The life and work of Rex Pitts

This page is a tribute to Rex Pitts and the work that he produced for the church - and the local district - over many years - in particular his work for Spalding Parish Church and the Spalding Flower Festivals.

For the Spalding Tulip Time brochure in 1962 Rex was asked to paint a picture of the tulip fields around Spalding. This painting has been reproduced many times over the years to promote the Spalding Tulip Festival - and each church held their own 'Flower Festival' celebration.

In 1962 Rex was asked to construct a life-sized sculpture of Jesus on the cross.

These two photos show the life-size sculpture on a 15 foot high cross - made by Rex Pitts in 1962 for Good Friday. It was displayed in Hall Place at about 5am on Good Friday - before the town awoke - where the seating area is now, opposite Boots. At that time it was the larger of two traffic islands / roundabouts. In the photo, standing, are The Vicar - Canon Jakeman, the two curates - Roger Bennett & David Baker with Rex Pitts. A short service was held around the cross at 12 noon for people from all denominations.

In 1967 Canon Jakeman persuaded Rex to design and paint seven large tableaux for the forthcoming Flower Festival in May 1967. I don't think he realised how much time this would take - and what an impact the paintings would have.

Each painting was 12ft wide by 18ft high - painted on 3/4" plywood and each painting was based on one of seven lines from the Te Deum Laudamus.

After the festival was over, the paintings were removed and stored for a while in the basement of the church hall. The first of the paintings - the Nativity Scene - was saved, and each year at Christmas time it was displayed on the front of the old Corn Exchange in Spalding town centre. Unfortunately the other six paintings had no particular use, and were eventually consigned to the skip as they were too large to store.

When the Corn Exchange was demolished, and the new South Holland Centre built in its place, the painting continued to be displayed on the rear of the new building each year in December - facing the river, until it could survive the elements no longer ...

Rex was commissioned by the late Jack Wayman to carve a sculpture of 'Our Lady' for St. Lawrence's Church in Surfleet. The carving is approximately 20" high.

In May 1969 Rex once again produced an amazing painting for the flower festival in Spalding Parish Church. This time the painting was placed on the north wall of the transept. The wooden boards were erected first by Horton's (builders), and Rex painted the picture in situ on a simple scaffold tower. I remember going with him each evening after tea to pass up the various paint pots and brushes that he needed. It took almost six weeks to complete - and he used ordinary household emulsion paint.

In 1970 Rex presented a life-size bust of Mozart to the Gleed Boys' School in Spalding Rex had been a pupil from 1941 to 1945.

In 1972 Rex once again produced another Mural for Tulip Time.

This time the painting depicts phrases from Psalm 150. At present the only picture that can be located is a black and white cutting from a local newspaper. In 1972 the Church Flower Festival began with a live television broadcast on Anglia Television on Sunday 7th May. If anyone can locate a recording of this - please let us know!

In 1978 Rex designed and made a sculpture of Jesus. This was placed on a wooden cross - made from wood salvaged from the old organ in Moulton Church (removed in 1977). The Crucifix was placed on the south wall of the Chancel, at the East end of the choirstalls - where it remains to this day. It was made in memory of choir member John Gooding - who was killed in 1977 whilst riding his bicycle at Moulton - and given by the choir.

Rex Stanley Pitts was born in 1930 in Doncaster, the only child of Hilda and Stan Pitts, and spent the first few months of his life with his mother and her sister, Eva, in Doncaster before coming back to their family home at 63 Little London, Spalding. His father, Stan, worked in horticulture at the Spalding Bulb Company - and his hobby was wood carving and model making. When the family later moved to live at 50 Hannam Boulevard, the house was adorned with wood carvings of all kinds - especially wooden fish, birds and small animals - carved from wood he collected in Ayscoughfee Gardens.

In Spalding Rex worked for a while in the drawing office of the electricity board, and then for Grooms. He also had a small art shop on London Road for a time (later this became Studio Nine hairdressers).

Grooms was taken over by Geest Industries, and Rex worked for many years in their publicity department, designing many of their famous logos during the 1960s. His later working life was spent in the Planning Department at South Holland District Council. He had many different offices over the years - including an office in White House Chambers, a studio above the old 'Halfords' shop - near the Chequers pub; a room in Short Street, and an office in Chatterton Tower (beneath the water tower in Winfrey Avenue).

In 1952 Rex married Betty in Spalding Parish Church and, rather ironically, the vicar Canon Synge forgot to book the choir for that occasion.

Rex enjoyed a beer and could often be found in the Ramskin - a pub opposite the back of the South Holland Centre on the riverside, next to Berrill's department store.

Rex had a great love for his family, and always allowed his children Rachel, Sue and Nick to follow their interests and hobbies and was always very proud of their achievements. It was Rex who first brought Nick to watch Colin Martin playing the organ here one Saturday afternoon when he was just 6 years old. Just look where that led!

Rex and Betty were overjoyed in 1963 when Sue was born, and he and Betty devoted every spare minute to caring for her, especially during the first years of her life while she had to undergo several major operations in hospital.

1970 saw the completion of the family with the birth of Rachel, who was always special to Rex as the baby of the family.

He doted on his two grandchildren Zoe and Marc, and they gave him a new lease of life. He was overjoyed when Marc joined the choir – making three generations in the choir at the same time.

