Michael Farrar-Bell

Michael C. Farrar-Bell (1911–1993) was a British stained glass and postage stamp designer.

He designed pub signs, then became known as a stained glass designer as the head of Clayton and Bell which had been one of the most prolific workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century.

His postage stamp designs included the 1s6d value of the British Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II 1953 stamp issue, the frame around the image of the Queen on two values of the Wilding series definitive stamp issue and the 3d value from the 1965 Salvation Army commemorative issue.^[1]

He also painted pub signs, and a British Pathe News film of 1956 shows him at work.^[2] Michael C. Farrer- Bell worked alongside Deane Skurray son of Thomas Skurray chairman of Morland United Breweries Abingdon. Together they drsign a plaque that would go in to the front of every Morland pub & Hotel across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, wiltshire, Hampshire, Surrey, London, to commemorate 250 years of brewing Deane had the idea of a painter in a Red frocked coat tricorn hat, so with this idea Michael put pencil to paper and together the came up with the design which became morland & co ltd new logo. These ceramic plaques first made by carter tile works in London & then the Poole pottery company, and still can be seen in over 350 pubs across the morland tradig area, many in Abingdon, Reading, Oxford, Wantage, Maidenhead, Wokingham,Thame,and many over small town & villages and a lot of country house that have since closed. Michael C.Farrer Bell also painted a lot of Morlands pub signs.

References