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Peter Marsh Lamps

W

Woodman

Guest
Somewhere in the Aston/Newtown area, between 1945 and 1950 this little business was making lamps by hand. They had two main types, one of them was clear glass blown into a wire frame to make a shape similar to a very large bunch of grapes. The other was made by using coloured cuttle glass soldered into a square or triangular shape, which were welded together to make a coloured glass lamp. By the mid 1950's these were made by many others using plastic in place of glass. Does anyone know anything about the original Peter Marsh firm? I have several of their lamps.
 
I do not know if this is the same firm, but there was a small factory just off Bordesley Green station in the early fifties and it was called The House of Peter Marsh. They made lamps from coloured cut glass which was hand cut into small pieces soldered round and made into lamps with a wrought iron stand. I have one of these lamps as my mother worked there.
 
hello,

We have read with interest that your mother worked at the Peter Marsh factory. I have had an interest in the lamps for quite a while but have not been able to find out about peter marsh himself. We have collected information about the lamps etc but would love to speak to someone like your mother, if at all possible, who worked there and find out some more answers to questions that have been puzzling us such as where peter marsh actually lived? How much were the lamps sold for at the time? How many did they make? What sorts did they make? How many people worked at the Bradford St factory and why did they stop making them and when?

Thank you and speak to you soon :)
 
Peter Marsh Lighting to our knowledge first started production in 1949 at 111 Hockley Hill, B'ham 18 (now demolished). He had his factory at the location until about 1954 when he then relocated to Ellesmere Works in Alcester St B'ham 12, corner of Green St, premises is still standing although derelict. He then moved premises again to 218 Bradford St B'ham 12(original premises has been demolished), which was around the corner to the Ellesmere factory. He traded as 'The House of Peter Marsh' up until 1965. His also had offices in Temple Row, Birmingham 2 (now demolished and replaced by new premises). Unfortunately we have not been able to find out where he lived and this is one question we would love answered.
As far as we can gather he made several different styles of lamp including a multicoloured 'house shaped' lamp which had chunks of different coloured glass set in a lead and steel frame with a steel roof on top. He also used the same style glass in a hexagon shaped lamp and a pyramid shape lamp which had ornate scroll work. Some were for indoors and other were for outdoor use, which came with a crucifix style bracket for wall fixing.The lamps sometimes bore the initials PM on the roofs.
We would like to know why he stopped making them and more about how the lamps were made, were they assembled in one place or were the different parts all brought in, ie were the metal roofs and brackets made elsewhere?
We have been told that he then sold the patent for the lamps on, so did anyone else then start making the lamps? If so did they continue with the same design or did they alter them, as there appear to be several similar types which appear to be mass produced such as the plastic styles and the blown glass ones which have identical glass panels on all sides of the lamp.

Peter Marsh has become something of an interest to us because so little is known about these wonderful little lamps. We bought one two years ago and have been interested ever since.
 
This is an interesting thread and I remember trying to find out about the Peter Marsh company several years ago. I was fascinated by those lamps especially the porch light type. I can remember seeing several of them on the ritzy side of Erdington...Holly Lane, Chester Road and in Sutton Coldfield, when we used to go carol singing around Christmas time. I remember seeing them on sale in Rackhams as well.
There is nothing like them at all today as far as I know and I hope that
you are able to find out more about Peter Marsh and the company s ahmed.
 
Woodman said:
Somewhere in the Aston/Newtown area, between 1945 and 1950 this little business was making lamps by hand. They had two main types, one of them was clear glass blown into a wire frame to make a shape similar to a very large bunch of grapes. The other was made by using coloured cuttle glass soldered into a square or triangular shape, which were welded together to make a coloured glass lamp. By the mid 1950's these were made by many others using plastic in place of glass. Does anyone know anything about the original Peter Marsh firm? I have several of their lamps.
Click to expand...

Hello there...I'm interested in seeing a picture (or two) of the "bunch of Grapes" style of lights, or any of his pieces. I live in Texas USA but have just learned of the House of Peter Marsh and would like to buy a couple of his pieces for my young family's home. Would really appreciate if you would consider sharing (pictures or informatin or websites) whatever you can about how I might go about finding some of his pieces for sale (possibly your own???). Take Care...

Thanks & Kind Regards for Replying....

Patrick Guy
10615 Atwell Drive
Houston, TX 77096

Mobile Phone: 832-275-4574
 
Peter Marsh Lamp You Have...

lovatt said:
I do not know if this is the same firm, but there was a small factory just off Bordesley Green station in the early fifties and it was called The House of Peter Marsh. They made lamps from coloured cut glass which was hand cut into small pieces soldered round and made into lamps with a wrought iron stand. I have one of these lamps as my mother worked there.
Click to expand...

Hello there...I'm interested in the Peter Marsh lamp you have if it's not intruding on your personable sensitivities. I live in Texas USA but have just learned of the House of Peter Marsh and would like to buy a couple of his pieces for my young family's home. Would really appreciate if you would consider sharing (pictures or information or websites) whatever you can about how I might go about finding some of his pieces for sale (possibly your own???). Take Care...It would even be cool if you could send a picture or two of it as I have not seen them yet my personal email (or you can use this site) is [email protected]. Of course I would pay for shipping to your former colony (USA!) Smiles...

