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LAYTON ROAD BRENTFORD |
His wish to have a museum created from his
vast collection of antiquities, books prints and maps
named after him may not have come entirely to pass, but
he has been honoured in a Brentford road name.
Layton lived on Kew Bridge Road from the of six until he
died aged 92 in 1911, having descended from a long line
of Kew watermen and lightermen. Layton began work in the
coal business, alongside his father who was a coal merchant,
but he was also heavily involved in local affairs. At 21 he
was the warden of St George's Church and later became a
member of the Board of Guardians, the Burial Board and
Brentford's Local Board. When this later became the Brentford
Urban District Council Layton was its first chairman. Layton
married late in life at the age of 53 and when his wife died
16 years later he took up an eccentric lifestyle by sleeping
during the day and eating lunch at midnight. He was one of
the Victorians' most prolific collectors of antiquities, with
a collection so large that it filled 30 sheds in his garden.
In his will he left £1,000 for a peal of bells at St George's
Church and his money also paid for the belfry to be added onto
the tower. He left his house and most of his collection, along
with £20,000 to a body of three trustees with a request to set
up a Layton's museum for the benefit of those students
interested in antiquarian and scientific research. However the
house was not considered suitable for a museum-and Layton's
wife's nephew also had a life interest in it - so the matter
was deferred to the Court of Chancery. As a result Layton's
collection was sent to Brentford library. In 1963 the artefacts
were taken to the London Museum, although some were relocated
to Gunnersbury Park Museum. A large selection of his books,
prints and maps are now kept at Hounslow library after
spending many years in the damp cellars of St George's Church
and then Chiswick Town hall.
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