H. H. Martyn & Co.

After the outbreak of the First World War, A. W. investigated the possibility of involving the company in the production of wooden airframes, and soon they were active in making fuselages and wings for a variety of aircraft.

[6] The period immediately after the war proved difficult for the company, but they were fortunate to obtain a contract for the extension of the Lalbagh Palace in India.

[citation needed] Despite the lack of family involvement, many aspects of the business continued to flourish in the following years, although the depression in the 1930s took its toll.

[12] Numerous decorative contracts ranged from royal commissions to public buildings, universities, cathedrals, offices, country houses and banks, hotels, cinemas, shops and theatres.

[15] As part of the reconstruction of the Bank of England the bronze figure of Ariel on the dome by Charles Wheeler was cast by Martyns.

[17] After the war, the task of commemoration of the fallen largely consisted of adding panels to existing memorials, but in the case of the Commandos this was not possible, because they were only established in June 1940.

[20] The pulpit and sounding board in St Paul's Cathedral were carved and built by Martyns, and used for the first time on the occasion of the state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

[citation needed] In the years after the war, shipping companies worked to make good the losses of passenger liners they had incurred.

[23] Later work included the iconic spiral staircase on the SS Canberra,[24] and the provision of panelling, ceilings, and fittings on the QE2.

Walter Gilbert left the Bromsgrove Guild and joined Martyns in October 1918, continuing his prolific output.

[citation needed] Martyns had a sports field consisting of five tennis courts, two football pitches, a cricket ground and a running track.

In 1971, at a time of declining demand,[26] Maples sold Martyns to a company which closed it down, enabling the latter to profit from the sale of the sports field.

The following table is derived from Chapter 13 of The Best, and is intended to illustrate the scope of the work carried out by Martyns on ocean liners.