GILLOWS OF LANCASTER & LONDON (1730-1903)

Regency mahogany bed steps by Gillows of Lancaster (c. 1810 England)

Regency mahogany bed steps by Gillows of Lancaster (England)

Item Stock Code

1997

Item Medium Description

Mahogany

Item Signed, Inscribed, Dated Details

"Gillows - Lancaster"

UK/USA Dimensions

21.00 inch wide 28.00 inch high 27.50 inch deep

European Converted Dimensions

53.34 cm wide 71.12 cm high 69.85 cm deep

Item Provenance & History

Private residence North Yorkshire

Item Literature

English, Regency, George III, circa 1810

Current Item Condition

Excellent. Possible minor old restorations, waxing. The leather step surfaces are replacements.

Item Description / Dealer Expertise

A fine Regency mahogany set of bed steps by Gillows of Lancaster. The steps are of rectangular form, with a three step design, each with a reeded edge, inset leather skiver stepping surface and paneled risers to the middle and top step. The top step lifts to reveal a large storage area and makers stamp “Gillows – Lancaster”, the second step also lifts and pulls forward to reveal a covered pot aperture. The steps have again paneled sides and are constructed of the finest dense Cuban mahogany; they stand on classic Gillows tapering turned and reeded legs.

Gillows of Lancaster were probably the most celebrated of all English furniture makers. They were established in the early 18th century, and pieces made by Gillows are very desirable and extremely sought after. Although designed for accessing a rather high early 19th century bed, they would more likely used today as library steps or in a drawing room.

GILLOWS OF LANCASTER & LONDON

Type	Artist/Maker
Country of origin	England
Started working	1730
Stopped working	1903

Furniture makers: In about 1695 Robert Gillow founded his firm in Lancaster. His son, Richard, was taken into partnership in 1757. The firm opened a London branch in Oxford Street about 1777.
Noble commissions came and in 1800, Richard Gillows took over a patent for an extending dining table which further enhanced the firm's reputation. The history of Gillows is exceptionally complete, as nearly all the order books and salesman's archives still exist. We know that the practice of stamping GILLOWS. LANCASTER started in around 1780 and continued until 1817, which might seem surprisingly early as the design seems to reflect the taste of the early Victorian era, yet it is twenty to thirty years ahead of its time.

Today, it is difficult to comprehend the range of Gillows' business at this time. They traded not only in finished furniture, but also in timber from the West Indies along with sugar and spirits from the same region. They undertook architectural joinery and fitted out entire buildings, providing wall papers, fixtures and fittings. Their salesmen toured the country with books of illustrations lavishly coloured to tempt buyers. Gilllows even pioneered 'flat-packing' in order to offer their clients a reduced price. There was no corner of the furniture trade they did not thoroughly exploit. Between 1780 and 1830, they were the furniture trade, leading in price, fashion and even work practices.

Price

gbp 4900.00 (Pound Sterling)

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More information /
Purchase this item

Please email or call +44 (0)1565 745012 for more information or to purchase this item.

Status

FOR SALE

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Millington Adams

Millington Adams
By Appointment
Knutsford
Cheshire
England

Open: Open by appointment and at fairs

Contacts:	Marcus Adams
Telephone:	+44 (0)1565 745012
Mobile:	+44 (0)7957 382381
Fax:	+44 (0)1565 745013
Website:	www.millingtonadams.com

We are members of:

BRITISH ANTIQUE DEALERS' ASSOCIATION

LAPADA - THE ASSOCIATION OF ART & ANTIQUES DEALERS

Established: 2002

We deal in:

18th- and early 19th-century (pre-1830) English formal furniture and clocks

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GILLOWS OF LANCASTER & LONDON (1730-1903)

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