David Hayles – Master Craftsman, Author and Global Adventurer Born Salisbury, UK 22nd November 1946. Died La Paz, Bolivia 20th December 2024
I regret not having nominated Dave Hayles as ‘British Eccentric of the Year’ he almost certainly would have won! He was the quintessential eccentric English adventurer – both care-free and caring, traditional and yet anarchic. Son of a distinguished army officer, nephew of a Conservative leader of the House of Lords, and direct descendant of Horace Walpole with connections to Admiral Nelson, David had evident pride in his traditional heritage whilst rebelling at every turn, sometimes outrageously!
Hayles arrived at the University of Bristol in 1965 to study Architecture. Even then he stood out as one of a kind – always pushing against authority and what he saw as the ‘bland’ architectural norms of the 60’s whilst seeking to create a more flamboyant and decorative world. His disdain for the prevailing fashion for ‘minimalism’ and his desire for ‘maximalism’, characterised by his beloved Brighton Royal Pavilion, led him, after achieving most of his architectural education, to seek adventure further afield.
He left for the hippy trail to India – firstly living largely naked in a beach hut in Goa – getting up to all sorts of mischief before falling in with a snake breeder, testing his ophidiophobia* which he had developed as a military child whilst collecting butterflies in the Malaysian rain forest – a clear pointer towards what was to follow..
Dave and I were both post war ‘British army’ boys who had been sent away to different military public schools where we were more likely to be found in the art school than on the parade ground! While at Bristol University we each, for just a few hundred pounds, bought a condemned Victorian terrace house on the Cliftonwood hillside overlooking the city docks, learning more about practical building than we did at architecture school. His became a hippy commune raided by the police rather more often than mine!
Alongside Dave’s more outrageous lifestyle and campaigning for various substances to be legalised was a strong feeling for the environment – leading to his standing as the first and only candidate for the Bristol Gnome Party – an offspring of the Amsterdam Kabouters who declared a ‘Jovial War’ on their city with the slogan “What society treats as a joke we take seriously & what society takes seriously, we treat as a joke.” His memorable ‘political’ rally on the Clifton Downs was more of a free pop festival – guarded by the local Hell’s Angels who diverted the police’s attention!
His pro-environment, pro cycling and anti-car manifesto was considered extreme at the time but now reads much like any good green leaning programme with added taunts and jokes! I confess to a certain envy of his free-wheeling style and near scrapes – of which many are related in his risque 2016 autobiography ‘Confessions of an Ornamental Plasterer’
He was later joined in India by Caroline who was to become his wife and mother of their two much loved sons, Olly and Jim, who both live in and around Bristol and now work as sculptor/prop maker and architect. Caroline, daughter of an architect, found herself living on unfinished building sites most of their marriage.
After trying his hand at various practical – or impractical – trades, including qualifying as a plumber, he teamed up with his good friend Nick Fyfe to start a plastering business – but they decided they were better friends than partners and he eventually set up Hayles & Howe, which from modest beginnings became, and continues to be, one of the leading decorative plaster companies in the world.
Never one to rest on his laurels, he morphed his decorative plaster skills into the Renaissance art of ‘Scagliola’ becoming the leading practitioner and educator on the subject – winning many awards for his work and publishing ‘The Magic of Scagliola’ in 2016, described in a Traditional Building review as: a unique compendium for the professional who wants to know the history, lore, beauty and craft of traditional artificial marble. He also ran courses on Scagliola at the West Dean College of Art, Design, Craft and Conservation.
The company created extravagant plasterwork for Arab and American clients and for the Disney Corporation amongst many others. This led them opening a large workshop in Baltimore where Dave met his second wife Angelique and they purchased a couple of acres ‘building site’ in the north of New York state on which they created their eclectic wonderland Beaver Palace, which became the hub of their cycling adventures.
Not long after they were together David had a heart attack in a New Orleans cobbled street, hitting his head hard on the ground, leaving him in a coma. He was with his son Olly who arranged for him to be flown to England where he thankfully recovered under the care of the NHS. On waking from his coma, as soon as he was able, he discharged himself from the hospital against medical advice – typical of his attitude to personal health care! Later he developed a serious case of throat cancer and was treated in Baltimore. One of his many near deaths occurred when visiting me in Bristol when I found him gasping on the floor having swallowed his throat valve or ‘stoma’ and I had to fish it out.
Dave’s last great challenges were his epic solo global bike rides, wearing his trademark pith helmet. He had ridden his bike down Africa in the 90’s but he was determined to show he could go even further as a stage 4 cancer survivor. He embarked on his 20,000 miles ride around the world from the Reform Club in London in May 2018 – arriving back in October 2019 – to raise awareness of cancer prevention.
His final adventure was his unfinished Arctic Circle to Antarctic ride on which he fractured his collar bone in Central America but returned to complete the trip in spite of Angelique trying to stop him leaving home – his final rebellion.
David lived his nine or so lives to the full and took huge risks. His luck finally ran out in La Paz, the highest capital city in the world, on what was to be his last great adventure. Our world will be much duller without Hayles – but his remarkable spirit lives on in his exquisite creations.
He will be remembered by those who knew him for his many exploits and eccentricities as well as his great company, outlandish stories, and huge sense of fun.
We’ll rise superior to Fate’s decree,
Old Time defy and “everlasting” be;
And though this mansion crumble and decay,
Tho’ heroes fall and kingdoms pass away,
Yet thou, amidst the wreck unhurt shalt be
Immortal Spirit – Eccentricity!..
(J.G.Jones, Member of the Society of the Eccentrics, London, 1803)
George Ferguson – Bristol January 2025 * ophidiophobia = fear of snakes
Lath and Plaster 