ITS HISTORY, PRODUCTS AND
PROCESSES
4: Premises (Farnham)
Major Tugwell began manufacture from a
prefabricated studio/workshop at the bottom of his Bridgefield,
Farnham, garden where it backed onto Darvills Lane,
until he had perfected his techniques. Some work continued at this studio but
main production was moved to a rather dilapidated wooden workshop at 24 Long
Garden Walk where Figg's, a local
undertakers, had once made their coffins. A visit to
the loft revealed parts for coffins and even a completed child's coffin (empty,
fortunately!) which was possibly an apprentice's test piece. The
workshop comprised a range of vernacular buildings which appeared to have their
origins as workshops, stabling and associated outbuildings; partly brick at the
western end, which housed the office and finishing department, but mainly a
wooden structure with unpainted weatherboarding and an external wooden
staircase to access the upper floor. The lower floor housed the Sanding and
Polishing Department; the upper floor the Casting Department. At the eastern
end was a simple lean-to privy to provide the most basic of facilities for the
factory staff. These buildings have since been demolished and replaced. I had
left Shattaline when they moved to Woking, so I cannot comment on the premises
there or later. The move to Scotland was to the Evanton
/ Dingwall area of Ross-shire (now Highland Region)
on the Cromarty Firth.
Above: looking up Long Garden Walk East towards number 24, whose
gable end and small courtyard close the view at the top. The doorway directly
facing the artist led to the Shattaline offices and Finishing Department. Copyright
© M Blower
Above: The small courtyard at number 24. The building at the extreme
right is the house where Shattaline's sanding and
finishing supervisor, Dave Claydon lived; the building between this and the
courtyard is the western end of the buildings where sanding and polishing took
place downstairs, and casting upstairs.
Copyright © M Blower
Above: The yard (known to older residents at the time as "Figgs' Yard" after the undertakers who once used the
premises as workshops). The yard lies between Shattaline premises (left) and
Dave Claydon's house (right, out of picture). The weatherboarded building at the extreme left was the eastern
end of the casting/sanding and polishing area; the Casting Department was
accessed via an external wooden stairway to the high doorway at the extreme
left of picture.
Copyright © M Blower
These illustrations of the former Shattaline premises at 24 Long
Garden Walk, as they were in 1987, not long before their demolition, are taken
from the excellent book "Farnham - Moments in View" by Michael Blower.
These images are used with the kind permission of Mr Blower.
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