George Henry Walton

He was the youngest of twelve talented children of Jackson Walton, a Manchester commission agent and himself an accomplished painter and photographer, by his second wife, the Aberdeen-born Quaker Eliza Ann Nicholson.

[1] His father's death in 1873 left the family in straitened circumstances, and at the age of thirteen George started work as a clerk with the British Linen Bank.

[3] His arts and crafts style of decoration, including his woodblock printed wallpaper production, was influenced by William Morris[4] and included stencilling, a common technique in Scotland at this time, and highly decorated wall surfaces in floral patterns, in line with prevailing fashion and also influenced by Japanese pattern books reflecting Glasgow’s then active trade with Japan.

He was also greatly influenced by James Whistler[5] His work ventured into almost every avenue of decorative art, helping to pioneer the distinctive Glasgow Style.

In 1890 he employed Robert Graham, the future manager of the company in 1903–05, and met the Quaker architect Fred Rowntree (1860–1927)[6] at an amateur dramatic performance.

[10] In 1892 he worked on the house of the shipping magnate William Burrell and in 1893 he decorated ‘Drumalis’ the mansion owned by Sir Hugh Houston Smiley, 1st Baronet located in Larne, Northern Ireland and this remains his most complete extant company job.

A review by Joseph Gleeson White commented on the elegant simplicity of Walton’s design despite the involvement of Washington Brown, whose work was considered heavy-handed.

His commissions to design Kodak showrooms in the United Kingdom and Europe (London, Glasgow, Brussels, Milan, Vienna and Moscow) brought him international fame.

The building has plain interiors and a simplicity of design reflecting a leaner and more sophisticated Walton [25] His increasing reputation among photographers also led to more commissions for exhibitions.

He resigned from George Walton & Co on 17 January 1903 and the York branch closed shortly afterwards and on 30 June 1905 the remaining partners wound up the company, which was based mainly in Glasgow.

[28] In 1906 George Davison decided to build a house at Harlech where his school friend Harry More, Crown Agent for the Forestry Commission in Wales, lived.

[29] Walton was admitted as Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects on 20 July 1911, his proposer being his long-standing friend Charles Edward Mallows.

In 1916 Walton moved to Carlisle and between 1916 and 1921, working under Harry Redfern, he produced designs for pubs and canteens for the Central Control Board, established to manage the drinks trade and public houses in many munitions production areas.