Goldsmith and public relations expert Joyce Lowe, who has died aged 99, was the first and only lady member of the Chester Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths since it was founded in the 14th century.
Leading a life with two distinct phases, she was a businesswoman and then ‘right hand’ to the founder of Aiglon College, the renowned international boarding school in Villars, Switzerland.
Born into a long line of family goldsmiths and silversmiths, whose business was established in Chester in 1770, she spent more than 20 years alongside her younger brother John Ffoulkes Lowe, an acknowledged authority on antique silver, promoting the firm’s ethos of integrity allied with superb craftsmanship and the mark of personal service to its customers.
All clients, whether they were royalty, celebrity or not, were treated with the greatest respect and care and over nearly 150 years Lowe’s client list reads like a potted version of Who’s Who.
One of the most famous stories connected with their work for the Royal Family concerns the Queen who, just after she was married, asked for her wedding present from Cheshire to be removed from the display of all her wedding gifts in London, since she wished to put it to good use straight away.
Lowe’s had managed to find for her a beautiful collection of Georgian silver, including four tureens, a large two-handled tray by Paul Storr, entrée dishes and two sets of sauce boats.
Prime Minister Gladstone, Winston Churchill and even Pope Paul were recipients of Lowe silver, the latter being a hand-made silver bowl commissioned for Pope Paul by the Bishop of New York.
Closer to the Lowe roots was a long and happy association with the Dukes of Westminster and Grosvenor family beginning for Lowe & Sons in the 1850s.
One of Joyce Lowe’s childhood memories was being treated at Eaton Hall for a ‘private family day out’ in the Duke’s personal steam train around his estate.
A small perfectly kept branch station was situated in the grounds with open carriages in summer and covered ones in winter which would take the Duke’s shooting parties out to various parts of the estate.
Discretion, confidentiality and loyalty were all attributes that Lowe’s shared with their clients, with some famous families connected and intimately bound to Chester over nearly 250 years valuing this service.
During this time Joyce would not have known that in her next career in Switzerland and further afield just how essential these ‘Lowe’ lessons, by osmosis were to prove.
Working in the family firm, however, was not Joyce’s first choice of career. School at Queen’s, Chester, she initially planned to be a professional musician, since she had considerable talent as a pianist.
She had a place at Trinity College of Music in London, where she held the distinction of being a local exhibitioner at the age of 14; however, owing to the sudden death of her father, George Ffoulkes Lowe, she was ‘drummed into the family firm’ instead.
Joyce was, by then, a highly trained secretary-interpreter speaking fluent French, German and good Spanish.
The years during the Second World War for the Lowe family business were tough and busy. Many people, believing that the UK monetary system might collapse, were looking for tangible investments and Lowe’s tried to provide these – although at great cost to their business.
There was, in effect, during those war years a 100% Excess Profits Tax. This resulted in many silversmiths and jewellers shutting down for the duration, rather than face a potentially crippling tax.
True to the family’s character, the Lowes decided that a loyal clientele, built up over many decades, should not be let down. With both her brothers serving their country (John in the Air Sea Rescue Service and George in the Cheshire Yeomanry) it was up to Joyce to almost single-handedly keep the firm alive – multi-tasking in every way from general dogsbody to diamond expert.
Buying good jewellery and silver whenever the opportunity came up, Joyce ventured in true war spirit out on ‘blacked-out trains and un-sign-posted roads’.
On the return of brother John, she was able to take a two-year break from a hugely stressful time and assess her future life path. Her decision to move to Switzerland was to prove to have the most fundamentally positive effect on her physical and mental health.
A committed advocate of homeopathic remedies, she took counsel from the revered Dr Gordon Latto and later Jan de Vries. One of her closest advisors and friends was Dr Doris Odlum, who was instrumental in setting up The Samaritans.
In 1958 Joyce joined Aiglon College in the French Alps in Switzerland. From ‘right hand’ to the founder John Corlette, she spent 20 years at his side helping him, alongside a devoted and highly talented staff, to develop and promote a small Anglo-American school of, initially 46 boys into a truly international ‘home from home’ for more than 350 boys and girls from over 50 countries (with 15 different religions).
Given her aptitude for cultivating positive ‘vibes’ in people, Joyce was often dispatched worldwide to spread the Aiglon message and, after becoming vice-chairman of the board of governors, she was honoured with the highest award Aiglon could give: The Eagle Association Key Award in 2012 presented to her by former student Louis Snyder, who himself is now a governor and trustee of Aiglon and, as CEO of American Corps in USA recalls Joyce with the fondest of memories.
Turning the clock back to the 1970s, in Chester, the Lowe ship was being steered once more by Joyce’s bachelor brother John, keen oarsman and supporter of Chester’s famous racing community (Lowe’s, for many years, provided the Chester Cup for the races).
Tragically John died aged 52 in 1972. Fortunately for the Lowe family, in place as general manager for over ten years was trusted and talented Graham Thomas. With Joyce now at the helm, although in Switzerland, Lowe’s prevailed with Graham making many a visit to the Alps, picnicking up the mountain while discussing Chester silver business.
Even with this international travel and living in Switzerland Joyce retained a deep commitment to Chester. Chester Cathedral was a special place for the Lowe family and in 1984, Joyce and her brother George, then a full time army Colonel in the Royal Signals, commissioned a new pair of mace for the Cathedral. This was done in remembrance of their brother John Lowe and marked with both the JL of Joyce Lowe and JL for John Lowe silver marks.
Joyce would never retire completely, but after snow and ice for more than 30 years, Bournemouth became her last ‘outpost’. Fundraising for at least ten charities, the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and two churches in particular, inventing her Hidden Treasures Fund – where she asked people to give whatever they found they did not want or had forgotten about - thousands of pounds were raised by selling at auction through House & Son of Bournemouth who agreed 100% proceeds to charity.
Returning to her dearest love - music, Joyce produced several CDs of Palm Court music with her on piano.
A thanksgiving service will take place at Richmond Hill, St Andrew’s United Reformed Church in Bournemouth at 3pm on Friday, January 22 with a memorial service at Aiglon College, Villars, Switzerland, on Sunday, February 7.
