Margaret Pilkington, OBE, philanthropist, wood engraver, Honorary Director of Whitworth Art Gallery and the first female President of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society was born in Pendleton, near Manchester in 1891. As a talented artist, she enjoyed a varied professional life, but it was her philanthropic contribution to the socially underprivileged and her patronage of the arts for which she is remembered.
She was the elder daughter of Lawrence and Mollie Pilkington of the renowned Pilkington glass and tile companies. Margaret also had a little sister, Dorothy to whom she was very close to throughout her life, especially as neither married. Both sisters were sent to the private Croham Hurst School in South Croydon, where Margaret showed a great talent and love for art. She pursued this route from 1911 until 1913 at Manchester College of Art, studying drawing and painting under Adolphe Valette.
Defying the social conventions of her background and her parents’ wishes, she was determined to follow her own path and passions and in 1913 enrolled at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. She began studying wood engraving at the Central School of Arts and Crafts under the tutorship of Noel Rooke. Whilst at the school, she became good friends with Lucien Pissarro (son of the Impressionist painter, Camille) whose work greatly influenced hers. His family ran the Eragny Press from their home in Hammersmith, publishing limited edition fine illustrated books. Margaret also occasionally acted as a studio assistant there. Sadly however, her student days were cut short due to the declaration of World War I.
It was during this time of trauma and upheaval that Margaret felt her priorities lay in helping others rather than solely pursuing her artistic ambitions. She volunteered with the Manchester Branch of the Soldiers and Sailors Welfare Association, distributed meals and organised art classes at the Ancoats Girls Club. In 1915, she joined the organising committee of the Girl’s Institute in Mill Street, also in Ancoats.
These commitments quickly took up her time and along with an expanding social conscience, she took on numerous challenges to help the less fortunate. She also continued to draw and make prints alongside this.
In 1915, she bought a second-hand Albion Press, which she set up in a room over her parents’ garage at the house they were living in, in Alderley Edge. In less than a year, she was sending examples of her work to Rooke and Pissarro and completed designs for a set of nursery tiles at the Pilkington family firm.
By 1920, Margaret had exhibited with the newly founded Society of Wood Engravers and went on to become their Honorary Secretary in 1924. She later served as the chairwoman. Campbell Dodgson, Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, praised her passion for wood engraving in the introduction to his book Contemporary English Woodcuts.
Margaret had a lifelong admiration for William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement which led her to create an exhibition in Houldsworth Hall named, The Red Rose Guild of Arts and Crafts. This then led to the foundation of the Red Rose Guild of Artworkers in 1921.
She arranged exhibitions of the members’ work after World War II at The Whitworth Institute. She was also a highly productive artist and produced some 110 wood engravings, 41 of which appeared in four books; three of her father’s including An Alpine Valley and Other Poems and a collection of essays by her friend, Katharine Chorley named Hills and Highways.
However, it was in 1925 when she was invited to join the council of The Whitworth Institute when her leadership within the arts began. By the mid-1930s as the now Whitworth Art Gallery Honorary Director, she was running the galleries, organising exhibitions and founded Friends of the Whitworth. Furthermore, her views on museums and access to the arts were pioneering; she believed that institutions like the Whitworth Art Gallery should concentrate on the opinions and experiences of the visitors, especially with providing access for the underprivileged and youth. It is recorded that her deep regret was that art was perceived as the privilege of the rich.
She added many donations to the gallery collections including some of her own work and financed acquisitions of important artwork by other artists. WWII brought many other challenges including, evacuating important works to the National Library of Wales.
Margaret and Dorothy also suffered the loss of both of their parents in 1941-2. The sisters purchased Alderley Woods in 1943 as a lasting legacy in memory of their parents, which they presented to the National Trust. Their generosity and love of art also led them to endow the Pilkington Chair in Art History at the University of Manchester in 1958.
Margaret’s many achievements have been recognised locally and nationally. She was awarded an Honorary MA from the University of Manchester in 1942 and became a Justice of the Peace for Manchester from 1945. Friends of the Whitworth commissioned Margaret’s portrait from Sir Stanley Spencer in 1953 and in 1956 she was awarded an OBE. She was the first woman to be President of the Manchester Luncheon Club (1963–4) and the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society (1964–66). She died in 1974 after a long and productive life. The Margaret Pilkington archive is now held at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library.
Margaret Pilkington’s importance lies in her dedication to improving opportunities particularly for girls and marginalised groups. Throughout her life, she worked tirelessly to implement programmes that encouraged progress. Her efforts not only transformed the art world but also inspired a move towards more inclusive educational practices which we continue to benefit from in Manchester and beyond.
Photograph of Margaret Pilkington courtesy of John Rylands Library