Rex was a highly respected artist in the area, well known for his water-colours, oil paintings and sculptures – one of which hangs on the south wall of the chancel in Spalding Parish Church.

He displayed his artistic talent to thousands of people visiting Spalding for the annual flower parade in the 1960s when he was commissioned by Canon Jakeman to produce seven vast paintings to illustrate the Te Deum. These were displayed around this church and at one point on parade day it was impossible to get from one end of the church to the other for the crowds of people in church marvelling at his art work. One of these paintings (see above) – the nativity scene - survived - to be displayed on the Corn Exchange and later the South Holland Centre for a number of years.

Before Nick was born, Rex and his wife Betty lived at 2 Charnwood Cottages (now demolished). The cottages were behind Charnwood House, off Pinchbeck Road.

The family then moved to live in a flat at 14 Welland Place on London Road. Here the flat was upstairs on the first floor, with bedrooms above on the second floor.

In about 1960 Rex put his design skills to good use and designed their first bungalow in Grange Drive

In 1973, the family moved to live in Stonegate. The house needed extensive renovation and - although Rex thoroughly enjoyed modernising each room - at times Betty wondered if any job would ever get completely finished.

The family moved to live in a new bungalow in Church Mews, Spalding in 1996. This small cul-de-sac was built on the site of the Old Parish Church Day School.

In 1998 Rex was still busy - this time helping to design the Burtey Fen Collection at Pinchbeck, and drawing plans for the building.

Rex's regular haunt was the lounge bar of the Bull Inn in Church Gate, and most nights he could be found there putting the world to rights with his many acquaintances and friends.

Rex joined Spalding Parish Church Choir in 1962 as a tenor, and this became an important part of his life for almost 40 years. He will be remembered by those who sang in the choir with him, particularly in latter years, for his over-enthusiastic rendering of Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer and his love of the big anthems - I was Glad and especially Zadok the Priest.

His endless supply of sweets - always in the noisiest of wrappers - were a constant annoyance to the choirmembers around him, and archaeologists in years to come will probably find quite a collection under the South side choir stalls.

His dry and cynical sense of humour was unique, and he could well have taken the part of Spike Milligan in the 1950s Goon Show - one of his favourite radio programmes.

Rex had a very sceptical view on aspects of the Old Testament, and could often be heard muttering something about fairy stories under his breath - particularly when verses about The Creation from the book of Genesis were being read.

In 1987 he came home from work one day complaining that his hand wouldn’t work properly when he tried to draw a plan. This was the first of several strokes he was to suffer, and the beginning of his many frustrations. He was unable to make the fine intricate movements required in his drawings and paintings, and he became annoyed with himself - and everyone around him - when he could not achieve the perfection to which he was so accustomed. From then onwards his health gradually deteriorated - although he still managed to paint more pictures, and carve more sculptures, right up until 1999. He spent the last three and a half years of his life in nursing homes, and he died in Pilgrim Hospital in 2004.

His legacy of paintings and sculptures are a lasting memorial to Rex's artistic talent.

Below is a list - from his ledger - of some of the work that he produced between 1954 and 1971. Rex continued to paint and make sculptures up until 1999 - but there are no written records of his later art work.

This is a small selection of newspaper articles, paintings and sculptures:

In 1956 Rex was commissioned to produce an oil painting of G W Bailey. The original is in the Gentlemen's Society in Broad Street - 'The Bailey Room'

Rex held an art exhibition of his work in the White Hart

Rex made many different sculptures depicting Christ on the cross.

After the harsh winter of 1962/3 there was sufficient snow to enable Rex to create a sculpture of a polar bear outside their house in Grange Drive.

After various paintings for John van Geest and his family, Rex painted a watercolour of Molecey Mill House, and then also produced a drawing which the family used as the front for a Christmas card.

Rex designed several different Coats of Arms for the Flower Parade in Spalding

In 1964 Rex was commissioned by Mr. John van Geest to paint a portrait of Mrs. van Geest. This would have pride of place in the new Geest Industries boat 'Geestbay'.

Geest Industries was one of the largest food related industries in Spalding. Their fleet of lorries travelling around the district all carried the logo 'Geest Bananas'. Geest industries was bought by Bakkavor in 2005, and still occupies the same site in West Marsh Road.

One of the most iconic buildings in Spalding was the Corn Exchange - demolished in 1972 to be replaced with the Civic Centre - now known as The South Holland Centre.

In 1974 Rex designed and made a 14ft long mural out of fibreglass for the newly opened Barclay's Bank. The mural depicted scenes and buildings in and around Spalding.

Rex was commissioned to produce a number of paintings for a client in Switzerland.

Two more paintings by Rex Pitts

In 1980 Rex painted this watercolour of Isobel's Pantry for Mark Willerton, who worked there at the time. Isobel's Pantry was a restaurant - which later became part of Ye Old White Horse pub.

In 1982 Rex painted this picture of Spalding Parish Church for the opening of the new Parish Church Day School Infant Department at Clay Lake. Prints of this were sold in the Church Shop - and there are still some spare copies available today! The original painting is now in the Burtey Fen Collection.

When The Burtey Fen Collection was being built in 1999, Rex sculpted a life-size bust of Beethoven, which is still on display on the balcony at Burtey Fen. This was the last sculpture that Rex made.