George Henry Walton
Encyclopedia
George Henry Walton was a noted Scottish
architect and designer of remarkable diversity. George was the youngest of twelve talented children of Jackson Walton, a Manchester commission agent and himself an accomplished painter and photographer, by his second wife, the Aberdeen-born Quaker Eliza Ann Nicholson. George was a brother of the painter Edward Arthur Walton
of the Glasgow School
.
His father's death in 1873 left the family in straitened circumstances, and at the age of thirteen George started work as a clerk with the British Linen Bank
. With a view to a different career, he attended art classes in the evenings at the Glasgow School of Art
and with Peter McGregor Wilson (1856–1928) at the short-lived Glasgow Atelier of Fine Arts. When he was commissioned to redesign one of Miss Cranston's tea rooms at 114 Argyle Street in Glasgow, Walton started his own decorating company, George Walton & Co, Ecclesiastical and House Decorators, in 1888 at 152 Wellington Street. He was greatly influenced by both James Whistler and William Morris
and his work ventured into almost every avenue of decorative art, helping to pioneer the distinctive Glasgow Style. In 1890 he employed Robert Graham, the future manager of the company in 1903-05, and met the Quaker architect Fred Rowntree
(1860–1927) at an amateur dramatic performance. On 3 June 1891 Walton married Kate Gall, a London girl from an affluent family, and moved into Charing Cross Mansions. Their daughter was born in 1892.
The firm rapidly diversified, winning commissions in woodwork, furniture making and stained glass. From 1896 Walton partnered Rowntree in Rowntree family projects in Scarborough. In the same year he decorated and furnished Miss Cranston's Buchanan Street tea room, originally designed by George Washington Browne
. In 1897 he joined his brother Edward in London and set up house and studio at 16 Westbourne Park Road, Bayswater. In London he, through his friendship with the Glasgow photographer James Craig Annan
, designed a salon in the Dudley Gallery and met George Davison
(1854–1930) who was employed by Eastman Kodak
. Through him Walton was commissioned to design not only Kodak showrooms in the United Kingdom and Europe (London, Glasgow, Brussels, Milan, Vienna and Moscow), which brought him international fame, but also the company's product packaging.
His company opened a showroom in York
's Stonegate
in 1898 and erected a four-storey block of workshops in Glasgow in 1899 and 1900. From 1901 Walton undertook the construction of complete buildings, making use of experience from his association with Fred Rowntree. His first building was The Leys at Elstree
for James Booker Blakemore Wellington
(1858–1939) of Wellington & Ward Ltd, photographic materials manufacturers and previously of the Eastman company.
Walton moved to a more fashionable address at 44 Holland Park Road, and resigned from George Walton & Co on 17 January 1903. The York branch closed shortly after and on 30 June 1905 the remaining partners wound up the company. From then on Walton practised only as architect and designer, and was admitted as Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects
on 20 July 1911, his proposer being his long-standing friend Charles Edward Mallows
. From 1905 he had worked from an even grander home at 26 Emperor's Gate in Kensington, but following the outbreak of World War I
, commissions were scarce. His wife Kate died and the generous financial support from the Gall family ceased. In 1916 Walton moved to Carlisle and between 1916 and 1921, working under Harry Redfern
, he produced designs for pubs and canteens for the Central Control Board, established to manage the drinks trade and public houses in many munitions production areas.
Walton married a colleague, Dorothy (Daphne) Jeram, daughter of a Hampshire doctor on 20 November 1918, and a son was born in 1920. In 1919 Walton attempted to revive his private practice, with the support of various friends and the Scottish portrait-painter William Oliphant Hutchison (1889–1970), who had married his niece. He now worked mainly as a textile designer for Morton Sundour Fabrics of Carlisle, but this work also ceased due to the recession and a falling-off in demand for Art Nouveau
designs. In March 1931 the Waltons moved to 70 Seabrook Road in Hythe to cut down on living expenses.
A despondent Walton died on 10 December 1933. John Betjeman
obtained a civil list pension for his widow. Walton's drawings and photographs relating to his later practice are in the British Architectural Library Collection.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
architect and designer of remarkable diversity. George was the youngest of twelve talented children of Jackson Walton, a Manchester commission agent and himself an accomplished painter and photographer, by his second wife, the Aberdeen-born Quaker Eliza Ann Nicholson. George was a brother of the painter Edward Arthur Walton
Edward Arthur Walton
Edward Arthur Walton was a Scottish painter of landscapes and portraits. Edward was one of twelve children of Jackson Walton, a Manchester commission agent and a competent painter and photographer...
of the Glasgow School
Glasgow School
The Glasgow School was a circle of influential modern artists and designers who began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to sometime around 1910. Representative groups were: The Four , the Glasgow Girls and the Glasgow Boys...
.
His father's death in 1873 left the family in straitened circumstances, and at the age of thirteen George started work as a clerk with the British Linen Bank
British Linen Bank
The British Linen Bank was a commercial bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was acquired by the Bank of Scotland in 1969 and served as the Bank's merchant bank arm from 1977 until 1999.-Foundation:...
