Art in the Lyons Teashops

About

The Lyons Teashops and Corner Houses were highly popular with the general public throughout most of the last century. Those who visited still fondly remember them as places where they could sit and enjoy a good meal at a reasonable price — efficiently served by the popular Nippy waitresses. It is less well known that the six years of World War II and a lack of decorating material resulted in a general post-war air of interior dilapidation. To overcome this, the Directors hit upon the imaginative idea in the aftermath of the war to commission 30 artists — some already distinguished, others up and coming — to produce lithograph prints to decorate the walls. The resultant 40 Lyons Lithographs remained on the teashop walls from 1947 until the closure of the teashops in the 1970s. This was not an advertising campaign, but brought good art to the public in an informal environment. Neville Lyons, a relative of the company's co-founder, will describe how the lithograph project was conceived, managed and publicised. He will display high quality image reproductions of most of the lithographs and will give an insight into the background of each of the artists, many of whom became household names.