J. COLLINSON AND SONS
The firm of J (Jervis) Collinson has always been a small family concern with only a few workers, mostly family members, and has remained in the city of Liverpool. The name Jervis is part of the family tradition handed down from father to son, hence the continuance of the name of the firm, J. Collinson. From 1836 to 1850 their horses were painted in different colours however in 1851 Queen Victoria visited the Collinson's workshop and rode a dapple-grey horse. Since then, in honour of the royal visit they have only made dapple grey horses.
Sometime during the 1890s Jervis Drinkall Collinson Senior started work in the factory where he carried on business until his death in 1945. Circa 1912 Jervis Drinkall Junior was born and by the late 1920s he was working alongside his father in the factory at Richmond Terrace, Liverpool. Both men produced the glass-eyed, hand-dappled horses with attention to carved detail along the lines of the 'extra carved' finish of other manufacturers of quality rocking horses. Glass eyes were replaced by wooden balls after the Second World War. Despite the general acceptance of riding astride for women by the 1920s, larger Collinson horses continued to be made with sidesaddle equipage until as late as the early 1950s.
The present proprietor of the firm, Jervis James, was born in 1935, the year the factory workshop was relocated at Great Georges Road and the period from the mid 1930s to the mid 1940s was perhaps the most difficult for the firm, For the most part Jervis James father was occupied in the British Aircraft Services leaving grandfather Jervis to manage on his own until production ceased entirely for a few years during the Second World War. Production began again in the late 1940s under Jervis James' father and Jervis joined him in the factory in 1950 at the age of 15. His younger brother Leonard joined the firm in the late 1950s.
Earlier this century Collinson's supplied the London stores, Harrods and Hamleys and sometime later an agent, Johnson, handled distribution of the horses from Nottingham. They became misleadingly known as 'Johnson rocking horses'. The factory workshop was until 1993 located at Smithdown Road where thousands of Collinson rocking horses were produced since 1965. The horses were never marked until about 1981 when the maker's name on a gold plate was first applied to the front of the stand base. The factory finally closed their doors in the latter part of 1993 due to lack of demand for these toys.
Here are a couple of photos of my fine old horse! He and I were born the same year. He was a Christmas present for my first Christmas at the ripe old age of 6 months, when I could barely sit, let alone ride a horse! He came from Horrids and cost £100! What a vast amount of money - goodness knows how much that would be in today's money.
He was given to me by an 'aunt' who was in fact a friend of my parents - an ageing spinster, very '40s in her way of dressing, make-up and hairstyle and had a passion for Pekinese dogs (which I love to this day!).
Although he cost a lot, he is still very much 'part of the family' - apart from myself who 'rode' thousands of miles on him, my daughter and my son also went off on many adventure astride this animal with his flaring nostrils, and even now they, and I, still go off on a gentle trot!
He is getting rather old and tatty, like his owner! The reins and stirrups have long gone, the mane and tail have been trimmed over the years and his dapple grey colour has become a dapple yellow. The paint is now flaking fast but I am loathe to have him restored as I fear he might end up looking too new. Looking for some information on him, it would appear that he was made by a company called Collinson who still make rocking horses and do restore 'antique' beasts. Below is a photo of a horse similar to mine who has been restored.
The old boy had a number of names but none ever stuck - the name he kept the longest was Santa as he came at Christmas and also because the same year as I was offered my rocking horse, my father gave my mother a real dapple grey for Christmas called ... Santa!
My 'aunt' would be delighted to see that her present of so many years ago, is still alive and well and living in Switzerland.
