The son of William Henry (1866-1938) and Emily Jane (1858-1936), Snell was a well-known figure in both the local and artistic community of Newlyn. On leaving school he joined the family business 'W.H. Snell & Son, Sculptors, Carvers and Granite Merchants' (founded 1888), and learned the craft of monumental masonry. He also attended classes at the Penzance School of Art. From the start he loved the work; it became a consuming passion, more important to him than money, or even, at times, family life. His workshop was originally at the back of Foundry House, Newlyn and later moved to Gwavas Quay, near the Ice Works and Tom BATTEN's workshop.

Another workshop at Paul, near the Sheffield Quarry, was the granite source, and during the 1920s, when War Memorials were in great demand, a workshop was opened on the large site at the southern end of Alexandra Road. Among his friends were Stanhope FORBES, for whom he acted as model in his painting Fire at the Royal Exchange, John Drew MacKENZIE, Reginald Thomas DICK, Harold HARVEY and the GARNIERs, all frequent visitors to his workshop. Another friend was Alan Gairdner WYON, the Vicar of Newlyn from 1936, and an eminent sculptor and engraver.

Examples of Snell's work can be seen all over the United Kingdom and as far afield as Russia.  He was also involved in the restoration of Madron Church in 1936, during which an 8th century inscribed stone was discovered, (now against the SW wall). During his career he produced many thousands of churchyard memorials throughout the country including those in Sancreed Churchyard to his friends from Newlyn - Geoffrey Sneyd GARNIER and Jill GARNIER, Stanhope FORBES and Maud FORBES, Thomas Cooper GOTCH and Gotch's daughter, Phyllis.