Harry Grant & Sons

The golden age of the business came in the latter half of the 19th century under the third generation, William Henry Grant. William was ambitious and first expanded the workshop with a showroom then adding steam power for belt driven machinery. During this period many of the products were wholesaled to local shops and dealers around Britain. They produced ‘works of art in marble malachite & floral mosaics including writing sets, vases, photo frames, clock cases and mosaic and malachite jewellery’.  

In 1880, after the death of one of their best local retailers, Edwin Bradford, Grants established its own direct outlet in the Rotunda in Torwood Street. This relocated to 10 Strand and was managed by William’s two children Harry and Emma Grant.  

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In 1913, Grants became a private limited company but the outbreak of World War I impacted all the Torbay marble companies and forced Grants to close their shop and return to manufacturing and wholesaling. 

Grants survived by diversifying. As the supplies of local stone declined, they imported more onyx and malachite and acquired the Betjeman Patent, soft closing hinge which was used on a variety of onyx boxes. They gained important contracts to supply high-end London retailers like Asprey with luxury goods. 

The 20th century would see Grants open a London office and attend national trade shows. They supplied the marble façade and fireplaces to Queen Mary’s Dolls House in 1924, and a range of small items to the Queen in 1934. Grants was eventually passed to Gregory Halliday, the son of Jessie Grant. Grants of Devon Ltd is now run by Mark and Martin Halliday, the seventh and eight generations to hold the business. 

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Recognising Objects made by Harry Grant & Sons of Torquay

Established in 1836 and still in business today Harry Grant & Sons, now Grants of Devon Ltd is almost certainly the longest-running and most prolific decorative stone object manufacturer in the UK. For most of its history, it has been a wholesale manufacturer supplying unbranded products to retailers locally and across Britain. But for a short period, it had a retail shop in Torquay and branded at least some of its products. These provide the best indicators of the provenance of many stone objects as the work of Grants.

Grants products change considerably through time following fashions and artistic trends and can be categorized. Images held in the archive of the company also allow us to identify product types that would otherwise remain almost impossible to identify. Grants also employed certain techniques such as marble and malachite mosaic work, decorative stone onlay work as well as inlay work, and the use of decorative engraved metal. Grants had an association with Ernest Betjemann who supplied patented metalwork, his relationship was formalised in 1913 with Betjemann becoming one of the board of directors.   

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Grants work prior to 1900

It is very rare to find a Grants makers' mark or label on items made before 1900 and they will mostly relate to items retained through firstly the Rotunda at 29 Torwood Street from 1880 and later their shop on 10 Strand which was open into the early 20th century.  

Most Grants items will be unmarked. They made a range of black marble objects the majority with mosaic work finishes in local Devonshire stones but almost always incorporating a piece of Russian malachite. They also made items of black marble and only adorned with Russian malachite. They specialized in floral inlay work (Florentine Style) on small panels and larger objects such as inkstands, thermometer stands, crosses and classical-style ewers.
 

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Grants' onlay work is particularly distinctive and has not been recognised until very recently. Onlaid items included brooches, plates, boxes, picture frames and clock cases and could be on black marbe or more commonly on white onyx imported from the Americas. The onlay work is often made from non-Devonian stones including Connemara marble but also includes carved shell, glass and paste work.    

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