Thanks & Kind Regards for Replying....
:)
Patrick Guy
10615 Atwell Drive
Houston, TX 77096

Mobile Phone: 832-275-4574
 
Hi to all interested in Peter Marsh. My original enquiry so long ago, I'm afraid I havent kept up with the posts. My wife is one of three sisters, and their father, Alf Haddon, was making these lamps by hand during the early to late 1940's. They often talk about having to sit around the kitchen table cleaning and painting the metal work, and then going with their father to a local glassblower for the glass to be blown into the wire frames. So far as I can establish this glass blower was probably in the Deritend/Digbeth area of the City. I cannot find out who originated the idea of the lamps, but apparently Alf spoke with a friend who put him in touch with Peter Marsh, but the relationship foundered, and Alf left.
I have a number of pieces, and others have been passed down through various family members.
I have also recently photographed an original brochure and catalogue for the lighting range, together with other metal lighting artifacts, candle holders, etc. I have photographs of some of my collection of lamps, all of which are in the catalogue, as well as an original Alf Haddon three branch wrought iron chandelier. I would like to add to my collection, but because only the later versions had the Peter Marsh logo I suspect very few people would know one if they saw it.
 
Back in 1962 my mother was travelling with her parents in England and my grandfather purchased a 'lantern' from 'The House of Peter Marsh' and brought it back to Australia. This beautiful fixture adorned the entrance to my grandparents house for the next quarter of a century. After my grandparents passed away and their house was sold, my mother kept that 'lantern' which she has recently given to me for attaching to the entrance of our new house. Mum also kept the original catalogue of various other fittings dated 1st September 1962. Hopefully, the attachments below work. They are the front cover of the catalogue which is exactly the lantern that I now have and the inside cover.
 
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Hi Mike: Thanks for posting the Peter Marsh lamp pics and the catalogue info. Just as I remembered the lantern. Nice to hear that one of the lanterns went to Australia and is still being used. Great that your Mother kept the lantern and catalogue too and now the lantern is on display at your home. It looks as though we know more about the Peter Marsh company now but not about the man the company was named after and why they went out of business. I found a website for Peter Marsh Lanterns in Minnesota, USA and on the page there is reference to the lamps at one time being made by a foundry in England.
Here is the link: https://www.north-works.com/craftsman.html
If you don't have Flash on your computer you can view a couple of the lanterns by hitting the Ordering button. The prices are there as well just to
see how much they are.
 
Mike what a lovely story. I am so glad you now have the lantern. The photo is lovely.

This thread bought back a lot of memories for me. Our neighbour in the 1960's had one of these. I always loved it even as a child, the colours were so lovely. Our neigbours moved and I didn't see them again until a visit on our way to Cornwall in the 1980's. They then lived at Clevedon near Bristol. I walked up to the front door with my husband and two young sons. I looked up and was taken straight back to my childhood as there above me was this beautiful lantern. The visit was magical and I am so pleased we took the time to go. They were a lovely couple and sadly both passed away not long after our visit which was so sad for me.
 
Hello Mr Woodman,
I have only just read your very interesting entry and as an avid collector of all the various types of peter marsh lanterns I am very keen to speak further with you about this subject. My name is Vince and my mobile number is 07980 927 526.I would be more than happy to return your call if you wanted to leave a contact number. My family roots are steeped in Deritend, Digbeth and Bordesley and so I myself have a researched the local history of the area for a number of years. My wife and I have looked into the history of peter marsh and found that it dates back to 1949 (reference the entry by s. Ahmed on this site) and would love to exchange info and views on the subject. I now live in the Sutton Coldfield area of Birmingham but have worked in Bordesley for the last twenty five years.
Speak to you soon

Kind regards

Vince
 
Hello MikeCottell,

I always knew that the Peter marsh company must have had a brochure to go with the lamps but always thought that they must all have been lost or destroyed over the years. I know its alot to ask but would you be willing to post the rest of the pages from the brochure onto the site also as My wife and I would love to read the rest of it or if you would be willing to photocopy it then we would be happy to cover all your expenses. I have been collecting these lamps for a number of years and would be more than happy to send over some photos of other designs which we have if you were interested in seeing them. My name is Vince and my mobile number is 07980 927 526 and I live in Birmingham England.

Speak to you soon

Kind regards

Vince
 
Hi, I only just joined this forum. We bought a house where there was a lamp exactly like your one on the front porch. We are doing renovations but decided to give this quirky old lamp a good clean. Just after we had taken it off it's hook there in the Newspaper was an article about Peter Marsh lamps. I had no idea that's what it was but assume the poeple we bought the house off must have brought it back from England to New Zealand. Looking at your pictures has been great. Can you tell me please where about on your lamp the marking PM is located?
 
