Topic: Queen Mary Ashtray - any idea on maker, please?

[Bernard C]

Marcus — Special commissions sourced from Stonier are likely to have appeared in the Stuart factory pattern books as well, going on what I have seen of other Stourbridge pattern books.

Just broadening the possibilities.

Bernard C. 

[Sklounion]

Hi Bernard,
Stonier appear, according to Companies House, to have become plain Stonier and Co Ltd, in 1911, and appear to have existed, in one form or another until 1997, when the company underwent a name change to Stuart Crystal Marketing Ltd, now a dormant company. However, the registered office is given as Barlaston nr Stoke on Trent, Staffs, so possibly more info on Stoniers may be to be found at Wedgwoods?
Regards,
Marcus

[Bernard C]

Marcus — Useful link, and unexpected but not surprising.   It's a very small world.

Bernard C. 

[Sue C]

Hi David, just though i would let you know that Stuart Crystal provided over 22,000 pieces of crystal for the Queen Mary if that's any use.

[Bernard C]

Sue — Thanks for that — brilliant piece of detective work.

I have just found a statement to the same effect in Brian Hawley's Luxury Liner Row website www.luxurylinerrow.com at a page entitled On-Line Exhibit.   Is this where your information came from?

Note the distinctive pattern cut into the tableware.   I can't recall seeing this before.   So it probably was an exclusive design for the Queen Mary.   Unfortunately the ashtray in question is quite a different pattern, but it is quite possible that tableware, giftware, and fittings had quite distinctive designs, all by Stonier / Stuart. 

IMPORTANT — Please respect Brian Hawley's copyright on his website text and images.  Abuse of this could result in this useful link having to be deleted from this topic, to all our loss.

As it is a sales site, I would prefer to link to his home page with instructions on how to navigate to the required page, but have not found out how to do this.   If anyone can work out how this is done, please let me know, and I will redraft this reply and ask a moderator to make the change.

Bernard C. 

[Sue C]

Hello Bernard, yes it was Brian Hawleys site where i got the information, there is a contact at the bottom of his page and i wonder if he may be able to help, if that wont work i may have another contact address for him, what do you think?.
Comming from Liverpool , i would dearly like to help.

[Bernard C]

Sue — I've already emailed Brian Hawley with a request for navigation instructions from his home page.  If he replies, then I will make the change.   Your desire to help is much appreciated.

Bernard C. 

[David E]

Thanks Sue - wonderful work!  :clap:

I also notice from this same site:

Glassware from the period of the Queens is difficult to obtain because there is no Cunard logo etched into it as on earlier pieces.

Marcus did point out to me that items intended for 1st class were probably quite different in quality to those items in 2nd and lower classes, which may explain why the ones featured are different. Also a lot less common as well.

[Glen]

For a little extra snippet, Cottle reports ("Sowerby: Gateshead Glass" page 43):

"It was only natural, therefore, that when the largest liner afloat - the Queen Mary - was being furnished, Sowerby's supplied a wide range of domestic wares."

Glen

[David E]

Thanks Glen, that's most interesting! BTW, the reason I got involved with this is because some old chap in his eighties, a retired chemist, used to live very close to the factory and he believed Chance made ashtrays for the QM, hence the reason for me originally posing the question to Charlotte.

However, I haven't been able to find evidence of this: the Goodden designed ones certainly fit into this period, but thats as far as it went.

Funny how these innocent remarks spark off a really convoluted, but highly interesting thread of research!

Edit: just heard from Marcus - he is having problems with his shiny-new ADSL connection...