Booking Opens for the 43rd West London Local History Conference


By Hand and Eye will explore the work of the Arts and Crafts Movement

‘By Hand and Eye’ looks at the influence of a number of designers and skilled craft workersP‘By Hand and Eye’ looks at the influence of a number of designers and skilled craft workers

January 30, 2024

The first in-person West London Local History Conference since 2019 is to be held this April and its theme will be the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Organised by a collection of historical societies in west and south west London, ‘By Hand and Eye’ looks at the influence of a number of designers and skilled craft workers were to be found in the area and how the fashionable style also influenced the design of local architecture.

Speakers include Val Bott on Bedford Park homes; Sarah Hardy on William De Morgan; Mallory Horrill on the Kelmscott & Doves Presses; Ilona Jesnick on Rust & Co's mosaics; Chris Jordan on the Martin Brothers; James Marshall on Arthur J Penty and Paul Velluet on Arts & Crafts Architecture in the Richmond area.

The conference take place on Saturday 13 April at Duke Street Church, Richmond, TW9 1DH and booking is now open.

Programme of events

9.30am - Doors open to admit participants – societies' stalls will be open for browsing

9.45am - Welcome & house-keeping
Annie Greene, Chair, West Middlesex Family History Society & Conference Co-Chair

9.55am - Arts & Crafts Homes and their furnishings in Bedford Park
Val Bott, Editor, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Journal

10.30am - Coffee and Book Stalls

11.00am - Arthur J Penty (1875-1937) of Isleworth, Arts & Crafts Architect & Socialist
James Marshall, Hounslow & District History Society

11.30am - Arts & Crafts Printing: the Kelmscott & Doves Presses
Mallory Horrill, Senior Curator, Emery Walker’s House

12.15pm – Lunch

1.10pm - Welcome to the afternoon session
Neil Robson, Editor, The Wandsworth Historian & Conference Co-Chair

1.20pm - The Martin Brothers: Potters of Fulham and Southall
Dr Chris Jordan, independent researcher and lecturer on Martinware

2.00pm - Rust & Co, Vitreous Mosaic Manufacturers of Lambeth and Battersea
Dr Ilona Jesnick, Past Editor, Andamento, Journal of the British Association of Modern Mosaic

2.40pm - Tea and Bookstalls

3.10pm - William de Morgan: the Chelsea Potter
Sarah Hardy, Director of the William De Morgan Museum

3.50pm - Arts & Crafts Architecture and Design in Richmond and the surrounding areas
Paul Velluet, architect, historian & President of Richmond Local History Society

4.30pm - Thanks and summary of the day’s proceedings as the Conference ends
Entry for the whole day costs £15. Early booking for this popular event is advised.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.