Product Description
On the 150th anniversary of his birth, this is the first work devoted to the life and work of the designer and architect William Arthur Smith Benson (1854-1924). Renowned for his imaginative and practical metal work designs, W. A. S. Benson is best known for his daring and innovative work in the sphere of electrical lighting. Examples of the latter have always been widely admired (even during his own lifetime) and are becoming increasingly rare and desirable. Other aspects of Benson's life and work are perhaps less well known and these have also be given prominence in this extensively researched book. The scope of the work places Benson in his historical context (Peter Rose), presents Benson's biography (Avril Denton) and discusses his commercial work: interior design (Mark Golding), metalware (Ian Hamerton), lighting (Ian Hamerton and Salah Ben Halim), architecture (Ian Hamerton) and also the steps taken by Benson to protect himself against design theft (Tony Hampton). Several appendices also contain invaluable information concerning Benson's designs (illustrated in his sales catalogue), registered designs and trademarks and a list of his architectural works.
About the Author
A Senior Lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the University of Surrey, Dr Ian Hamerton is an academic with a passion for the Arts and Crafts Movement. For many years, Ian has collected and researched different examples of the genre and counts himself fortunate to have lived, with his wife and son, in a lodge designed by C F A Voysey. An internationally recognised author, he has written or co-written over one hundred articles. He is an active committee member and Vice chairman of the Society for the Arts and Crafts Movement in Surrey. Peter Rose is a collector, writer and lecturer who was formerly Head of the Combined Arts at the University of Brighton and Chairman of the Decorative Arts Society. Salah Ben-Halim was key to the inception of this book. He is the respected, London-based, owner of 'Hill House Antiques', specialising in Arts & Crafts originals and also a member of the Arts & Crafts Antiques Department at Liberty plc in London. Mark Golding is a specialist dealer in Arts & Crafts originals, and the owner of 'The Arts & Crafts Home', an online resource for Arts & Crafts interiors. Avril Denton is a partner in a family antiques business specialising in lighting. She researched extensively on W.A.S. Benson for her final year dissertation, during her B.A. Honours degree in Art History. Tony Hampton is a retired hotelier and restauranteur turned art historian, with a particular interest in the decorative arts.
