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Puppet master's work showcased in new exhibition

National Puppetry Archive A black and white photograph of a man with three marionettes suspended by string. He is supporting one of them with his hand.National Puppetry Archive
All of Waldo Lanchester's marionettes were hand-carved from wood

A new exhibition will showcase the work of a man described by George Bernard Shaw as "the chief living puppet master".

Waldo Lanchester was well known for work with the Lanchester Marionettes, and once performed for the future Queen Elizabeth II when she was a child.

Lanchester's contribution to the world of puppetry will be celebrated with an exhibition at Bantock House Museum in Wolverhampton, beginning this weekend.

He was "puppetry royalty", according to Michael Dixon, chair of the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild, and curator of the show.

In 1927 Lanchester, who died aged 81 in 1978, formed his first company, the London Marionette Theatre, with H.W. Whanslaw, founder of the guild, and created the first puppets ever to be broadcast on television.

National Puppetry Archive A black and white photo of a large group of schoolchildren in front of a building with a banner attached reading "Marionetter theatre now open". A bus is parked outside the building, behind the children.National Puppetry Archive
Foley House in Malvern was the home of the Lanchester Marionettes

Lanchester then moved to Malvern, Worcestershire and, in 1936, founded the Lanchester Marionette Theatre with his wife Muriel from their home at Foley House.

"Puppetry had sort of died off at the turn of the century, and in the late 1920s, early 1930s, there was a renaissance," said Mr Dixon.

"And Waldo Lanchester was at the forefront of that."

National Puppetry Archive A black and white photograph of puppets on a stage, suspended by string. There are two men, one with a long-barrelled gun, a boy and a wolf.National Puppetry Archive
Peter and the Wolf was among the shows performed by the Lanchester Marionettes

In 1938, the Lanchesters performed for King George VI and his daughters - the future Queen, Elizabeth, and her sister Margaret.

And George Bernard Shaw wrote his final play, Shakes versus Shav, for the Lanchester Marionettes to perform at the Malvern Festival, in 1949.

The Lanchesters later retired to Straford-upon-Avon, where they opened a puppet centre opposite Shakespeare's birthplace.

The exhibition at Bantock House will feature a range of marionettes, all hand-carved from wood, from the beginning to the end of the Lanchesters' puppetry career.

National Puppetry Archive A colour photograph of puppets in an underwater scene. There is a mermaid and a green humanoid creature riding a swordfish.National Puppetry Archive
Many of Waldo Lanchester's puppets will be on display at the exhibition

"Obviously he's not very well-known these days, he's not world-famous or anything like that," said Mr Dixon.

"We're really proud to be showcasing his work and showing the quality of his work to a different generation."

National Puppetry Archive A black and white photograph showing a man and a woman sitting either side of an old-fashioned marionette puppet with strings attached.National Puppetry Archive
Waldo and Muriel Lanchester founded the Lanchester Marionettes in 1936

The Lancester Marionettes exhibition runs at Bantock House Museum in Wolverhampton between 11 January and 30 April.

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