The Butcher, The Baker.....the Candlestick Maker?

A chance encounter at the recent Burley cider pressing weekend led to a couple of interesting photos.


Apparently the owner of this candlestick grew up and lived for many years in Buckleberry Green and remembers the Lailey workshop * in the village. He thought he had something made by George Lailey in the attic and said he would look it out when he got home. The photo is on an A4 sheet of paper which gives some scale to it.


This photo of the underside shows the characteristic signature and is dated 1946. I have heard of and seen his bowls but I've not before seen a candlestick. Is this a common Lailey item? How and why did he make candlesticks? After this chance encounter I am left with more questions than answers.

*Edit - In reading this post I notice that it's not very self explanatory. George Lailey was the last in a long line of bowl turners who worked from their shed workshop on Buckleberry common between Newbury and Reading. H.V.Morton in his eponymous (oooh I've wanted to use this word gratuitously for ages!) work in search of England (1927) recalls a meeting with William Lailey at the workshop and includes a description of both the polelathe and the bowls. George Lailey worked until shortly before his death in 1959 and his tools are now in the collection at the Reading Museum of English Rural Life.