Shapland, W. T. Carter
William Thomas ‘Tom’ Carter Shapland (1925-1972) came from a Devon farming family. He was trained and worked for five years under the supervision of Arthur Erridge for J. Wippell & Co of Exeter, Devon.
In the early 1950s he was working as a designer with Barton, Kinder and Alderson in Brighton, Sussex. At this time his designs were figurative and called for traditional techniques of manufacture.
Tom then became a freelance artist, adopting the ploughshare as his maker’s mark, reminiscent of his farming background.
Source: Joyce Little, Stained Glass Marks and Monograms (London: National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies, 2002)
W T Carter Shapland and the Worshipful Company of Glaziers
The Worshipful Company of Glaziers first appears in written records in 1364-65 during the reign of Edward III, when the emphasis was on the protection of the personal economic welfare of Glaziers. However, in recent times the focus has shifted to the preservation of the heritage of stained glass and to the support of education in architectural glass art, design and conservation.
In 1932 the Company launched an annual competition for young artists, which from 1972 operated under the banner of the Stevens Competition. The competition provided an opportunity for aspiring architectural glass artists, designers, and craftsmen to compete in a format which simulated the process typically undertaken in order to obtain a commercial commission.
W T Carter Shapland won awards from the Company in 1950-51 and 1952-53.
