GLASS SHERD
St. Peter, Roman Catholic (Italian) church, Clerkenwell Road, Camden, London
Detail from one of a pair of wrought-iron gates, designed by the artist-architect THOMAS RALPH SPENCE (1845-1918), and executed by the art-metalworker ALFRED JAMES SHIRLEY (c.1848-1912).
Spence moved to London from Newcastle late in 1885, setting up as an 'architectural-decorator'. He seems to have quickly fallen into business partnership with Shirley, whose Cable Street works were close by the church of St. George's-in-the East, one of Spence's earliest decorating jobs in the capital. By c.1888-9, Shirley had opened a new showroom at 45 Rathbone Place, where Spence also had his office (in an arrangement very similar to J.D. Sedding's with Henry Longden in nearby Oxford Street); the partnership was formally dissolved in 1896.
Much of Spence's metalwork done in collaboration with Shirley has unfortunately been lost. A good amount survives at the Anglican church of St. George, (West) Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; these gates at St. Peter's are rare survivng examples in London itself. The gates were installed as part of Francis W. Tasker's (d.1904) refronting of the church (including a prominent Italianate loggia) in 1891.
Ref. Jackson, F. Hamilton: ‘Metal-Work of an Architect and Designer – T.R. Spence’ in 'The Magazine of Art' (London 1902), pp.365-70.
The photo is an edited digital montage of four images from the left-hand set.
St. Peter, Roman Catholic (Italian) church, Clerkenwell Road, Camden, London
Detail from one of a pair of wrought-iron gates, designed by the artist-architect THOMAS RALPH SPENCE (1845-1918), and executed by the art-metalworker ALFRED JAMES SHIRLEY (c.1848-1912).
Spence moved to London from Newcastle late in 1885, setting up as an 'architectural-decorator'. He seems to have quickly fallen into business partnership with Shirley, whose Cable Street works were close by the church of St. George's-in-the East, one of Spence's earliest decorating jobs in the capital. By c.1888-9, Shirley had opened a new showroom at 45 Rathbone Place, where Spence also had his office (in an arrangement very similar to J.D. Sedding's with Henry Longden in nearby Oxford Street); the partnership was formally dissolved in 1896.
Much of Spence's metalwork done in collaboration with Shirley has unfortunately been lost. A good amount survives at the Anglican church of St. George, (West) Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; these gates at St. Peter's are rare survivng examples in London itself. The gates were installed as part of Francis W. Tasker's (d.1904) refronting of the church (including a prominent Italianate loggia) in 1891.
Ref. Jackson, F. Hamilton: ‘Metal-Work of an Architect and Designer – T.R. Spence’ in 'The Magazine of Art' (London 1902), pp.365-70.
The photo is an edited digital montage of four images from the left-hand set.