Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

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Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 167,716 pages of information and 247,105 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

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* 1953 '''Richard Hector Quinnell died''' and is widow then ran the business.
* 1953 '''Richard Hector Quinnell died''' and is widow then ran the business.


* 1963 His son, also '''Richard Quinnell''' graduated in science, but his mother was facing a financial crisis and he therefore had little choice other than to join the business.  
* 1963 His son, also '''Richard Quinnell''', graduated in science, but his mother was facing a financial crisis and he therefore had little choice other than to join the business.  


* At the same time he discovered, through the Artist-Blacksmiths' Association of North America, that blacksmithing was not the dying craft he thought it was, and so his enthusiasm was rekindled. With his wife, Jinny, he founded the British Artist Blacksmiths Association.
* At the same time he discovered, through the Artist-Blacksmiths' Association of North America, that blacksmithing was not the dying craft he thought it was, and so his enthusiasm was rekindled. With his wife, Jinny, he founded the British Artist Blacksmiths Association.


"Some of my more interesting commissions have included the Globe theatre gates, the Edward and Eleanor sundial in Guildford and the corona on top of Greenwich Royal Observatory.
* Some notable commissions have included the Globe theatre gates, the Edward and Eleanor sundial in Guildford and the corona on top of Greenwich Royal Observatory.


"Blacksmithing has made my life. Because of the generous, intelligent and creative people who are attracted to it, I have made so many friendships.
* ''Note:'' (11/08)
 
** '''Richard Hector Quinnell''''s grand-daughter, Lucy, has continued the tradition. She rekindled her parents' dream of a gallery specialising in forged iron and set up the ''Fire and Iron'' Gallery.
"My father was chasing an obscure craft that was seen to be declining. It was perverse of him in some ways. He loved the aesthetics, but I think it was a commercial choice at the time.
 
"I think for Lucy it was initially a way of earning a living to support herself and her child. She's an entrepreneurial designer and gallery owner who has chosen blacksmithing as the field in which she would specialise."
 
Lucy Quinnell, 40
 
"When I was eight I told my friends I was going to be a blacksmith. I liked the idea, and probably thought it would win me street cred.
 
"I wasn't interested in it as a teenager, but when I went to art college, my friends charged off to our place with their cameras, leaving me bemused as to why they should find a funny old ironworks so interesting.
 
"Mum got cancer when my brother and I were in our teens, and it changed everything. Before Mum died, she was due to give a talk on ironwork to the local Women's Institute. She insisted I did it instead.
 
"I felt an obligation to continue what others had started. It probably had a lot to do with my mother's death: I wanted a connection in order to make sense of the effort she had put in. So I rekindled my parents' dream of a gallery specialising in forged iron and set up the Fire and Iron Gallery.
 
"Blacksmithing is mesmerising. There is something gutsy and heroic about getting iron hot and changing its shape. Being close to such an earthy, old process feels reassuring, although it can be exhausting and dangerous.
 
"Last year, we worked with teenagers struggling in the conventional education system and produced park seating and archways. It was one of the most rewarding things I've done.
 
"I hope I've been sensitive to Dad's feelings - I think he felt left out when I first did a big project on my own. I probably needed his advice more than I let on, but I had to prove to myself I could do it from start to finish on my own."
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/aug/05/familyandrelationships.family1 The Guardian


==See Also==
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/aug/05/familyandrelationships.family1] The Guardian


== Sources of Information ==
== Sources of Information ==
<references/>
<references/>

Revision as of 12:50, 6 November 2008

of The Rowhurst Forge, Oxshot Road, Leatherhead, Surrey. Telephone: Leatherhead 2456. Cables: "Quinnell, Leatherhead"

  • Richard Hector Quinnell, trained as a mechanical engineer and had a business selling light fittings and electrical components.
  • 1930s He started blacksmithing in Leatherhead, in order to provide his retail business with scrolled light fittings. He made a rose one weekend and decided he could enhance his business with decorative ironwork.
  • 1947 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. Manufacturers of Art Metal Work. Wrought Iron Electric Light Fittings, Pendants, Wall Brackets, Floor and Table Standards, Gates, Grilles, Firebaskets and Grates, Firedogs. Crystal Lighting Fittings and Chandeliers, Architectural Metal Work Furniture and Lampshades. (Olympia, 1st Floor, Stand No. G.2053a) [1]
  • 1953 Richard Hector Quinnell died and is widow then ran the business.
  • 1963 His son, also Richard Quinnell, graduated in science, but his mother was facing a financial crisis and he therefore had little choice other than to join the business.
  • At the same time he discovered, through the Artist-Blacksmiths' Association of North America, that blacksmithing was not the dying craft he thought it was, and so his enthusiasm was rekindled. With his wife, Jinny, he founded the British Artist Blacksmiths Association.
  • Some notable commissions have included the Globe theatre gates, the Edward and Eleanor sundial in Guildford and the corona on top of Greenwich Royal Observatory.
  • Note: (11/08)
    • Richard Hector Quinnell's grand-daughter, Lucy, has continued the tradition. She rekindled her parents' dream of a gallery specialising in forged iron and set up the Fire and Iron Gallery.

See Also

  • [1] The Guardian

Sources of Information

  1. ↑ 1947 British Industries Fair p226
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