A Blue Plaque fixed to the frontage of Trinity House Dental Care commemorates this building as James Smithies’ home in Wilmslow. Smithies was born in Middleton, Manchester, where he first worked as a decorative painter and later as a decorative metalworker. He made various pieces for the Parish Church, including the Robert Catterall plaque, before moving the workshop to Wilmslow.
He became a well-known Arts & Crafts coppersmith in Wilmslow, specialising in beaten copper and repoussé work. Several family members worked with him from 1900 onwards, and the firm later traded as James Smithies and Sons.
He exhibited at Arts and Crafts exhibitions in Manchester in the 1890s and was an active member of the Northern Art Workers’ Guild, with whom he also exhibited. His many commissions included Kirkandrews Kirk, in Borgue, Dumfries and Galloway, completed in 1906 (architect probably G.H. Higginbottom, Manchester).
After James Smithies’ death, his apprentice, Donald Shipton, took over and continued working until his retirement in 1978. Shipton left the works to his nephew, Arthur East, who continued metalwork in 1980.
The commemoration of his Blue Plaque took place at 16 Manchester Road, Wilmslow, on Monday 21st September 2026. The plaque came about when Orthodontist, Rosemary Jones, from Trinity House Dental Care was at a talk given by Barry Clark at the Wilmslow Guild for Life Long Learning about the Arts and Crafts Movement in the north west and recognised the home of James Smithies as the dental practice!
Mayor of Cheshire East, Judy Snowball said, “It has been a great pleasure to meet members of James’s family and hear their stories. James was a major contributor to the arts movement in our area and his work is so beautiful. It is wonderful that this blue plaque will commemorate James for many years to come.”
In attendance at the ceremony were great-granddaughters of James Smithies, Lynden Easterbrook and Stella Garden. Lynden spoke and brought James to life, sharing memories of him as a kind, warm family man who dedicated himself to handcrafted metalwork.
Co-author of The Northern Art Workers’ Guild and the Arts and Crafts movement in Manchester, Barry Clark said, “One of the reasons that Richard, Stephanie and I felt compelled to write our book was that the north west receives little comment in histories of the Arts and Crafts movement. It is events like today that help ensure this is no longer the case and local people are aware of the beautiful work made right here in Wilmslow.”
