William Smedley-Aston facts for kids
William Smedley-Aston (born 1868, died 1941) was a talented photographer from the Victorian era. He was part of the Arts and Crafts Movement, which focused on beautiful handmade items. William was also a member of the Birmingham Group (artists) and a special photography group called the Linked Ring Brotherhood. Sometimes, people knew him as W. S. Aston or W. Smedley.
William was also very important in helping early moving pictures get started. These were first called "Biographs." He helped fund them through his company, the British Biograph Co.
A Creative Family
William Smedley-Aston was married to Irene Smedley-Aston. Irene was often seen in photographs, paintings, and drawings from the Arts and Crafts movement. This was because William and Irene were good friends with other artists. These friends included people from the Birmingham School of Art and the Birmingham Group (artists), like Joseph Southall, Arthur Gaskin, and Maxwell Armfield.
Maxwell Armfield's wife, Constance Smedley, was William's first cousin. Constance was a successful writer. Like her husband, she also studied at the Birmingham School of Art.
Homes and Collections
William Smedley-Aston had interesting homes. When he was in London, he lived in a large house at 77 Holland Park. This house was designed by William and Francis Radford.
He also owned a 16th-century timbered house called The Yew Trees in Henley-in-Arden. This house was special because it held his famous collection of old English Furniture, valuable Old Masters paintings, and very old English Glass. His collection of glass was quite valuable.
William's Children
William and Irene Smedley-Aston had three children. Each of them went on to do interesting things:
- Michael Smedley-Aston – He became a film director and producer. He helped start the careers of famous actors like Sean Connery and Peter Sellers.
- Rosemary Smedley-Aston – She was a historian who studied the medieval period. She married John Milward, whose family owned the famous Milwards Needles company.
- Ivo Smedley-Aston.
Famous Relatives
The Smedley-Aston family had other well-known relatives. They were related to John Smedley (industrialist), who built a grand home called Riber Castle. John Smedley's company still makes luxury clothing today.
William's brother, J. Herbert (Bert) Aston, started a company that later became TI Group. This company grew to be the world's largest firm making tubing. Bert's son, John Aston, later managed Reynolds Technology. This company was part of TI Group and even included the Raleigh bicycle brand.
