Shattaline
Encyclopedia
Shattaline Limited operated from the mid-1960s for about 10 years. Products were a craft-made range of decorative items including paperweights, pen holders, candle holders, tables, table lamps and table lighters. The manufacturing process was discovered by Lewen Tugwell, a retired major in the British Army and talented sculptor from Farnham
, Surrey
, England
. These items have become collectable in recent years.
In 1969 new partners joined the Tugwells and manufacture moved away from Farnham, initially to Maybury Road, Woking
then, in the early 1970s to Scotland
. The move to Scotland was to the Evanton
/Dingwall
area of Ross-shire
(now Highland
) on the Cromarty Firth
. Manufacture of Shattaline came to an end after about ten years because of the inflated price of polyester resin
from which the items were made.
The process was labour-intensive and craft-based. Genuine Shattaline items were produced by a patented process and had labels on their underside but, of course, these labels were often removed, leaving the piece anonymous; they can then be confused with similar items but the real thing can be distinguished from these by careful inspection. Lacking the appropriate knowledge, some dealers describe Shattaline and its imitators as "crackle resin" or "resin crackle" items. The company name is often mis-spelt on auction sites as "shatterline" or "shatteline".
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, 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...
. These items have become collectable in recent years.
In 1969 new partners joined the Tugwells and manufacture moved away from Farnham, initially to Maybury Road, Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
then, in the early 1970s to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The move to Scotland was to the Evanton
Evanton
Evanton is a large village in Easter Ross, in the Highland Council Area of Scotland. It lies between the river Sgitheach and the Allt Graad, is north of the city of Inverness, some south-west of Alness, and north-east of Dingwall. The village has a dozen or so streets, the main one being...
/Dingwall
Dingwall
Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...
area of Ross-shire
Ross-shire
Ross-shire is an area in the Highland Council Area in Scotland. The name is now used as a geographic or cultural term, equivalent to Ross. Until 1889 the term denoted a county of Scotland, also known as the County of Ross...
(now Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
) on the Cromarty Firth
Cromarty Firth
The Cromarty Firth of Cromarty') is an arm of the North Sea in Scotland. It is the middle of the three sea lochs at the head of the Moray Firth: to the north lies the Dornoch Firth, and to the south the Beauly Firth....
. Manufacture of Shattaline came to an end after about ten years because of the inflated price of polyester resin
Polyester resin
Polyester resins are unsaturated resins formed by the reaction of dibasic organic acids and polyhydric alcohols. Polyester resins are used in sheet moulding compound, bulk moulding compound and the toner of laser printers...
from which the items were made.
The process was labour-intensive and craft-based. Genuine Shattaline items were produced by a patented process and had labels on their underside but, of course, these labels were often removed, leaving the piece anonymous; they can then be confused with similar items but the real thing can be distinguished from these by careful inspection. Lacking the appropriate knowledge, some dealers describe Shattaline and its imitators as "crackle resin" or "resin crackle" items. The company name is often mis-spelt on auction sites as "shatterline" or "shatteline".