Ivor Williams, Master Gilder

Ivor has been described by many, including Henry Sandon, as the foremost gilder of his day. He started at Royal Worcester under Percy Lewis in 1936 at the aged of 14. During the war he was a charge hand at the Steatite Works in Stourport, returning to Royal Worcester in 1945 as the foreman of the Gilders. Particular memories for Ivor include gilding the Churchill Vases which had hand-painted panels by Harry Davis, and working on a spectacular dish for archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley, which is now on display in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Ivor retired in 1987 but continued to work on special commissions for the factory until the early 2000s.

EXTRACT Ivor on gilding the Churchill Urns. Duration 0.58

Copyright Museum of Royal Worcester

You can listen to Ivor’s full interview by clicking on the YouTube video below. You can also download a PDF with a detailed summary of Ivor’s interview via the download button below.