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H. H. Martyn & Co.

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H. H. Martyn & Co was a wood and stone carving company based in Cheltenham, England. It provided a service for architects and grew to employ more than a thousand people. It decorated the interiors of many famous ocean liners. During the First World War it diversified into aircraft production and was responsible for the establishment of Gloster Aircraft Company. In 1934 the company was sold to Maple & Co.. It continued to win prestigious contracts both before and after the Second World War. At a time of declining demand, the company closed in 1971.

History

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In 1874, Herbert Henry Martyn (1842–1937) left his employer and set up in business with a stonemason colleague. During his lifetime his company grew to employ more than a thousand people. He left because he resented the injustice of his employer in ascribing some of his work to others.[1] Martyn had grown up in poverty but became a skilled craftsman specialising in wood and stone carving with an extensive experience of working in churches and carving memorials and gravestones. In 1888 the company was established as an association of art craftsmen. Together with his business partner Alfred Jeffrey Ems he worked on several churches.[2] In 1900 he established a limited company. At this time, at the age of 30, his son Alfred Willie Martyn (A. W.) was made managing director.[3] A. W.'s goal was to provide a complete service for architects. By then the company had diversified into decorative plaster work, joinery, cabinet making, wrought iron work and casting in bronze and gun metal.[4]

Starting in 1909 with the SS Orvieto and her sister ship SS Otranto, the company took on interior fitting and furnishing work for passenger ships,[5] including the RMS Lusitania and the SS Empress of Asia.

A Gloster Meteor

After the outbreak of the First World War, A. W. investigated the possibility of involving the company in the production of wooden airframes, and soon they were active in making fuselages and wings for a variety of aircraft. Much of the work was carried out by women. In 1917 the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company (later known as Gloster Aircraft) was established.[6]

The period immediately after the war proved difficult for the company, but they were fortunate to obtain a contract for the extension of the Lalbagh Palace in India.[7][8] In the years following the war, commemoration proved to be culturally important, and the company was involved in the creation of many war memorials, including the Cenotaph in Whitehall.[9]

A. W. resigned from the board of both H. H. Martyn and Gloster Aircraft in 1927 after "acute differences of opinion with several of the board members",[10] and in 1934 the business was sold to Maples of London.[citation needed]

RMS Queen Mary. Private dining room door. 1934

Despite the lack of family involvement, many aspects of the business continued to flourish in the following years, although the depression in the 1930s took its toll.[11] Among many other liners, both the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth contained furniture and fittings from Martyns.[12] Numerous decorative contracts ranged from royal commissions to public buildings, universities, cathedrals, offices, country houses and banks, hotels, cinemas, shops and theatres.[13]  During the 1930s the Corinthian capitals above the entrance to the Geological Museum, now part of the Science Museum, were carved by Martyns,[14] and they also built the bronze main entrance and the aluminium bronze screens to the reading room for Cambridge University Library.[15] As part of the reconstruction of the Bank of England the bronze figure of Ariel on the dome by Charles Wheeler was cast by Martyns.[16]

Although the Martyns Sunningend factory in Cheltenham was no longer suitable for constructing aircraft in the Second World War, it was involved in the construction of Airspeed Horsa gliders.[17]

After the war, the task of commemoration of the fallen largely consisted of adding panels to existing memorials, but in the case of the Commandos this was not possible, because they were only established in June 1940. The Commando Memorial was created by Scott Sutherland, cast by Martyns,[18] and unveiled by the Queen Mother in 1952. Other notable statues cast by Martyns include the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in the Guildhall, London by Oscar Nemon[19] and the equestrian statue of Robert the Bruce, Bannockburn by Pilkington Jackson which was unveiled by the Queen in 1964. The House of Commons of the United Kingdom was destroyed by German bombing during the war. Martyns created the new Speaker's Chair, the Dispatch Boxes, and the table on which the boxes sit.[20] The pulpit and sounding board in St Paul's Cathedral were carved and built by Martyns, and used for the first time on the occasion of the state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.[21] Two life-size racehorses by John Skeaping were cast by Martyns,[22] Hyperion in 1962 and Chamossaire in 1966. The statue of Hyperion is now located in the grounds of the National Horse Racing Museum, while that of Chamossaire is in Snailwell.[citation needed]

