Shortland Smiths SB Wall Barometer & Thermometer
c. 1930s–1940s (gifted 22 November 1947)
A c.1930s–1940s British wall-mounted aneroid barometer and Fahrenheit thermometer combination, manufactured by Shortland Brothers (Shortland Smiths) in their distinctive Art Deco oak case with chrome-bezelled square barometer dial. The instrument carries a dedication plaque gifted from Saltash United F.C. to A.R. Wellington on 22 November 1947 — one of the very first seasons of the reformed Cornwall football club.
This wall-mounted combination weather station consists of two instruments mounted on a single dark oak panel in a stepped, chamfered Art Deco style typical of British domestic instrument-making in the 1930s and 1940s. The upper section holds a Fahrenheit spirit thermometer mounted on a white ceramic/enamel face, with a scale running from 20°F to 120°F and annotated reference points characteristic of the Victorian and Edwardian tradition that continued well into the mid-20th century: Freezing (~32°F), Temperate (~60°F), Summer Heat (~80°F), and Blood Heat (~98°F). The thermometer face is marked "Made in England" and shows an oxidised brass U-clamp mount at the base, consistent with its age.
The lower section houses a square-format aneroid barometer in a polished chrome bezel, with a cream-coloured dial bearing a dual-hand mechanism — a black hand for rising pressure (read the black weather forecast around the dial) and a silver indicator hand for falling pressure (read the red forecast). The pressure scale runs from 28 to 31 inches of mercury. Weather descriptors are printed around the full perimeter, ranging from Stormy / Heavy Rain at the low end, through Change / Continuous Rain, to Fair, Fine, and Very Dry at the high end. The dial is marked "Made in England" and "British Pat. Applied For", and prominently bears the SB winged badge — the trademark of Shortland Brothers, a British instrument manufacturer whose products are also branded "Shortland Smiths British Instruments". The Art Deco square oak case with chamfered corners matches instrument styles listed in the SB-Smith catalogue of c.1934.
The most remarkable feature of this instrument is a small brass dedication plaque fixed between the thermometer and barometer panels, which reads: "From Saltash United F.C. / To / A.R. Wellington / 22 Nov: 1947." Saltash United Football Club was reformed in 1946 after disbanding during the Second World War, playing their first reformed season in the Cornwall Senior League Eastern Section in 1946–47. The plaque therefore dates from the club's second active season, making this instrument a very early piece of the club's revived history. A.R. Wellington was most likely a founding committee member, club secretary, or patron of the reformed club, with such presentation instruments being a common form of recognition in British football administration of the era. No further public record of this individual has been located.
The instrument was acquired locally in Plymouth in early 2026 from a private seller.
Significance
Aneroid barometers like this one were, for much of the 20th century, the primary means by which ordinary households, farmers, gardeners, and sailors monitored weather changes without professional equipment. The Shortland Smiths instruments were among the most widely owned British domestic barometers, combining scientific function with fine craftsmanship in a form designed to hang in the home as both instrument and decoration. Beyond its meteorological role, this particular piece carries social history: a football club — reconstituted from the rubble of the Second World War in 1946 — chose to honour an individual with a precision instrument as a mark of gratitude, at a time when such objects were prized for both their utility and their status. It is a small but vivid window into post-war community life in Cornwall.