In 1930, J.Wuidart commissioned Wealdstone Range from James Powell (originally through Elfverson & Co.) to supply Barnaby Powell designed glass for resale.  In 1931 an agreement was signed with Whitefriars for its sole sale by them.  Then, in 1932, Belgian glass importers, J.Wuidart & Co. of 26/28 Bartletts Buildings, Holborn-Circus, London EC4, acquired the rights from Elfverson to be the sole sellers of this range.

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I am lucky enough to have been befriended by someone who used to work for Wuidart and was privy to information not in any book.  I am pleased to say that he has passed on much of that information to me. 

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The sales of this range were very successful but, unfortunately, it was not a profitable range due to the price they had to pay Whitefriars to produce these pieces. The purchase price being not that much less than their selling price. Hence the reason this was a short-lived range.

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Every penny counted and, as such, the catalogue was never updated.  More items were produced than appear in the catalogue and, again, not mentioned in the catalogue, many of the pieces were available in varying sizes and in waved, ribbed, smooth and, in rare cases, streaky. For instance, the W18 was a little dated in its waved design, and so they decided to widen the waist and produce it in ribbed and, low and behold, it became one of their best sellers, but not as described in the catalogue with its transformed shape. They also came in eight special colours, officially, but anomalies can pop up, such as streaky.

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Please note:  No item sizes were in the catalogue and all sizing is by informed 'guesstimates' and may vary, more or less, by a small margin either way. 

 

© Rodina Prince 2019