Estimated reading time: 1 minute
When Conway Hall was built in 1927, a niche was built into the very fabric of the building, right at the entry. This niche was designed to display a revered piece of artwork; a bronze bust of Dr Moncure Conway, celebrated writer, abolitionist and free thinker, for whom the building was named after.
The bust had been previously on display at the society’s old headquarters South Place Chapel, just down the road, on South Place in Finsbury, London EC2. And yet, for over 80 years, the bust had never been on display at Conway Hall. And there was no reference to it anywhere in the archives. No mention that it had been lost or broken or stolen.
So a short little film about a missing bust quickly became a complicated mystery about Moncure Conway himself and the search for a missing piece of art history that spanned two continents. We hope you enjoy The Empty Niche. The full documentary can be found here: The Empty Niche: The Long Lost Bust of Moncure Conway.
Trunkman Productions and Conway Hall Ethical Society present
The Empty Niche: The Long Lost Bust Of Moncure Conway
Presented by Ginny Smith
Original Music by The FG’s
Director of Photography: Andrew Mickelburgh
Written by Trent Burton
Produced by Jim Walsh & Trent Burton
Directed by Trent Burton