Elizabeth Waterhouse

Born Elizabeth Hodgkin in 1834, she married the architect Alfred Waterhouse and became a central figure in the creative world around their home at Yattendon Court in Berkshire. Museum records describe her as the force behind the Yattendon metalworking classes, which she ran from 1890 to 1914 to train local men and boys in brass and copper work.

Under her guidance, Yattendon metalwork won praise for its design and was sold through the Home Arts and Industries Association and at Liberty's in London. That work places her firmly within the wider Arts and Crafts movement, not just as a patron, but as someone who helped build a lasting community project.

She died in 1918. Although she is often mentioned alongside her famous husband, the surviving records show a notable life of her own: energetic, practical, and deeply involved in craft, education, and the cultural life of her time.