Martinware
A small collection of Martinware is still available to view by appointment at Southall Library. Please telephone (020) 8574 3412 for details.
We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. If you have a Martinware enquiry, please contact the education and learning programmer at Pitzhanger Manor-House, telephone (020) 8825 9808.
Ealing Council owns the largest public collection of Martinware in the country. This unique collection was donated to the borough by the Hull Grundys in 1980. The Martin Brothers produced the pottery from 1873-1923 in Fulham and Southall. A catalogue of the whole Hull Grundy collection is also on sale.
History of the Martinware collection
The four Martin brothers, Wallace, Walter, Edwin
and Charles, were pioneers in the production of studio pottery,
some beautifully formed and expertly decorated, some eccentric,
such as their famous bird jars. They specialised in salt-glazed
stoneware, a strong, non-porous pottery with a distinctive
'orange-peel' texture. Having trained as a sculptor, Wallace Martin
started producing pottery in Fulham in 1873. In 1877, the brothers
moved to a disused soapworks on the canal in Southall. The family
continued making pottery until Wallace's death in 1923.
The brothers regarded themselves as artists and each piece of their work is unique. It was popular with collectors right from the start and the brothers had a number of wealthy patrons.
John Hull Grundy (1907-1984) was born in Southall and collected Martinware from childhood. He studied art at Kings College, London and Chelsea School of Art and later taught at the Royal College of Art. During the Second World War he joined the Royal Army Medical College and later became a lecturer in Entomology.
Anne Hull Grundy, nee Ullmann, was the daughter of a Nuremburg family who had been forced to flee Nazi Germany and had settled in Hampstead. She built up her own art collection, specialising in jewellery and Netsuki. It was John who inspired Anne's interest in the Martin Brothers and she soon became a leading authority and enthusiast. Through their local connections and by scouring salesrooms, they built up a large collection of Martinware.
In 1980 Professor and Mrs Hull Grundy offered their entire remaining collection of Martinware to the borough in the form of a bequest. The Hull Grundy bequest consisting of some 260 items was received in 1986 and is a significant part of the borough's cultural heritage.
Catalogue
Ealing Council has published a catalogue of the whole Hull
Grundy collection. It includes introductions and illustrations on
the Hull Grundys, the Martin Brothers and their pottery. The
catalogue is priced at £10 (plus £2 postage and packaging).
Payment
Cheques should be made payable to London Borough of Ealing
and sent to: The Administrator, PM Gallery and House, Walpole Park,
Mattock Lane, Ealing, London W5 5EQ
A teacher's pack is also available, and is designed to support the teaching of art, history and english at Key Stages 1 to 3.