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Notes
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The Old Forge, West Hoathly, shows local blacksmith George Newnham standing outside his forge in North Lane, with the North Downs in the background. The painting was given to Mr Newnham by his wife Ethelwyn on his retirement in 1963. It is based on a postcard dating from the 1920s but on the card the figure standing outside the forge is actually Joe Cave, the farrier and the view of the Downs is blocked by West Hoathly Garage, which the Newnhams also ran. The forge had been owned by the Newnham family since the 1880s but one had stood on this site since 1634. It closed when Mr Newnham retired and the building was destroyed by fire in 1967, when it was being used as a plastic mouldings factory. George Newnham was well known for producing high quality ornamental ironwork.
Thelma Ullmann and her husband Richard moved to Knaves Acre in West Hoathly just before the First World War. Thelma shared her studio with Richard, who had taken up pottery as a hobby in 1964 but Richard had really come to West Hoathly to write. He had four novels published but struggled to make a living from his writing so the Ullmanns started a chicken farm in their garden, supplying birds to local butchers. When an outbreak of fowl pest closed the chicken farm in 1971 they opened West Hoathly Pottery.
Although Richard was almost entirely self taught the pottery became a success, selling pieces world wide, particularly in America and Japan. Their ‘leopard glaze’ became particularly popular, even though the recipe was arrived at purely by accident. John Paul Jones, bass player with Led Zeppelin, was a fan and owned several pieces. The pottery became so successful that Thelma gave up painting to run the business.
Priest House
West Hoathly
Title
The Old Forge, West Hoathly
Date
1963
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 50.7 x W 61.2 cm
Accession number
WEHPH:000.228
Acquisition method
gift from Ethelwyn Newnham
Work type
Painting
Inscription description
Thelma Ullmann 1963
