Silk Patchwork For Hammerfield House

An extraordinary double sided Aesthetic Movement period silk patchwork by Ann Elizabeth Nasmyth (1817-1893).

The most beautiful ranges of fabrics and threads are displayed throughout, such materials would have only been accessible to a woman of her stature at that time. Various pieces of Ann's works and studies can be found in the National Galleries of Scotland.

Ann signed this patchwork in 1886 when she was aged 69 years old, she again signed it to the reverse 'Hammerfield' which relates to a large house in Sevenoaks, Kent where she lived with her husband James Nasmyth from the year 1857. Upon purchasing they employed well known architect George Devey to extend the house (see personal website for more images). 

Her works were focused mainly on botanical and plant life, she was said to spend much of her time in the garden and conservatory. "Nasmyth describes this very considerable house as his “cottage in Kent”. The very fact that he put a 120 foot conservatory on it (“my wife likes flowers”) belies this and demonstrates that world class Victorian engineers thought big!

Ann and James met by chance when James was visiting her father's 'Henry Hartop' furnaces near Attercliffe, Sheffield in 1838. The following day the pair were betrothed to marry and did two years later at Wentworth in Rotherham.

The couple would often travel together across England and internationally for James's work, sharing their love for the arts and were married for 50 years.

James Nasmyth- the celebrated engineer, artist, inventor and astronomer is most famous for inventing the steam-hammer, specifically at the time for components for the SS Great Britain that was being built and designed by Isambard Brunel in circa 1840.

James focused on astronomy in his retirement years and produced some specialist findings pre-photography, he went on to produce plaster relief models of his visual observations of the moon from his own-built 20 inch reflecting telescope. A crater on the moon is named after him.

References:

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/anne-nasmyth#:~:text=Scottish,at%20their%20house%20in%20Kent.

https://hemingfieldcolliery.org/2025/11/18/facing-the-past-john-hartop/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nasmyth

https://www.penshurstlivingarchive.org.uk/content/places/houses/hammerfield