Strang, William (1859-1921)

Provenance:

Laurence W. Hodson of Compton Hall, Wolverhampton,

Owner  of three William Strang albums acquired by chinfineart.

William Hodson, a partner in the Springfield Brewery (Butlers) died in 1890, leaving the hall (and his interest in the brewery) to his son, Laurence W. Hodson.  This L. W. Hodson was a patron of the arts and a famous collector of pre-Raphaelite paintings.  He was an acquaintance of William Morris, from whom he commissioned the Compton pattern wallpaper, the last wallpaper designed by Morris.  Presumably Hodson did this at the same time as he engaged William Morris and Company to redesign the interior in 1895-6. These decorations are still largely in place.  In 1902 Hodson served as Chairman of the Fine Art Committee for the Wolverhampton Art and Industrial Exhibition.

In 1906 Hodson got into financial difficulties.  Since the brewery was flourishing one can only suppose that Hodson had over extended his personal expenditure, possibly on art.  He sold the hall to Thomas Adams, a Wolverhampton industrialist, who lived there until his death in 1939.

http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/listed/comptonhall.htm