The Friends of Haworth Art Gallery hosted a visit to the gallery on November 21 by volunteers and Friends of the Harris Museum, Preston. 20 visitors came and were greeted by six of the Friends. After their lunch, Amelia from the gallery welcomed our visitors and gave short talk about the Haworth’s Tiffany Glass collection and Joseph Briggs, explaining how he sent a large number of specimen pieces to Accrington. These formed the majority of the collection we see in the gallery today.
Jean then talked about the house, which was built in 1908/1909, and its Arts and Crafts features, illustrating the talk with pictures of the interior of the house taken in 1921, though up to the present day, the house is little changed. The plaster ceilings, carvings, windows, window seating, fireplaces, electroliers and the lattice windows were featured and are all original.
Dining room with ornate plaster ceiling with central dropped pillar holding the electrolier.
Drawing room with barrel vaulted plaster ceiling, lattice windows, window seating, original electroliers and fireplace – all arts & crafts features.
Billiard Room showing smoking dais. China cabinets, carvings, arches and fireplace are typical arts and crafts features. Carvings around cabinets are all different and depict local animals, birds and flowers. Note the arches. Similar ones are in the hall and corridors. There was a fitted carpet in these 3 rooms.
William Haworth Anne Haworth
The talk then covered the lives of William and Anne Haworth and the staff they employed at the house. William and Anne had the house built as their retirement home, though William still supervised his mills, and Anne was involved in local charities, the Baptist church and school. Their philanthropic nature, the Baptist church and their liberal party values coloured the whole of their lives and they gave their time and money for the benefit of the local people. Anne employed two unmarried mothers as housemaids which just wasn’t done in their social circles, which showed Anne’s belief in socialist values. Anne’s bequest of the house and grounds to Accrington to be used for an art gallery, museum and public park has resulted in our magnificent building and the gallery we have today. An incredible gift which gave back to Accrington a lot of the riches that they had made.