A fine example of a brass arts and crafts hall lantern attributed to William Whitehouse & Co. complimented with it’s original “Honesuckle” vaseline glass insert by the famous Stourbridge glass factory of John Walsh Walsh. The lamp maintains its original chain and ceiling rose for suspension. English, c.1900

Provenance: see page 42 , The Glass of John Walsh Walsh, Eric Reynolds, Pl.7 Vase & Lampshade, reg.des. 375896

As Found, small graze chip to rim of glass approx 2cm by 1cm in size (Please see photos). The chip is hidden behind the frame and not visible when in situ.

William Whitehouse & Company (Empire Works)

Brueton Street, Birmingham

• William Whitehouse & Co. was a highly respected British brass founder and high-end lighting manufacturer
• The company operated during late Victorian, Edwardian, and Interwar eras but currently little more is know about the company.
• As a direct competitor to Best & Lloyd & W.A.S Benson they produced exceptional Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau electrical lighting fixtures.
• Their pieces will sometimes be marked with registered designs but regretfully it doesn’t appear that their lights were ever signed.

John Walsh Walsh (1850–1951)

Soho Glassworks & Vesta Glassworks (Lodge Road, Birmingham)

• John Walsh Walsh is considered one of Britain’s most influential glass manufacturing companies outside the Stourbridge Glass Quarter
• 1850: Birmingham entrepreneur John Walsh Walsh purchased the established Soho Glassworks on Lodge Road to produce his own soda water bottles.
• 1864: The founder John Walsh Walsh passed away, leaving the enterprise to be split among his children.
• 1879–1882: Following a family buyout, control transitioned to Walsh’s daughter Ellen and her husband Thomas Walker. They hired Lewis John Murray as manager, shifting production toward high-end cut crystal and art glassware.
• 1897: The company formally launched its highly iconic “New Opaline Brocade” range, which became heavily sought after for Art Nouveau lighting shades
• 1923: The factory site officially adopted the dual moniker of the Soho and Vesta Glass Works.
• 1926 (23 June): The iconic “WALSH” trademark was legally registered to combat cheap imitation imports from continental Europe.