How the work was sold

Furniture was mainly produced to commission. Gimson never advertised his work or produced a leaflet or a catalogue. He did ensure that he had good quality photographs taken by Dennis Moss of Cirencester. These were sent out to potential clients, often with Gimson’s own handwritten details including alternative woods and prices and instructions for their return. He also produced sketch designs to show potential clients. According to Edward Gardiner:

The good quality photographs were also useful to illustrate his work in books and magazines.

 

Patrons and regular clients included those with strong personal connections such as Gimson’s own family and the Bathurst family. Others such as Ernest Debenham were keen supporters of the craft workshop ideal that Gimson was trying to achieve at Daneway. As a young man, Debenham had been involved in Toynbee Hall, the philanthropic university settlement in London’s East End. He went on to open the luxurious department store, Debenham and Freebody’s, in London in 1907 with plaster ceilings and decorative friezes designed by Gimson. He also offered Gimson the opportunity to mount an exhibition of his work in the store at the end of 1907.

Joseph King was another of Gimson’s clients. He was involved with a craft community at Haslemere, Surrey, built up the peasant craft collection there and collaborated with Harry Peach in the development of the Dryad craft collection. The architect, Francis Troup, a friend of Gimson’s since their student days, designed Sandhouse, King’s house at Witley, which was furnished with many examples of Gimson’s work.

 

Gimson designed a great deal of furniture and fittings for churches so that there was a separate workshop for ecclesiastical projects at Daneway. It was probably separate because of the large scale of much of the work. Commissions came through the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (Salle church, Norfolk and Whaplode church, Lincolnshire) and from other Arts and Crafts architects providing including Edward Prior (Roker church near Sunderland), Robert Weir Schultz (Khartoum Cathedral and St Andrew’s chapel, Westminster Cathedral, London), and Arthur Grove (St John’s, Richmond, London).

 

Gimson exhibited regularly in the London Arts and Crafts exhibitions and at other shows in Britain and abroad although he wasn’t always convinced of the usefulness of exhibitions for generating sales.