In the years after the war, shipping companies worked to make good the losses of passenger liners they had incurred. There was also the need to refit liners, such as the Queen Mary, which had been taken over for war service. One particularly notable new ship was the RMS Caronia, for which all the decorative metalwork was provided by Martyns.[23] Later work included the iconic spiral staircase on the SS Canberra,[24] and the provision of panelling, ceilings, and fittings on the QE2.[25]

To meet the needs of their customers, Martyns employed sculptors. Robert Lindsey Clark, who started as an apprentice at Martyns and then studied at Lambeth School of Art. He returned to Martyns before 1901 and became their head of sculpture and art director in about 1905. He exhibited widely and was made a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors. Walter Gilbert left the Bromsgrove Guild and joined Martyns in October 1918, continuing his prolific output.[citation needed]

Martyns had a sports field consisting of five tennis courts, two football pitches, a cricket ground and a running track. It also had two pavilions, with a bar, recreation and changing rooms. It was an early facility, covenanted to the workforce. In 1971, at a time of declining demand,[26] Maples sold Martyns to a company which closed it down, enabling the latter to profit from the sale of the sports field.[27]

Although the company office was gutted by bombing in 1940, and there was also a purge of material when the factory closed down,[28] a significant collection of material about the company is still available in Gloucestershire Archives.[29]

Ship contracts

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RMS Empress of Asia. Architect: G.A. Crawley. Dining saloon, plaster and iron work.

The following table is derived from Chapter 13 of The Best, and is intended to illustrate the scope of the work carried out by Martyns on ocean liners. As the author admits:

Although Martyns ship work contracts were probably its most extensive activity, and incorporated some of its finest work, research has proved to be difficult because of the short life of many of the ships owing to the war, and also because few records survive. In many cases, even where records exist, only the architect, and not the company or the men producing the work is mentioned.

It is also sad that, although at one time there was an extensive library of photographs showing the work the company had done, it would seem that these too, like many of the ships, have disappeared without trace.[30]

The task of identifying the ships has been further complicated by the fact that ship names were re-used - there were, for example, three ships called the Empress of Britain were built in 1905, 1930 and 1955 respectively. The events of the 20th Century also had an impact on the use of the ships. For example, the Empress of Asia became an armed merchant cruiser in the First World War and a troopship in the Second World War before being sunk by Japanese dive-bombers in 1942.

