The Victorian Taxidermist, Hutchings of Aberystwyth started business as Taxidermist & Naturalists around 1866.

Hutchings of Aberystwyth produced very attractive cases of mammals and birds which still appeal to collectors today and the cases are snapped up when they come to auction because they are attractive, of high quality, and generally affordable.

The cases of Victorian Taxidermist, Hutchings of Aberystwyth are instantly recognisable.

The cases have rounded edges and four block feet. The painted internal backgrounds are blue changing to yellow and red, reflecting imagined and picturesque sunsets as a backdrop to the habitats of the mammals and birds encased in Hutchings’ tableaux of the English countryside. A typical “ambush” pose is often seen in Hutchings’ work.

These cases set the style for Hutchings’ work and did not vary throughout the entire firm’s existence.

Hutchings of Aberystwyth’s work is of a very high standard, and their cases are often seen in museums.

The Victorian Taxidermist, James Hutchings, was born in Tiverton, Devon in 1843 and died in Aberystwyth in 1929 aged 86yrs, and sadly just two weeks after the death of his wife.

Early in his career he worked as a gardener near to Aberystwyth in the North of Wales. He married Rhoda Stevens, in 1866 and had six children.

As a Naturalist, Taxidermist and Gunmaker James Hutchings was always present at the big shoots in Britain and had a talent for shooting, winning competitions and prize money for it. His connection to shooting and guns is reflected on one of the later versions of his label where we see him described as “Naturalist & Gunmaker”.

Hutchings of Aberystwyth counted many clients from the British Gentry amongst his customers including Lord Londonderry, The Marquis of Angelsey, Lord Penrhyn and Lord Powys of Cardiganshire as well as the gentlemen of Scotland and Ireland. James Hutchings talent was also demanded outside of Britain, and he had customers from all over the world from as far away as Egypt, New York, Australia and India.

James Hutchings had always been interested in Taxidermy and practised it as a hobby before opening his shop at 7 King Street, Aberystwyth around 1866 after his marriage. (He appears on the census from 1871, but not before).

Around 1892 he moved his business to 9 Bridge Street, Aberystwyth. After James Hutchings Senior’s death in 1929 the business was continued by his family up until 1942.

James Hutchings started preserving animals in the 1860’s at the age of 17yrs and later turned his passion into a thriving family business with three sons and one daughter, joining him in the trade. It is said (Frost 1987) that his son, Fred, went to be an apprentice at E.F. Spicer in Birmingham and later became the foreman there.

Two interesting advertisements throw light on the focus and the work of Hutchings.

Dating and Labels

It can be difficult to date the work of James Hutchings of Aberystwyth because he rarely labelled his work.

Census records show the tenure of Hutchings at both King Street and Bridge Street during two specific time periods.

1871-1891 7 King St, Aberystwyth

1901 – 1942 9 Bridge St, Aberystwyth

Hutchings cases are not scarce and are easily found in today’s market. They are characterised by the countryside mammals and birds which were abundant in Britain before the mid-20^th century – polecats, foxes, otters, swans, eagles included.

(see next post: The Richard Pratley Collection)

Hutchings mounts are thought to have been secretly protected by bags of camphor hidden under the rocks in the groundwork and maybe this is why many still survive.

It’s possible that the reason we also see a lot of a Badger and Fox heads on wooden shields today (especially by Peter Spicer, and Rowland Ward) is partly due to war-time where the skins were very useful to make coats and fur wraps and the heads were not useful in that respect, so ended up on these wooden shields.