Sorry Vince, I actually haven't looked at this website for years as I was only researching info about Peter Marsh at that time so I didn't see your post. I will try to find the catalogue that the original photos came from and I will post them here or I will send you a PM to get your email and I will send them to you. It may take a while as my study is a disaster.......
By the way, the lantern is up at our farmhouse and looks great. Even at a distance, the colours grab your attention and you don't even notice the house or its surrounds. Truly mesmerizing!
 
hi there,have just read your email and am glad to hear that peter marsh lamps are still out there and such a good distance from there birmingham factory in england too! would it please be possible to send me or scan me a copy of the newspaper article you mentioned [this i would really appreciate]. as regards to the location of "PM" on the lamp there are a few places,it is either stamped on the roof/lid in one of the right hamd corners or if you turn the lamp upside down it will be written on the botttom of the lamp metal frame in very small writing saying "PETER MARSH BHAM ENGLAND" or if you remove the roof/lid from the lamp by removing the four screws it will say "PETER MARSH BHAM ENGLAND" on the top of the metal frame on the lamp there too.on some lamps due to rain/rust etc it is barely visible to read any of these.good luck in finding the "PM" stamp mark,kind regards,vince.
 
Hi to all, sorry to open up such an old thread... I have recently started collecting these wonderful lamps after moving to a house with one fitted to the outside wall. I have since bought a few on eBay (for as little as £10!) and would love to see or have a copy of the brochures mentioned above (I'm willing to pay). I can't believe that there is so little out there relating to these lamps. Kind regards Alan
 
I have purchased a Peter Marsh lamp for my partner and wanted to know the right way to go about cleaning the glass and treating rust on the lamp roof.

kind regards

barry
 
I have a Peter marsh lamp and need a little help . Can anyone tell me the correct way to clean the glass and also how I would go about treating rust ?
 
Barry3111 said:
I have purchased a Peter Marsh lamp for my partner and wanted to know the right way to go about cleaning the glass and treating rust on the lamp roof.

kind regards

barry
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The lamps are just slag glass (glass that has been left at the bottom of the heating crucible after pouring at a factory). They are pretty but the glass rocks capture a lot of dust.

We have one mounted to the outside of our house and I give it a scrub with a giant sponge when I wash the cars on weekends.

Sometimes I use a soft scrub brush, with nylon or natural material and a bucket of mild soapy water. Don't use a wire brush. Just give it a gentle scrub to clean the dust off.

If there is rust on the lamp, use any household rust prevention spray paint, like Rust-Oleum. Cover the glass with a plastic bag and tape it off well before you engage in any painting. You don't want to get paint overspray on the glass. If the lamp is attached to the porch, tape off the beam as well, so you don't paint your house black.

With spray paint, shake the heck out of the can before you apply. The instructions say "shake for a minute" and they really do mean 60 seconds at least. That little ball bearing should make a good racket.

Spraypainting rule of thumb: Make a light coat and leave it alone. Just one spray and walk away. The worst thing to do in spray painting is going over the same spot repeatedly while it's still wet. This builds up a thick coat. It will drip and look nasty.

Just be cool with the idea that you will come back again in a couple hours for another fast pass. It actually should look too light on the first couple spray layers. Just wait until it dries and come back for another quick pass. Multiple light coats are better than one heavy spray of paint from the can. It might take 2 or 3 coats depending on the paint.
 
I picked up this lamp several years ago, can't find a maker but it does say England on it.
 

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If it was a more modern one that said "England", it would probably be made in China
 
postie said:
I picked up this lamp several years ago, can't find a maker but it does say England on it.
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That may also be a Peter Marsh lamp, or a contemporary copy (like contemporary from the 1950s). I am aware that they made two styles; one was the little cottage looking lamps with the chunks of slag glass, and the other style was the single colour glass blown into a mould that looked like grapes.

I think the Peter Marsh lamps usually have PM marked on them.

Somebody else on this forum mentioned a company in Minnesota, USA that makes authentic looking replicas of the Peter Marsh lamps.
https://www.north-works.com

They have some photos on their web site with the single colour grape-cluster lamps that look a lot like your photo there. Whether or not you have an authentic Peter Marsh lamp, enjoy it for what it is. It's a funky, retro piece of glass that somebody made by hand. Collect more if you like them, they look good hanging in groups.
 
synthiaks said:
tI know tbis is an old thread and the the links are dead.....would love to see the catalog if anyone can re-post? i have a one of the table lights, great to have found out more info on it
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Hi if you are still
Looking for catalogue details re peter marsh lamps I have one I can photograph for you , I have seven of his lamps myself
 
HMS said:
I have one from 1950s . Signed by him . Love to know more and it’s history . HMS
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Hello HMS. I just recently purchased a table lamp made by him and would like to see what other types of lamps he produced. Is there any way for you to post the catalogue that you have? These are so rare to see. Thanks.
 
Just wondering if these are PM lamps?
 

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bubbs92 said:
Just wondering if these are PM lamps?
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Yes they are, I have several myself, you can often find them on eBay at high prices though. I have a 1959 catalogue where they. All have very continental sounding names, and they weren’t cheap back then either!.
 
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