Newlyn Copper (England)

Newlyn is a town in southwest Cornwall, whose principal industry in the Victorian era was its fishing industry. By the 1880s it had also become an important centre for artists. As employment in the fishing industry was sporadic due seasonal factors and weather an alternative and additonal source of income was sought, and it was decided that the fishermen could be taught to create craft works in copper, and other materials which could then be sold. The Newlyn Industrial Class, as the workshop was known, was established in 1890, and a number of artists who had settled in the area assisted with the classes. Copper objects produced in the Arts & Crafts style included trays, frames, chambersticks, plates and chargers, boxes, bowls and coffee pots. The designs on the objects often included nautical themes. The workshop remained in operation until the outbreak of World War II.