Bill Thornton and Charlie Downer worked as blacksmiths at the Guild of Handicraft Ltd., Gloucestershire. When the Guild was formally wound up in 1908, they remained in the Cotswolds, working with other craftsmen and former Guild workers in the thriving Arts and Crafts community. They found a ready local market for their wares from the growing tourist industry, and later through the Russell workshops as part of the 'Lygon' range

Cf. Mary Grensted, The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds, Dover, U.S.A., 1993, p.144, fig.10.3 piece with similar decoration illustrated