Kidderminster born Walter William Law and his life in the USA
Walter William Law was born in Kidderminster in late 1837 to carpet and yarn dealer John Law and his wife Elizabeth (Bird).
Aged 22 he emigrated to New York in 1860 and established an extremely successful career with W & J Sloane of New York in the carpet and furnishing trade.
Of particular interest to Kidderminster folk is that Walter Law clad the walls of his extensive library in his house at Briarcliff Manor north of New York with oak panelling derived from the town. Initially it was thought that the panelling was obtained from the Old Meeting chapel that was demolished in 1884 but it now seems much more likely that the timber came from St Mary's Church.
For a more detailed account of the panelling and the life of this man go to: