Ernest W. Twining
Encyclopedia
Ernest W. Twining was a modelmaker, artist, and engineer.
, England
, and was trained as a telephone
engineer. He also took art lessons at night school. After working on the Glasgow
telephone system for a while, he established a commercial art studio in London
, where, as a side-line, he branched out into designing and making model aircraft
for sale, in due course expanding to the manufacture of full size gliders
.
, the Northampton model making firm, for whom he did sub-contract work. In 1920 he founded Twining Models
at Northampton, which manufactured glass-case models of industrial, architectural, advertising and transport themes.
In Northampton, his windows can be found at Holy Trinity Church Hall, St Edmunds, Hardingstone, St Francis de Sales, Wolverton and the Northhampton Museum.
on the staff of the Bristol Aeroplane Company
, working as a draughtsman
. After the war he worked for a Bristol stained glass
firm, helping repair damaged glass in bombed churches. Twining died at Bristol in 1956.
in Shizuoka Prefecture
. This originally worked at Dudley Zoo
in the UK before moving to the Fairbourne Railway
in 1961. It was a freelance 4-6-2 (2-C-1) Pacific tender loco designed by Twining and built by G & S Light Engineering & Maintenance Co., Ltd. in Stourbridge
, West Midlands, in 1950 to Works No. 10. Although the worksplate which it has states year built as 1949, this is incorrect, and the plate was fitted by the Fairbourne Railway, not by the builder. Driving wheels are 20" diameter, with two cylinders of 5 1/16" diameter, 8" stroke and piston valves. The locomotive is equipped with steam brakes, and hand brakes on the tender. Bogie tender air brakes and a new boiler were fitted in 1961.
Biography
Ernest Twining was born in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and was trained as a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
engineer. He also took art lessons at night school. After working on the Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
telephone system for a while, he established a commercial art studio in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where, as a side-line, he branched out into designing and making model aircraft
Model aircraft
Model aircraft are flying or non-flying models of existing or imaginary aircraft using a variety of materials including plastic, diecast metal, polystyrene, balsa wood, foam and fibreglass...
for sale, in due course expanding to the manufacture of full size gliders
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
.
Twining Models
His model-making work brought him into contact with Bassett-LowkeBassett-Lowke
Bassett-Lowke was a toy company in Northampton, England, founded by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke in 1898 or 1899, that specialized in model railways, boats and ships, and construction sets...
, the Northampton model making firm, for whom he did sub-contract work. In 1920 he founded Twining Models
Twining Models
Twining Models of Northampton, England, was founded in 1920 by Ernest W. Twining. The firm had its origins in work Twining was doing as a sub-contractor to Bassett-Lowke's. It undertook, mostly for Bassett-Lowke's, , the manufacture of high quality glass-case models, which were often marketed under...
at Northampton, which manufactured glass-case models of industrial, architectural, advertising and transport themes.
Other interests
Twining was polymathic in his interests, and was active in the worlds of model railways, art and design, aeronautics, astronomy and photography, ships and ship models, and stained glass.In Northampton, his windows can be found at Holy Trinity Church Hall, St Edmunds, Hardingstone, St Francis de Sales, Wolverton and the Northhampton Museum.
Writing
Twining was also a prolific author, writing for numerous hobby magazines, and wrote several books, the most notable being:- The Art and Craft of Stained Glass (1928), long regarded as the best text book available.
- Art in Advertising (1931) (with Dorothy E. M. Holditch).
- Indoor Model Railways (1937)
World War II
Twining sold out his interest in his business in 1940, and moved back to Bristol where he spent the war yearsWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on the staff of the Bristol Aeroplane Company
Bristol Aeroplane Company
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines...
, working as a draughtsman
Draughtsman
A draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...
. After the war he worked for a Bristol stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
firm, helping repair damaged glass in bombed churches. Twining died at Bristol in 1956.
In Japan
A 15-inch gauge miniature steam locomotive named Ernest W. Twining exists in Japan at the Shuzenji Romney RailwayShuzenji Romney Railway
The Shuzenji Romney Railway is a gauge pleasure line located in Niji-no-Sato in Izu, Shizuoka, on the Izu Peninsula in Japan. It is based on the English Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway on the English Channel coast in Kent, which opened in 1925. The railway operates using a mixture of steam and...
in Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
. This originally worked at Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoological Gardens is a zoo located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England...
in the UK before moving to the Fairbourne Railway
Fairbourne Railway
The Fairbourne Railway is a gauge miniature railway running for from the village of Fairbourne on the Mid-Wales coast, alongside the beach to the end of a peninsula at Barmouth Ferry, where there is a connection with a pedestrian ferry across the Mawddach estuary to the seaside resort of...
in 1961. It was a freelance 4-6-2 (2-C-1) Pacific tender loco designed by Twining and built by G & S Light Engineering & Maintenance Co., Ltd. in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, West Midlands, in 1950 to Works No. 10. Although the worksplate which it has states year built as 1949, this is incorrect, and the plate was fitted by the Fairbourne Railway, not by the builder. Driving wheels are 20" diameter, with two cylinders of 5 1/16" diameter, 8" stroke and piston valves. The locomotive is equipped with steam brakes, and hand brakes on the tender. Bogie tender air brakes and a new boiler were fitted in 1961.