Visionaries and Rebels

‘Oxford gave birth to the infant, but Cambridge provided it with the
right clothes.’ 
– Prebendary Clarke’s explanation of the development of nineteenth-century ecclesiastical vestments.

The contrasts between 1874 and the immediate post-war years are stark. When Watts was formed, Britain, sailing on an economic wave, ruler of nearly a quarter of humanity and manufacturer to the world, was building and furnishing quantities of fine houses and churches.

Sketched design for ecclesiastical vestments

To the prescient, some storm clouds could be detected: the 1873 stock market crash signalled a depression that was to plague the country for the rest of the century; the Suez Canal was ruining the sail-based trade with the East; Germany, following unification, was beginning to flex its muscles, and the collapse of agricultural rents brought on by cheap grain imported from America encouraged Lady Bracknell to pronounce that ‘Land has ceased to be either a profit or a pleasure. It gives one position and prevents one from keeping it up’.

Newspaper advert for Watts & Co. shop at Baker Street

Watts & Co. was first based in Middle Scott’s office in what is now Hallam Street, at the time confusedly called Duke Street, then in 1879 it took a lease on 30 (now numbered 66) Baker Street at the Portland Square end, where it was to remain until the 1950s. At the same time, it was incorporated as a limited company and benefitted from a capital injection of £5,100, much needed as initial trading had not been easy.

An example of stained glass design by Giles Scott and G. F. Bodley

Finding stained glass of the right quality and sourcing the internal decoration for their buildings were subjects of continued debate between the three friends. At Jesus College, Cambridge, at a time when Middle Scott was still an undergraduate there, Bodley had subcontracted these aspects to Morris and Webb. This had not proved a success as the company had imposed its own choice of colour and its working practices had upset the dons.

Present day altar frontal designed by Watts & Co using 'Davenport' fabric

Following some initial losses, Davenport’s elder brother Joseph was named Artistic Director. Under his leadership, the company finally found its vocation. Backed by its extended network of Britain’s leading architects, the company progressively established itself as the country’s foremost internal decorator. The period up to the first war was one of success, with good levels of commissions both secular and ecclesiastical.

True pioneers don’t just build for the present they set the tone for generations to come.