Login
Login

Terry English

{{Short description|British armourer}}

Terry English is a British armourer, mainly designing and making arms and armour, as well as props, for film and television productions.{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/cornwall/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8598000/8598680.stm|title=Cornish armour appears in Clash of the Titans|date=1 April 2010|website=BBC}}{{cite news|url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/country-life-every-week/20190102/282892321781056|title=Full metal jacket|author=Lovell, Kate|date=2 January 2019|accessdate=27 October 2020|work=Country Life |location=London}} His work is held in museums such as the UK's Royal Armouries, and in private collections.

Early life and career

English was born in the East End of London, and moved to Romford, Essex, when he was five. His father was a tailor and suit cutter. English began his career in 1962, employed by theatrical costumers L & H Nathans of Drury Lane, Covent Garden, London, working on props and metal parts of costumes. Many of the costumes that were hired out came back damaged, and under the tutelage of professionally-trained swordmaker Arthur West, English learned to repair them, and later to make new armour costumes and metal props. In the early 70s he set up his own company making theatrical armour and arms, including animal armour, such as for horses. The first film he made armour for through his own company was Mary, Queen of Scots (1971).

The armour worn by Lancelot in the 1981 film Excalibur is on display at the Royal Armouries in London, as is a copy he made of one of Henry VIII's suits of armour. In the 1980s English also made armour for the Education Department at the Royal Armouries.{{cite web |title=Armour in popular culture |url=https://shop.royalarmouries.org/blogs/news/armour-in-popular-culture |website=royalarmouries.org |publisher=Royal Armouries |accessdate=27 October 2020}}

English appeared in the 'making of' documentaries, The Making of Excalibur: Myth into Movie (1981), directed by Neil Jordan,{{cite web |title=The Making of Excalibur (1981) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/5249f8955488a |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106182612/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/5249f8955488a |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |website=bfi.org |publisher=British Film Institute |accessdate=27 October 2020}}{{cite web |title=MAKING OF EXCALIBUR: MYTH INTO MOVIE, THE |url=https://www.tcd.ie/irishfilm/print.php?search=keyword&q=cast& |website=tcd.ie |publisher=Trinity College Dublin Irish Film Database |accessdate=27 October 2020}} and Behind the Sword in the Stone (2013).{{cite web| title=Behind the Sword in the Stone| url=http://imdb.com/rg/an_share/title/title/tt2556766/| publisher=IMDb| accessdate=2020-10-26}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/braypeople/news/theres-magic-in-the-air-even-still-29880194.html|title=There's magic in the air even still|author=Fogarty, Mary|date=5 January 2014|accessdate=28 October 2020|work=The Independent |location=Dublin}} He had cameo roles in some of the movies for which he provided armour.

English works out of his workshop at his home near Hayle in Cornwall. When working on a movie, English will pack up his workshop and ship it to the filming location, so that he can undertake on-site costume making, fitting and repairs.

In 2014 an episode of the television show Shed and Buried with Henry Cole was devoted to English and his collection of vintage vehicles as well as his film memorabilia.{{cite web |title=Shed and Buried: Season 2 2x04 A Right Royal Profit? |url=https://trakt.tv/shows/shed-and-buried/seasons/2/episodes/4 |website=trakt.tv |accessdate=28 October 2020}}

In June 2017 Adam Savage spent eight days with English at his workshop in Cornwall, making a recreation of King Arthur's armour suit from Excalibur. This was filmed and released in the Tested.com series as Adam Savage's Armor Build in October 2017.{{cite web |title=3 Big Reasons Mythbusters Fans Should Watch Adam Savage's New Show Armor Build |author=Mick Joest|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1710899/3-big-reasons-mythbusters-fans-should-watch-adam-savages-new-show-armor-build |website=cinemablend.com |publisher=Cinemablend |date=5 October 2017|accessdate=27 October 2020}}

English is listed by the UK's Heritage Crafts Association as one of the few craftspeople currently practising the art of armour- and helmet-making.{{cite web |title=The HCA Red List of Endangered Crafts. Currently viable crafts: Armour and helmet making |url=https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/armour-and-helmet-making/ |website=heritagecrafts.org.uk |publisher=Heritage Crafts Association |accessdate=27 October 2020}} A 2019 profile in Country Life described English as 'widely acknowledged as the best armourer in the world'.

Museum displays and exhibitions

  • The Lancelot suit from Excalibur is held in the collections of the Royal Armouries at the Royal Armouries Museum.{{cite web |title=Armour - Lancelot's Hero Armour (1981) |url=https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-74868.html |website=Royal Armouries Museum |publisher=Royal Armouries |accessdate=28 October 2020}}
  • A life-size armour suit for an Indian elephant, designed and made by English, is displayed at Stratford Armouries.
  • A large collection of armour by English was featured in the 2010 exhibition '75 Years of Twentieth Century Fox' at the London Film Museum.{{cite web |title=20th Century Fox at The London Film Museum: Costumes Galore |author=Christopher Laverty|url=https://clothesonfilm.com/20th-century-fox-at-the-london-film-museum-costumes-galore/ |website=clothesonfilm.com |publisher=Clothes On Film |date=17 August 2010|accessdate=27 October 2020}}
  • The 2016 exhibition 'Way of the Warrior: Epic Movies and Armour' at Forge Mill Needle Museum featured a full suit of armour designed and made by English for Sir Galahad in King Arthur.{{cite news|url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/14654689.props-and-costumes-from-blockbuster-movies-currently-on-display-at-forge-mill-needle-museum/|title=Props and costumes from blockbuster movies currently on display at Forge Mill Needle Museum|author=Russell, Ben|date=1 August 2016|accessdate=28 October 2020|work=Worcester News }}
  • The 2016 exhibition 'All Monsters Great and Small' at the Royal Cornwall Museum featured English's work.{{Cite news|url=https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/leisure/days_out/14326444.monster-exhibition-at-royal-cornwall-museum/|title=Monster exhibition at Royal Cornwall Museum|date=7 March 2016|work=Falmouth Packet|access-date=27 October 2020|language=en-GB}}{{Cite news|url=http://angarrack.info/pages/160228-aliens-are-landing-royal-cornwall-museum-west-briton|title=The aliens are landing at the Royal Cornwall Museum|date=28 February 2016|work=Angarrack Life|access-date=27 October 2020|language=en-GB}}

Selected films with armour and/or props designed and made by English

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}

| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=oX8Wr-JBlK4C&q=john+bell+terry+english+new+scientist&pg=PA56 | access-date =27 October 2020 }}

{{div col end}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://ansionnachfionn.com/2019/03/05/adam-savage-visits-the-home-of-terry-english-master-armourer/ Adam Savage meets Terry English and learns about designing and making armour, and about English's career: seven-part video series from 2017]
  • [http://www.terryenglisharmourer.co.uk/ English's website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:English, Terry}}

Category:Armourers

Category:Living people

Category:People from Essex

Category:British costume designers

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)