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Welcome to
Ian G Brennan
Contemporary Sculptor & Woodcarver to The British Royal Household
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For more information about Ian G Brennan's illustrated talks, please contact Suzanne Cavill at; ;
Tel; 44 (0) 1489 574025 ; 9.00 - 7.00 GMT; Monday - Saturday.
Alternatively you can contact Ian direct at
Speaking Experience:
For over fifteen years Ian G Brennan has been giving his illustrated talks to a wide and varied selection of people in both formal and informal settings, ranging from a small private audience consisting of a few dozen people meeting in a Hall, to an audience of several hundred people in a Theatre. Ian has also been invited to talk about his work in such magnificent settings as Windsor Castle, Burlington House at the Royal Academy and on-board the Cunard Liners, QE2 and QM2.
All the main aspects of Ian's talks can be covered in either a one hour lecture, or if required the talks can be covered in much more depth over several separate lectures each lasting for 45 minutes. It is also sometimes possible for Ian to display his most recent commissions at the talk, including some of those commissioned for Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey.
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A selection of Ian's bronze Wildlife and Heraldic sculptures on display in the Nave of St George's Chapel during his talk at Windsor Castle.
Additionally a 'behind the scenes' TV Documentary showing the various aspects of Ian's work can be made available. This 25 minute documentary was film in the artists studio whilst he was working on one of his royal commissions and also inside St George's Chapel Windsor Castle where many of these sculptures are eventually placed.
Biography/Resume:
Ian Brennan is sculptor and woodcarver to the British Royal Household. His career as a sculptor started after a fire destroyed his cabinet making business, however within five years from the fire he was appointed Sculptor to the Most Noble Order of the Garter and Honourable Order of the Bath. Many examples of his work can now be found in Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, Museums, Company Receptions and private collections all over the World.
Ian spends around four months of each year on a wide variety of commissions for the Royal Household, the rest of his time is spent on producing naturalistic and Heraldic sculptures in wood, bronze and silver for both private and corporate commission
Further information about Ian's work can be found at :-
Briefly outlined here are the various topics covered in Ian G Brennan's illustrated Talks;
Royal Commissions :-
An informal illustrated talk showing a small selection of the 75 commissioned to date Ian has produced for the British Royal Household. These commissions vary from realistic Wildlife subjects, to Regal Lions and Mythical Unicorns; State Crowns and Gilded Coronets to the carved and gilded Pascal candle stand which is placed in front of the High Altar in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle .
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HRH The Princess Royal discussing Ian's latest commission and HM The Queen at Windsor
Phoenix from the Ashes :-
A personal illustrated story how Ian first discovered his ability to carve after a disastrous fire destroyed his furniture making business in 1984. The trials and tribulations trying to recover from the aftermath of the fire, to then discovering his up to then unknown ability to carve, to within five years from the fire being appointed Sculptor to the Most Noble Order of the Garter and Honourable Order of the Bath.
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The remains of the fire damaged workshop
Wildlife Sculptures :-
Naturalistic sculpture commissions, are often as diverse as producing an Eight feet high Bald Eagle in flight for an American Corporation; a life size statue of the Risen Christ for a local church, to a three feet high carved and gilded tooth placed outside a Dental Surgery; a Life size Bronze Osprey catching a Pike for a fountain to then spending several months working in the Royal Naval Dockyard carving all the intricate scroll work on-board Lord Nelson's Flagship HMS Victory.
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The six feet high Osprey catching a Pike Bronze - the Risen Christ statue and the 'gold tooth'
Traditions, Pageantry and History of Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey :-
Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey, two of the most famous, historic and widely visited buildings in Great Britain, showing the pageantry, history and splendour of Windsor Castle the home to the HM the Queen and earlier sovereigns of England for over 900 years. Westminster Abbey where every Sovereign since 1066 apart from Edward V and Edward the V111, have been crowned and for many centuries the traditional burial place of Kings, Queens and Princes.
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Windsor Castle preparing for the Garter service
Creating A Sculpture :-
Bald Eagle from the tree to the finished bronze sculpture :- Creating a unique Bronze Sculpture carved from with the fork of a 150 year old Lime Tree, Ian shows in stages some of the techniques and occasional problems encountered in producing a Life Size highly detailed Bald Eagle in Flight carved in fine detail from a single piece of wood; to then producing a replica in wax which was then cast in bronze. This Bald Eagle was then to become the centre piece of a Company reception area.
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Completed Bald Eagle
Historical Commissions :-
Working inside such historic places as Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, on-board Lord Nelson's Flagship HMS Victory and more recently working in Southwick House the Allied Headquarters in Southern England during WW2, where General Eisenhower and Field Marshal Montgomery planned the invasion of France. The original 20 feet high D Day Map still set at ' H Hour' when the historic invasion began.
Ian explains not only about his work involved with the recent restoration undertaken at this once top secret building at HMS Dryad, but also a brief history of how D Day and the building itself managed to remain so secret during the second world war, how the allied invasion of France was planned and how so very close it all came to failure.
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The Historic D Day Map Room at Southwick House
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HMS Victory and the completed carving of the Ships Entrance Port
Lord Nelson's Historic Flagship HMS Victory ( circa 1765 ) Ian Spent several months working on the middle gun deck replace all the original starboard side entrance port. Working amongst the original oak beams, masts and bronze cannons on this the most famous historic warship in the world. Many thousands of visitors from all over the world come to visit Lord Nelson's flagship each year, which will be a special attraction this year being the bi-bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. HMS Victory is the only remaining first rate 100 cannon warship in the World.
Wild Badgers, Foxes, Squirrels and Deer visit Ian's Studio whilst he is working :-
Wild Badgers, Foxes, Squirrels and Deer, etc are regular visitors to Ian's studio whilst he is working, and also occasionally bringing their young with them who can often be found running around the studio, this gives him the unique opportunity of studying the wildlife close at hand which is often the subject of his wildlife sculptures.
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25 minute Television Documentary made in Ian's Studio and at Windsor Castle:-
A 'behind the scenes' TV Documentary showing the various aspects of Ian's work was film in the artists studio whilst he was working on one of his royal commissions and also inside St George's Chapel Windsor Castle where many of these sculptures are eventually placed.
Ian's copy of this VHS format film also gives a unique behind the scenes look at Windsor Castle with HM the Queen, the Prince of Wales, former British Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher and many other Garter Knights, this documentary was also filmed inside the Medieval Splendour of St George's Chapel Windsor and is narrated by a member of the Royal Household.
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