John Marriot Blashfield
Born 1 November 1811
Died 15 December 1882
Active: 1841 - 1877
Country of birth and death: England
Cement and scagliola manufacturer, property developer, pottery owner
Born in St. James, Westminster, London. His early training is uncertain but was describing himself as an artist by the early 1840s. He went into business making tessellated pavements and, although Minton's became the main producers of the materials, Blashfield was considered a leader in the field.
In the mid-1840s he speculated in property and attempted to develop a major part of Kensington Palace Gardens in London. As a result he was declared bankrupt in May 1847. However he continued his cement and scagliola business.
In the 1850s he began making colossal figures including those supplied in 1853 for Crystal Palace, Sydenham. Amongst these was 'Australia' by John Bell at 9 feet tall. Also from this period is a huge Triton fountain in the courtyard of the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford (based on Bernini).
In December 1858 Blashfield moved from London to Stamford in Lincolnshire. The following decade were his most successful; he was employing sixty-five workers and received many major commissions. Blashfield was an inventive manufacturer, in 1860 he patented a muffle kiln that set new standards in terra cotta production.
However, Blashfield ran into further financial difficulties and in 1875 went into voluntary liquidation. He returned to London where he died at 17 Great College Street, Westminster. Blashfield's nephew, adopted son, and works manager, Joseph Joiner, and senior foreman, James Taylor, both emigrated to the USA in the 1870s where they established terra cotta businesses.
Wealth at death: £52 0s. 0d.
Probate date: 20 February 1882
Locations
Address 1 Upper Stamford Street Blackfriars London | View on map
1843 (Circa)
Address 2 Stanrose Place Paddington London | View on map
1851 (Circa)
Address St Georges Square St George Stamford | View on map
1858
Descriptions of Practice
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
'Cement Manufacturer 5 Clerks and 35 Men'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
'Terra Cotta Manufacturer and Pottery Company 46 Men and 13 Boys'
Occupation given in U.K., City and County Directories, 1600s-1900s
1843
in the 'The Small edition of the 1843 Post Office London Directory...', published by W. Kelly and Co., London, as 'Artist'
Sources
A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain, 1660-1851
2009
pp. 117-9
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
2005
Class: HO107; Piece: 1466; Folio: 485; Page: 15; GSU roll: 87787
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
2005
RG09 piece 2312 folio 27 page 2
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2004
John F. H. Smith, ‘Blashfield, John Marriott (1811–1882)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/49435, accessed 15 Jan 2010]
U.K., City and County Directories, 1600s-1900s
2009
'The Small edition of the 1843 Post Office London Directory...', published by W. Kelly and Co., London, p. 96 (accessed 15 January 2010)
Citing this record
'John Marriot Blashfield', 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/person.php?id=ann_1263577621, accessed 30 Sep 2023]
