas-relief plagues, typically for public houses in Birmingham, and decorated a number of buildings by the architect Holland W Hobbs.’
At the University of Birmingham, he was the creator of the followings works:
‘Aesculapius’ at the Medical School;
Engineering bas-relief as the Mechanical Engineering Building;
The Bronze Mermaid Fountain and the stone mermaid plaque at the Guild of Students building.
‘He became a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors: Associate (with the honorific suffix ARBS) in 1934, and fellow (FRBS) in 1938. He also won the latter’s Otto Beit Medal. Retiring from the School of Art in 1956 he moved to Solihull. He died in Arezzo, Italy in 1975.’
(
visit link)
(
visit link)
(
visit link)