Harry Hems

He founded and ran a large workshop in Exeter, Devon, which produced woodwork and sculpture for churches all over the country and abroad.

A large part of the collection of medieval woodwork that he accumulated during his working life is now in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.

[3] The 1881 census recorded that he was employing 23 men and 7 boys,[2] and because of the need for more space he commissioned the building of a new workshop on a two-acre plot at 84 Longbrook Street, Exeter.

[2] Examples in Devon of notable work from Hems's workshop are the rood screen restorations in the churches at Littleham, Staverton and Kenn; the fittings at Winkleigh and Revelstoke; and the alabaster reredoses at Swimbridge and St Paul, Honiton.

[8] The firm contributed a reredos and choir stalls to the 1887–9 restoration of St Denys' Church, Warminster, Wiltshire, part of what Historic England describe as "an exceptional ensemble"; the pulpit with inlaid marble is also his.

[17] Hems was a hard worker – a report of 1879 said that "he is 'always at it' from six in the morning until nine at night, and often much later",[6] and he expected the same level of commitment from his workforce, apparently resorting to violence against them if they would not comply.

[6] "I happen to possess over 33,000 press notices of myself, all bound up and indexed, and anyone of them ready to be turned to at any moment (extending from January 31st 1868, down to five of today's date, added thereto this morning.)"

In September 1888 an auction of his goods on account of unpaid tax took place at his workshop in which one of the lots was a life-sized statue of St Matthew the Taxgatherer.

The sale items included the crowbar that had been used by the bailiffs to gain entry to his workshop, a set of old stocks ("offering accommodation for three malefactors"), three "second-hand tombstones (slightly damaged) ... suitable for the graves of Income Tax Commissioners or other Revenue Officials", and his bulldog named Bob.

[18] Hems was also a prolific contributor to newspapers, and journals such as Notes and Queries, and he retained cuttings of everything published that referred to him, in a series of at least 15 volumes of 400 pages each.

During his working life Hems salvaged many pieces of medieval woodcarving, mainly from churches in South West England, and he displayed them in rows around his workshop as inspiration for his craftsmen.