Name Year Company Work Architect
Queen Elizabeth 2 1969 Cunard Line Panelling, Ceilings and all the Fittings in the after part of the ship unknown
Ivernia 1955 Cunard Line unknown unknown
Saxonia 1954 Cunard Line unknown unknown
Caronia 1947 Cunard Line All metal work unknown
Queen Elizabeth 1938 Cunard Line Staircases, Foyers and Entrances G.Grey Wornum FRIBA
Queen Mary 1936 Cunard Line Staircases, Foyers and Entrances Mews & Davis
Lusitania 1906 Cunard Line Some public rooms - probably during a refit James Millar
Cameronia 1920 Anchor Line Public rooms unknown
Lancastria 1920 Anchor Line Public rooms unknown
Empress of Canada 1960 Canadian Pacific Windsor Lounge and the Canada Room unknown
Empress of Britain 1930 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances P.A. Staynes ROI & A.H. Jones FRIBA
Empress of Japan 1929 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances P.A. Staynes ROI & A.H. Jones FRIBA
Empress of Russia 1912 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms, Smoking Room of Jacobean Character unknown
Empress of Asia 1912 Canadian Pacific Dining saloon, Plaster and Wrought Iron Work, Sussex Room G.A. Crawley
Empress of Scotland 1906 Canadian Pacific Dining saloon, possibly more but no documentation P.A. Staynes ROI & A.H. Jones FRIBA
Duchess of Bedford 1928 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances P.A. Staynes ROI & A.H. Jones FRIBA
Duchess of York 1928 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms unknown
Duchess of Richmond 1928 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances P.A. Staynes ROI & A.H. Jones FRIBA
Duchess of Atholl 1927 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances P.A. Staynes ROI & A.H. Jones FRIBA
Princess Marguerite 1924 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms unknown
Princess Kathleen 1924 Canadian Pacific First Class Public Rooms unknown
Monarch of Bermuda 1931 Furness Withy Smoking Room, Writing Rooms, Library, Lounge, Wing Cafes, Verandah Cafe, Midship Entrances, Sun and 'A' Decks, Forward Entrances and Gymnasium A. McInnes, Gardner and Partners
Queen of Bermuda 1931 Furness Withy First Class Public Rooms A. McInnes, Gardner and Partners
Western Prince 1929 Furness Withy Main Stairway, Smoking Room, and probably more, but no documentation A. McInnes, Gardner and Partners
Lady Nelson 1928 Canadian National First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances Robert Whyte
Lady Drake 1928 Canadian National First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances Robert Whyte
Lady Hawkins 1928 Canadian National First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances Robert Whyte
Lady Rodney 1929 Canadian National First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances Robert Whyte
Canberra 1961 P&O First Class Entrance Halls and Stairways, Spiral Staircase Casson Conder Partnership
Maloja 1911 P&O First Class Public Rooms unknown
Orama 1924 Orient Line First Class Public Rooms, Foyers, Staircase, and Entrances A.N. Prentice FRIBA
Oronsay 1924 Orient Line First Class Public Rooms, Foyers, Staircase, and Entrances A.N. Prentice FRIBA
Orontes 1929 Orient Line First Class Public Rooms, Foyers, Staircase, and Entrances A.N. Prentice FRIBA
Otranto 1925 Orient Line First Class Public Rooms, Foyers, Staircase, and Entrances A.N. Prentice FRIBA
Orford 1928 Orient Line First Class Public Rooms, Foyers, Staircase, and Entrances A.N. Prentice FRIBA
Orcades 1936 Orient Line First Class Public Rooms, Foyers and Entrances Brian O'Rorke MA, FRIBA
Orion 1934 Orient Line Cabins de Luxe, Tourist Class Public Rooms, Entrances and Staircases Brian O'Rorke MA, FRIBA
Ormonde 1917 Orient Line First Class Public Rooms, Foyers, Staircase, and Entrances A.N. Prentice FRIBA
Orvieto 1909 Orient Line Public Rooms - ceilings and columns A.N. Prentice FRIBA
Indarra 1909 Australasian United First-Class Public Rooms unknown
Rangitane 1929 New Zealand Shipping First-Class Public Rooms unknown
Rangitata 1929 New Zealand Shipping First-Class Public Rooms unknown
Vauban 1912 Lamport and Holt First Class Public Rooms unknown
Vandyck 1906 Lamport and Holt Public rooms unknown
Northern Star 1962 Shaw, Savill & Albion Line unknown unknown
Gothic 1947 Shaw, Savill & Albion Line Nickel Silverwork on Staircase - possibly more unknown
Vulcania 1926 Cosulich Line First Class Public Rooms unknown
SS Príncipe Perfeito 1961 Companhia Nacional de Navegação Numerous Public Rooms and the Swimming Baths unknown

War memorials

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The following table has been gleaned from The Best. Given the company's origins, it was natural that it would apply its skills to the task of creating the many memorials that were needed after the First World War. Relatively few new memorials were created after the Second World War, but existing ones were extended to commemorate the fallen.