. With a view to a different career, he attended art classes in the evenings at the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
and with Peter McGregor Wilson (1856–1928) at the short-lived Glasgow Atelier of Fine Arts. When he was commissioned to redesign one of Miss Cranston's tea rooms at 114 Argyle Street in Glasgow, Walton started his own decorating company, George Walton & Co, Ecclesiastical and House Decorators, in 1888 at 152 Wellington Street. He was greatly influenced by both James Whistler and William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
and his work ventured into almost every avenue of decorative art, helping to pioneer the distinctive Glasgow Style. In 1890 he employed Robert Graham, the future manager of the company in 1903-05, and met the Quaker architect Fred Rowntree
Fred Rowntree
Fred Rowntree , a Scottish Arts and Crafts architect, was the son of John Rowntree, a master grocer and Ann Webster. His brother, John Rowntree, traded in tea and coffee...
(1860–1927) at an amateur dramatic performance. On 3 June 1891 Walton married Kate Gall, a London girl from an affluent family, and moved into Charing Cross Mansions. Their daughter was born in 1892.
The firm rapidly diversified, winning commissions in woodwork, furniture making and stained glass. From 1896 Walton partnered Rowntree in Rowntree family projects in Scarborough. In the same year he decorated and furnished Miss Cranston's Buchanan Street tea room, originally designed by George Washington Browne
George Washington Browne
Sir George Washington Browne FRIBA was a Scottish architect. He was born in Glasgow, and trained there and in London...
. In 1897 he joined his brother Edward in London and set up house and studio at 16 Westbourne Park Road, Bayswater. In London he, through his friendship with the Glasgow photographer James Craig Annan
James Craig Annan
James Craig Annan was a pioneering Scottish-born photographer and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.The second son of photographer Thomas Annan, James Craig Annan was born at Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 8 March 1864...
, designed a salon in the Dudley Gallery and met George Davison
George Davison (photographer)
George Davison was a noted English photographer, a proponent of impressionistic photography, a co-founder of the Linked Ring Brotherhood of British artists and a managing director of Kodak UK...
(1854–1930) who was employed by Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
. Through him Walton was commissioned to design not only Kodak showrooms in the United Kingdom and Europe (London, Glasgow, Brussels, Milan, Vienna and Moscow), which brought him international fame, but also the company's product packaging.
His company opened a showroom in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
's Stonegate
Stonegate
Stonegate may refer to:* Stonegate, Colorado* Stonegate, Fort Worth, Texas* Stonegate, a neighborhood of Davis, California* Stonegate-Queensway, a neighborhood of Toronto, Ontario* Stonegate, a rock band from Finland...
in 1898 and erected a four-storey block of workshops in Glasgow in 1899 and 1900. From 1901 Walton undertook the construction of complete buildings, making use of experience from his association with Fred Rowntree. His first building was The Leys at Elstree
Elstree
Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....
for James Booker Blakemore Wellington
James Booker Blakemore Wellington
James Booker Blakemore Wellington aka J. B. B. Wellington was an English photographer who originally trained as architectural draughtsman. In the 1880s, however, an association with George Eastman in New York, drew him into the world of photography...
(1858–1939) of Wellington & Ward Ltd, photographic materials manufacturers and previously of the Eastman company.
Walton moved to a more fashionable address at 44 Holland Park Road, and resigned from George Walton & Co on 17 January 1903. The York branch closed shortly after and on 30 June 1905 the remaining partners wound up the company. From then on Walton practised only as architect and designer, and was admitted as Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
on 20 July 1911, his proposer being his long-standing friend Charles Edward Mallows
Charles Edward Mallows
Charles Edward Mallows , often known as C. E. Mallows, was an English landscape architect. He was born in Chelsea, London and spent his childhood at Flatford Mill, East Bergholt, Suffolk where his uncle ran the mill. He studied in Bedford and London...
. From 1905 he had worked from an even grander home at 26 Emperor's Gate in Kensington, but following the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, commissions were scarce. His wife Kate died and the generous financial support from the Gall family ceased. In 1916 Walton moved to Carlisle and between 1916 and 1921, working under Harry Redfern
Harry Redfern
Henry 'Harry' Redfern was a British architect.Redfern designed work in Oxford, Cambridge, Abingdon and Carlisle. At the University of Cambridge he was architect of the chemical, metallurgical, physical and biological laboratories, and restored portions of Christ's College, Cambridge and Magdalene...
, he produced designs for pubs and canteens for the Central Control Board, established to manage the drinks trade and public houses in many munitions production areas.
Walton married a colleague, Dorothy (Daphne) Jeram, daughter of a Hampshire doctor on 20 November 1918, and a son was born in 1920. In 1919 Walton attempted to revive his private practice, with the support of various friends and the Scottish portrait-painter William Oliphant Hutchison (1889–1970), who had married his niece. He now worked mainly as a textile designer for Morton Sundour Fabrics of Carlisle, but this work also ceased due to the recession and a falling-off in demand for Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
designs. In March 1931 the Waltons moved to 70 Seabrook Road in Hythe to cut down on living expenses.
A despondent Walton died on 10 December 1933. John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
obtained a civil list pension for his widow. Walton's drawings and photographs relating to his later practice are in the British Architectural Library Collection.