The man behind David Lloyd George in the House of Commons

409 Fulham Road_angleOn a day when the launch of the electoral campaign for the 2015 elections is dominating the headlines I am reminded of a house I researched several years ago that has some unexpected links with UK politics. In the 1930s it was the home of an early female Member of Parliament and later in the 1960s it was the home of prominent sculptor, Uli Nimptsch, responsible for the statue of David Lloyd George in the House of Commons.

The Victorian house (researched for Chesterton Humberts – now Chestertons), situated along Fulham Road in London, was first built when the area was still predominately covered with fields and market gardens. It was completed in 1846 as part of a short terrace called ‘Lansdowne Villas’.

The first resident to move into the house was Mr George Ash – dentist. At the time of the 1851 census he was recorded in the house with his wife and five children.

I dread to think of the working life of Mr Ash as an early dentist – or more precisely the patients and their experiences with a Victorian dentist! Particularly when considering that anaesthetic wasn’t widely used and an official register of Dentists was only established by the Royal College of Surgeons in 1872.

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Ordnance Survey map 1865 – Fulham Road

By the early 20th century the house was the home of Bessie Humphries, who was renting out rooms in the house. This continued through to the mid 20th century with Miss Laura Brown, who rented rooms to women, and in particular in 1930-31 the house is believed to have been the home of Mary Pickford. It appears unlikely to have been the Hollywood film star Mary Pickford, but rather Miss Mary A. Pickford the daughter of William Pickford, 1st Baron Sterndale.

Mary Pickford 1929
Mary Pickford 1929

Mary Pickford took an active role in community and political activities from a young age and during the war (interrupting her studies at Oxford University) she worked as a factory inspector for the Home Office. In 1929 she stood as a Conservative candidate for Farnworth but was unsuccessful, but was invested as a Commander, Order of the British Empire (CBE) later that year. Mary once again stood as a Conservative candidate, in the 1931 General Election, when it is believed she was living in the house along Fulham Road, and this time was successful, becoming MP for Hammersmith North. However, sadly Mary Pickford only held the position for three years as she died suddenly in 1934.

However, it was after the World War Two that the house became the home of it’s most famous resident, sculptor, Uli Nimptsch. Uli (full name Julius) was born in Germany and studied in Berlin, Rome, and Paris during the 1920s and 30s, but moved from Nazi Germany in 1939 for the sake of his Jewish wife, Ruth. Uli and his family settled in the house on Fulham Road in 1948 where he established himself as a noted sculptor, particularly famous for his female sculptures and portrait busts.

Uli Nimptsch working on the statue of David Lloyd George, 1962
Uli Nimptsch working on the statue of David Lloyd George, 1962

It was in the 1960s that Uli received his most prominent commission – to create an over life size sculpture of former Prime Minister, David Lloyd George.

The statue was completed in 1963 and was unveiled in the Member’s Lobby on 18 December by the Prime Minister Sir Douglas-Home. It stands prominently at the entrance to the House of Commons opposite the statue of Sir Winston Churchill. Both statues famously feature a worn foot as it is the custom for MPs to rub the foot for good luck as they walk past.

Uli exhibited regularly, including a solo exhibition in London in 1942, and later was elected R.A. in 1967. He was also Master of Royal Academy Sculpture School in 1966-69 and today a number of his works are held in galleries across the country, including The Tate Collection. Uli Nimptsch continued to live in the house on Fulham Road until he passed away in 1977.

The statues of David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill in the Houses of Parliament.
The statues of David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill in the Houses of Parliament.

From J.R.R. Tolkien to The Sweeney: A house in west London

A short time ago I was commissioned to research the history of a Victorian house situated in a quiet leafy street in west London. It was built in 1870 and first named ‘Edith Villa’ after the builder’s eldest daughter.

J R R TolkienIn 1876, the house became the home of Dr George Blackmore, who married Charlotte Mary Ann Tolkien, the cousin of the famous author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien.

Dr George and Charlotte Blackmore continued in the house throughout the 1870s and 80s during which time they had six children. Sadly, Dr Blackmore died in 1891 when only he was only 40 years old.

By this time, the area had been completely developed with rows of Victorian terraced houses.

Ordnance Survey map 1893
Ordnance Survey map 1893

During the years of the First World War, the house became the home of a horse dealer, George Painter. However, along with being a horse dealer George was also recorded as a ‘general dealer’, which turns out included some illegal dealing.

Believed to be horse dealer - George Painter
Believed to be horse dealer – George Painter

It was reported in The Times in January 1920 that George Painter was caught ‘red-handed’ in purchasing gold sovereigns for the purposes other then currency.  The Bow Street court report details the case when Mr Painter was literally left ‘holding the bag’ when the detectives entered the room where the deal was taking place.

The Times - 17 January 1920
The Times – 17 January 1920

It was stated that he immediately responded ‘I know nothing…’, but when the contents of the bag were inspected it held 1,500 sovereigns, which he had just exchanged for ‘a large packet of currency notes’. After his arrest, Painter was taken back to his house where it was searched and more sovereigns were found. George Painter was found guilty and sentenced to six months in prison, but this was later reduced to a fine.

The Sweeney

Much later in the history of the house, the drama turned to fictional drama, when it featured in the popular television programme, The Sweeney. Filmed in 1978, the house appeared in a street scene featuring the stars, John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, chasing a suspect from a nearby house.

 

 

The House Historian blog is back

Hello!! I know it has been a long time in the making, but yes, I’m back. After three years as an independent house historian, I’ve been itching to get back to the blogging. Since February 2012 I have been getting used to being my own boss, but also having the freedom to take on some varied and exciting house history projects.

A large part of my first year as a freelance house historian was taken up with completing my second book – Historic Streets and Squares – but since that time I’ve worked on several projects, including a complete history of a family estate in South Kensington in London, which is soon to be bound into a book, as well as house histories in Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Somerset, Scotland, and several in London.

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I have also been regularly contributing to stories about the history of houses in national press and media; taking on speaking engagements; as well as tutoring a house history module for the University of Dundee; and in January 2015 I was accepted into the Royal Historical Society.

While all this continues in the background, I’ve been eager to get back into the blog writing – so here we are! This first post is a little introduction to get my feet wet, but watch this space for more blog posts about my adventures researching the history of houses and streets across the country!

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Mel – The House Historian