Name Heritage Link Work Address
Ayr Royal Scots Fusiliers Memorial Ayr Royal Scots Fusiliers War Memorial Sculpted by C. d'O. Pilkington Jackson, cast by Martyns, unveiled on 12 June 1960 Place De Saint-Germain-En-Laye, Between Bath Place and Pavilion Road, Ayr, Scotland
Bradford War Memorial Bradford War Memorial Bronze sculpted figures by Martyns can plausibly be attributed to Robert Lindsey Clark Prince's Way, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD5 0BQ, England
Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial Cambridge American Cemetery The base and the top of the flagpole were cast by Martyns Madingley Road, Coton, CB23 7PH, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Cheltenham, St Peter's Church War Memorial Cheltenham, St Peter's Church War Memorial Cross of local stone, bronze laurel wreath St Peter's Churchyard, Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 9AH, England
Crewe War Memorial Crewe War Memorial The bronze statue was sculpted by Walter Gilbert and cast by Martyns Prince Albert Street, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 2DF
Black Watch Memorial, Powrie Brae Dundee, Black Watch Memorial Memorial to all ranks of the Dundee and Angus battalions of the Black Watch who died in the Second World War, created by Scott Sutherland, cast by Martyns. Unveiled on 15 October 1959 Emmock Rd, Dundee, DD4 9RA, Scotland
Fleetwood Memorial Park Gate Fleetwood Memorial Park Gate Park planned by Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie RIBA; Gates for park by Martyns Park Avenue, Fleetwood, Lancashire, FY7 6TP, England
Gloucester War Memorial Gloucester War Memorial The bronze figure on the top of the memorial and the panel on the side were made by Martyns. The Park, Park Road, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL1 1LF
Eccleston, St Helens War Memorial West Derby War Memorial Created by Walter Gilbert and Louis Weingarner at Martyns Junction of St Helens Road and Burrow's Lane, Eccleston Lane Ends, Prescot, Liverpool, L34 6JN
West Hartlepool War Memorial West Hartlepool War Memorial Design by George J. Coombs, Aberdeen. Granite and bronze Victory Square, Victoria Road, Hartlepool, County Durham, England
Exchange Flags War Memorial Liverpool Exchange Flags War Memorial The memorial was cast by Martyns 9 Exchange Flags, Liverpool, L2 3YL
Lower Slaughter War Memorial Lower Slaughter War Memorial Erected in 1920 by Martyns In the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Lower Slaughter, Cotswold, Gloucestershire
The Cenotaph London, The Cenotaph Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, carved by Martyns Whitehall, Westminster, London SW1A 2ET
City War Memorial, Nottingham Nottingham, War Memorial The wrought iron gates for the memorial were designed by T. Wallis-Gordon and constructed by Martyns Nottingham War Memorial Gardens, Victoria Embankment, Nottingham NG2 2LA
Pelton Fell Cenotaph Pelton Fell Cenotaph and memorial gates Gates by Martyns Pelton Fell Memorial Park, Station Lane, Pelton Fell, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, DH2 2RL, England
Smethwick War Memorial Smethwick War Memorial Stone column, bronze figure and panels, Made by Martyns Victoria Park, Sandwell, West Midlands, England
Commando Memorial Spean Bridge, Commando Memorial Memorial to the officers and men of the Commandos who died in the Second World War, created by Scott Sutherland and cast by Martyns. Unveiled on 27 September 1952 A82 (Fort William to Inverness), Spean Bridge, PH34 4EN, Scotland
Troon War Memorial Troon, South Beach Esplanade, War Memorial Created by Martyns South Beach Esplanade, Troon, KA10 6EJ, Scotland
Walsall War Memorial Walsall War Memorial Limestone column, made by Martyns Bradford Place, Walsall, West Midlands, England

Architectural work and sculpture

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The following table lists some of the many works described in The Best. It is not intended to be comprehensive.

Name Heritage Link Work Address
Equestrian statue of Robert the Bruce, Bannockburn Bannockburn, Equestrian Statue Sculpted by C. d'O. Pilkington Jackson, cast by Martyns Glasgow Road, Whins of Milton, Stirling, FK7 0LJ
Besford, Church of St Peter Besford, Church of Saint Peter H.H. Martyn executed the carved work in connection with the restoration in 1881, together with his partner A.J. Emms. Besford, Wychavon, Worcestershire

