Morris Singer Co.
Other names: The Morris Art Bronze Foundry (1921-29), Morris Singer Co (1927-49), Morris Singer Co Ltd (1950-65), Morris Singer Foundry Ltd (to 2005), Morris Singer Art Founders Ltd (2005-10) Morris Singer Art Foundry Ltd
Active: 1921 -
Function: Bronze founder, bronze foundry
History or description: The Morris Art Bronze Foundry was set up in Lambeth in 1921 by Leonard Grist (1879-1964) with financial backing from William Morris & Co (Westminster) Ltd, who were manufacturers of ornamental metalwork and stained glass. Grist left the firm in 1925 to found the Corinthian Bronze Foundry. In 1927, William Morris & Co (Westminster) Ltd acquired bronze foundry business run by Singers of Frome (also known as Singer & Co). The London-based firm was then renamed the Morris Singer Co. In 1935, the company became part of the Pollard Group.
Morris Singer Co established themselves as the leading bronze foundry business working in Britain, rivalling A.B. Burton of Thames Ditton and casting works by numerous British sculptors.
The company has gone through several changes of ownership since 1946. In 1999 Morris Singer moved to new premises in Lasham, Hampshire. At the end of 2005 the Morris Singer name was acquired by Art Founders Limited, and Morris Singer Art Founders was based at premises in Braintree, Essex. In 2010, the artist, Nasser Azam acquired the firm and renamed it Zahra Modern Art Foundries. Since then the company has been relaunched as Morris Singer Art Foundry Ltd at Highfield Industrial Estate, Church Lane, Lasham and there are details at: http://www.morrissinger.org.uk/ (accessed 7 March 2013).
A history of the Morris Singer Co entitled 'A Century of Statues: the History of the Morris Singer Foundry' was published by Duncan S. James in 1984. There is also information about the company on the Frome Museum website (http://www.fromemuseum.org/singer1.htm), in the directory of 'British bronze sculpture founders and plaster figure makers, 1800-1980' (see below) and at http://www.msaf.co.uk/mscomlist.htm (accessed 1 July 2010).
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited due to a lack of evidence about the state, medium or edition shown.
Cast The Scottish National War Memorial
1927
Locations
Address 60-66 Rochester Row Westminster London England | View on map
1921 - 1931
Address 123 Dorset Road Lambeth London England | View on map
1932 - 1966
Institutional and Business Connections
Successor to Singers of Frome
In 1927 William Morris & Co (Westminster) Ltd acquired bronze foundry business run by Singers of Frome (also known as Singer & Co). The London-based firm was then renamed the Morris Singer Co.
Associated People
Commissioned by Robert Stodart Lorimer
1927
p. 30
Employees included Leonard Edwin Grist
1921 - 1925
Grist set up the immediate precursor to Morris Singer - the Morris Art Bronze Foundry in 1921, five years later he left to found the Corinthian Bronze Co
Sources
British bronze sculpture founders and plaster figure makers, 1800-1980
February 2011
http://www.npg.org.uk/research/programmes/british-bronze-founders-and-plaster-figure-makers-1800-1980-1/british-bronze-founders-and-plaster-figure-makers-1800-1980-m.php (accessed 1 March 2011)
Citing this record
'Morris Singer Co.', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/organization.php?id=ann_1299009003, accessed 24 Sep 2023]
