English Village Arts 
PORTIERE BORDER IN APPLIQUE 
Designed by Godfrey Blount , Hademere , Surrey 
TOILET COVERS 
Designed and woven by The Canterbury Weavers 
copper and pewter clocks. One of them is 
shown here. The ornamental part is in 
pewter applied to a copper body. The orig¬ 
inal looking candle sconce and preserve jar 
are also specimens from the same class. 
Of course, the individual power of some 
one personality is occasionally responsi¬ 
ble for the high artistic merit ot the crafts¬ 
men’s work. The terra-cotta at Compton, 
for instance, which readers ot “ House and 
Garden ” have lately had described to them 
in a special article, has been brought to its 
present level bv the personal influence of 
Mrs. G. F. Watts, wife of the great English 
painter. Then at Haslemere, in Surrey, are 
three little industries in rug making, tapestry 
weaving, and applique work, all dominated 
by the personality of Mr. Godfrey Blount, 
who originates all their designs, and person¬ 
ally superintends their execution in the 
different stuffs. Again, the “ Della Rob¬ 
bia ” pottery industry at Birkenhead reflects 
the artistic power of its founder, Mr. Har¬ 
old Rathbone. 
In the old cathedral town of Canterbury 
is a comparatively new industry in carpet 
making and tapestry weaving. It was started 
in 1897 as a small class, but rapidly grew in 
size until to-day over thirty women and girls 
in the town are engaged on the hand looms. 
In the reign of Henry VIII many French 
Walloons or Flemings settled in Canterbury, 
owing to the persecutions waged against 
them in their own land by Charles V. T hese 
strangers were mostly weavers of silken and 
woollen goods. They practiced their craft 
with varying success until the end of the 
eighteenth century, when the old industry 
practically died out. The present revival 
has therefore the benefit of an historical as¬ 
sociation rare even in old countries. The 
hand woven rug is one of the best exam¬ 
ples of their work, and 
was granted the high¬ 
est possible award at 
the May Exhibition. 
Two other specimens 
of their work are the 
borders for toilet cov¬ 
ers, woven on the 
ophemta loom, an inge¬ 
nious contrivance of 
Swedish make. 
Wood carving has 
always been a favor¬ 
ite study with village 
classes. The material 
is usually easy to get, 
and the minds of 
countrymen turn in¬ 
stinctively to wood 
when they want to 
put their ideas into 
CLOCK, CANDLE SCONCE AND PRESERVE JAR 
Designed hy G. Tanner , Newton , Cambridgeshire 
66 
