Spooner, Charles, 1871 - 1939
Biography
Charles Spooner was born in Burton-on-Trent in 1871.
Charles was a wood carver in the brewing industry, where he made drays and handcarts.
Charles married his first wife in 1894, who died at childbirth soon after, and he was left to bring up their son Jack, while pushing the business forward. This year Charles became involved in the supply of decorative carvings for the the Orton firm, which turned out to be defining moment in his life, as three years later he married George Orton's daughter Rose Ann (Annie), becoming Orton's son-in-law.
Charles initially split his time between working as a subcontractor for Orton producing most of his carved work and working directly with the showmen and other ride manufacturing companies. The quality of his carving gained him high respect and recognition in the trade and he became the main supplier of mounts for roundabouts for showmen across the country.
He produced a wide variety of figures for roundabouts including the traditional galloping horses and more exotic animals such as ostriches, bears and lions, as well as topical figures that reflected the political climate of the day such as centaurs of famous generals during the Boer War and later WWI themed carvings.
In 1925 Spooner merged his business with Orton, forming Orton, Sons and Spooner Ltd. Here he continued focusing on the embelishement of fairground equipment and living quarters now working exclusively for the company. By 1914 Charles stopped designing and carving and became a travelling salesman for the company.
Charles Spooner died in 1939.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Original Artwork, c1900 - 1929
Drawings and designs used for the decoration of fairground rides.
Orton and Spooner Collection
This collection contains a large selection of archives from the Orton and Spooner Company. The collection comprises photographs and cabinet card images showing carved work, structural work and classic painted work, 4 boxes of notes, invoices and clippings, 8 drawers of plans and blueprints, 2 folders of ride specifications and order forms, accounts books and a library of source books showing turn of the century art used by the artists in the company.
Photographs, 1880 - 1950
Black and white photographs and negatives of fairground rides, living wagons, transport, fairground organs, carvings and other artwork from the Orton and Spooner company. Also contains some photographs of employees and showmen.