Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke, by Janet Bassett-Lowke

Front cover of "Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke: A Memoir of His Life and Achievements, 1877-1953, to mark the Centenary of the Bassett-Lowke Company" ISBN 1900622017 (Rail Romances, 1999) [image info]

"Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke", by Janet Bassett-Lowke, is the main biographical resource for W.J Bassett-Lowke (other than company histories), and was written by W.J.'s niece, Janet.

The author

Janet Bassett-Lowke was a very bright and literate teenager who nevertheless didn't get to go to university because of her father's restricted financial situation. While she was trying to work out what to do with her life, her uncle suggested that she try working for him -- Janet then found herself working at B-L while most of the important subsequent history of the company was playing out, and was ideally placed to write the biography, having watched her uncle in both family and work contexts.

Contents

• Opening Comment
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Chapter One – Early Glimpses of WJ
• Chapter Two – The Bassett-Lowke Ancestors
• Chapter Three – WJ's Youth and Scattered Incidents
• Chapter Four – The Beginning of the Business
• Chapter Five – Personal Headway in his Twenties
• Chapter Six – Pursuits and Interests
• Chapter Seven – Mackintosh and 78 Derngate
• Chapter Eight – Candida Cottage
• Chapter Nine – Post War rebuilding
• Colour Supplement
• Chapter Ten – Wonderful Models
• Chapter Eleven – A Whirlwind Life
• Chapter Twelve – "New Ways"
• Chapter Thirteen – Life in the 1930s
• Chapter Fourteen – The Model World of Ships
• Chapter Fifteen – Later Years and The War
• Chapter Sixteen – The End of an Era
• Postscript
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography
• 78 Derngate Trust
• Appendix 1 – Prof. Dr. Peter Behrens - Letter 1926
• Appendix 2 – Chronological events 1899-1953
• Index