Worcestershire

Cambridge University Library University Library The bronze main entrance and the screens to the reading room were manufactured by Martyns Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR, UK
Victoria Square, Birmingham Statue of Queen Victoria Birmingham Town Hall, Statue of Queen Victoria The bronze statue outside the town hall is a replacement for one which had weathered badly. Victoria Square, Birmingham, B3, England
Cheltenham Church of St Stephen Cheltenham, Church of St Stephen H.H. Martyn, in partnership with Alfred Jeffrey Emms, carried out carving work on the nave and stalls 42 St Stephen's Rd, Cheltenham GL51 3AB
Colchester Castle Park Entrance Gate Castle Park Entrance The wrought iron gates at the entrance on Cowdray Crescent were created by Martyns Colchester Castle, Castle Park, Colchester, CO1 1TJ
Inverforth Gate Grovelands Park Grovelands Park, Inverforth Gate The gate was created by Martyns Grovelands Park, The Bourne, Southgate London, N14 6RA
Hognaston, St Bartholemew's Hognaston, St. Bartholemew's The stained-glass windows in the church were made by Martyns St Bartholemew's, Stonepit Lane, Hognaston, Ashbourne, DE6 1PR
Freemasons' Hall, London London, Freemasons Hall the great bronze doors and the masonic shrine were cast by Martyns 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ
Bank of England London, Bank of England The figure of Ariel on the dome of the building was made by Martyns. Threadneedle Street, London, EC2R 8AH
House of Commons of the United Kingdom London, Houses of Parliament The speaker's chair, the despatch boxes and the table on which they stand were made by Martyns. House of Commons London SW1A 0AA
India Buildings Liverpool, India Buildings Decorative plaster ceilings and bronze entrance doors were created by Martyns Walter St, Liverpool, L2 0RR
National Horseracing Museum

Newmarket, National Horse Racing Museum

The sculpture of Hyperion, winner of the 1933 Derby was sculpted by Professor John Skeaping and cast by Martyns in 1962. It is now located in the grounds of the museum. A statue of Chamossaire which was cast by Martyns in 1966 is in Snailwell. Palace House Palace Street, Newmarket CB8 8EP
Balliol College, Oxford Oxford, Balliol College Woodcarving and panelling for the hall were carried out by Martyns.] Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BJ
Swindon Civic Offices Swindon Civic Offices Metalwork by HH Martyn Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JH, England
Thornton Manor Thornton Manor Music room: panelling, glazing, carving Manor Road, Wirral, CH63 1JB, England

See also

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References

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  1. ^ From a personal account by H.H. Martyn published in John Whitaker (1985). The Best. p. 14.
  2. ^ "Martyn, Herbert Henry, The Furniture History Society".
  3. ^ Whitaker, op. cit. page 21
  4. ^ e.g. Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 6 February 1912, Page 7; The Cheltenham Looker-On, 24 May 1902, Page 509; Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 10 February 1911
  5. ^ Whitaker, op. cit., Pages 224-229
  6. ^ "World War One: HH Martyn turns from luxury liners to war planes - BBC News". 2 June 2014.
  7. ^ Whitaker op.cit. Pages 23-30,
  8. ^ The Big Indian Contract, Yorkshire Post, 4 November 1924
  9. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Page 251
  10. ^ Whitaker, op.cit, Page 31
  11. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Page 194
  12. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Page 236
  13. ^ Whitaker, op.cit.: information taken from sales brochures, Pages 266-272
  14. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Page 40
  15. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Pages 104 and 117
  16. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Page 289
  17. ^ "Airfield Research Group - Gloster Aircraft Company Production sites - ARG Forum". 25 April 2015.
  18. ^ Whitaker op.cit., Page 96
  19. ^ Birmingham Daily Post, 7 March 1958, Page 3
  20. ^ Whitaker, op.cit. Page 253
  21. ^ Whitaker op.cit. Page 57
  22. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Page 133
  23. ^ Whitaker, op.cit. Page 234
  24. ^ Whitaker, op.cit. Page 234
  25. ^ Whitaker, op.cit. Page 235
  26. ^ "Grace's Guide to British Industrial History: H.H.Martyn".
  27. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Page 213
  28. ^ Whitaker, op.cit., Page 193
  29. ^ "H H Martyn and Co Ltd of Cheltenham".
  30. ^ Whitaker, op. cit. p. 243
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