Transcript Thomas Leyton - Thames Explorer Trust

Thomas Layton
His Collection & Legacy
Thomas Layton
Born in 1819
Died in 1911.
How long
did he live?
92 years
Thomas Layton
What did he do?
•He was a successful business
man.
•And a highly respected
councillor in Brentford
A very keen collector of:Coins
Archaeology
Pottery
Books
Prints
Maps
Antiquities
Thomas Layton was a rich man.
How did he make his money?
He was a coal merchant, who
had barges on the Thames.
What did we use coal for?
•Burn in homes for heating and cooking.
•To use as fuel for steam trains.
•To make gas (for light and heat)
•To make coke (used in iron making)
Brentford Gas works on
the High Street
St George’s Church
Opening of Brentford market in 1893.
- Where Fountains Leisure Centre now is.
Who owns the coal office?
What was Brentford like when Thomas Layton was alive?
Gas & Coal
The gas works was
huge and
employed
thousands of
people
The Gas works was
very smelly making
lots of soot and
smoke
The Gas works on Brentford High Street
“……the entrance to Brentford is like the gates to Hell.
Already the gasworks and the coal yards are there for
stoking the punishing fires”
Smelly Brentford…….
When Thomas Layton was alive
Brentford was one of the noisiest
and smelliest places in London.
Why do you think this was?
Gas works
Coke works
Brewery
Tannery – making leather
Soap works
Other smelly businesses?
This is the
committee
which built
Brentford
Library.
Which one
is Thomas
Layton?
Brentford Councillors 1900
What is different about them?
Some Hounslow Councillors Today
What is the same?
A Picture of Kew Bridge in 1892
Thomas Layton lived here
Thomas Layton's House
Do you recognise this?
What do you think it is?
To Brentford
What did Thomas Layton do for the people of Brentford?
Helped build the Brentford
Infirmary (hospital)………..
The Fire Station………
The Swimming Baths……………
And………
St George’s Church – Where he
was warden.
He left money in his will to build
the Bell tower and bought the
church bells which hang in it.
The Library
And of course………….
The Brentford Monument
This records
important historical
events that
happened in
Brentford.
It was first placed in
Ferry Lane by the
river but has now
been moved to
outside the County
Court
Thomas Layton’s collection
All his life Thomas Layton
bought and collected many
historical artefacts.
Coins
An iron age axe
A spear head
Pottery
Prehistoric
items like
this fish
hook.
Thomas Layton’s collection
He also had a massive collection of
books.
About absolutely everything!
Thomas Layton’s collection
And maps……….
What happened to his collection when he died?
Thomas Layton left everything in his massive collection to the people of Brentford
It was put into the
Brentford Library
which he’d help
build
But……..
There was not enough room so it was moved………….
To this store where the books got damp…
And pigeons got in!!
Then……..
And mould grew on the pages.
In 1988 the collection was found a permanent
home at the new Hounslow Treaty Centre Library
Books in modern storage
at Hounslow Library
The print collection in new plan chests.
Now the old books are being cleaned and repaired.
From this…
Pigeon Poo!!
…to this
Finds from the Thames
► You
can go and see
Layton’s Prehistoric
objects from the river
at the Museum of
London in the display
called ‘London before
London’
Axe head
Prehistoric Knife
Spear head