Frank Tory and Sons

When Alfred and William retired in the 1950s the firm was wound up, with the change in architectural styles meaning that sculpture was out of fashion on modern buildings.

[3] Frank Tory's first commission in Sheffield, the Corn Exchange (1881) is no longer standing, it was gutted by fire in 1947 and demolished in 1964.

[3] They are probably best known for the sculpture work on Sheffield City Hall which opened in 1932 and included an understated dentil corniche and narrow frieze on the central block as well as decorative carving to the tops of the Corinthian capitals.

Their work on Sheffield Central Library (1934) includes medallions carved around the main entrance representing Literature, Music, Drama, Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Mathematics, Chemistry and Astronomy.

The brothers contributed two friezes for the Mappin Art Gallery (1937), one above the main entrance depicts the Shrine of Knowledge with various creatures while the other on the east side portrays men working in the Sheffield metal trades.

Carvings on Sheffield Central Library by Alfred and William Tory
Frank Tory's work on Parade Chambers includes images of Geoffrey Chaucer and William Caxton with the date 1883. P & B stands for the printing firm Pawson & Brailsford for whom the building was originally built.
Alfred and William Tory's depiction of the Sheffield trades on the White Building in Fitzalan Square.
The frieze over the east door at the Mappin Art Gallery.