Gillows of Lancaster & London Dining Room Tables

A very rare opportunity to own a good early antique early Victorian extending dining table by Gillows, of Lancaster, Circa 1840 in date. This amazing table has two leaves, which can be added or removed as required to suit the occasion. It has been hand-crafted from solid flame mahogany which has a beautiful grain and is raised on four substantail lobed reeded tapering legs which have been masterfully hand carved and terminate in brass castors. The underside of table bears the stamp of the world renowned cabinet maker and retailer 'Gillows Lancaster'. It measures just under 7ft in length by 3ft 6 inches wide, when fully extended, which makes it ideal for city appartments where space is at a premium. THE BOTANICAL NAME FOR THE MAHOGANY THIS ITEM IS MADE OF IS SWIETENIA MACROPHYLLA AND THIS TYPE OF MAHOGANY IS NOT SUBJECT TO CITES REGULATION. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 75 x Width 209 x Depth 104 - Fully Extended Height 75 x Width 121 x Depth 104 - With all leaves removed Dimensions in inches: Height 2 foot, 5 inches x Width 6 foot, 10 inches x Depth 3 foot, 5 inches - Fully Extended Height 2 foot, 5 inches x Width 4 feet x Depth 3 foot, 5 inches - With all leaves removed Robert Gillow (1704–1772) was an English furniture manufacturer. He joined with a family of traders called Sattersthwaite and sailed with them to the West Indies as a ships carpenter. In Jamaica he became interested in mahogany and brought samples of the wood back to Lancaster in 1720. This may have been the first mahogany to be imported to England. He founded the luxury furniture and furnishings firm Gillow of Lancashire in 1730. During the 1730s he began to exploit the lucrative West Indies trade exporting mahogany furniture and importing rum and sugar, in addition to fitting out ships cabins and doing finishing work in construction. The firm rapidly established a reputation for supplying high quality furniture and furnishings to the richest families in the country. They also had a London workshop in Thames Street. In 1764 a permanent London branch of Gillow's was established at 176 Oxford Road, now Oxford Street, by Robert's son, Thomas Robert Gillow, and William Taylor. As well as working in solid mahogany, Gillows made veneered and painted furniture, and often used japanning to imitate inlay. As textiles came down in price, the firm moved into upholstery – staying ahead of the game in 1785 when it sent an upholsterer from London to work in the Lancaster factory. Gillows can be credited with many innovations. In the mid-1760s initiated and exploited the craze for billiard tables and produced a ladies’ version, the trou-madame. He invented the extending dining table – including, in 1800, the telescopic version, the “Patent Imperial.” The firm was inventive in adapting designs to customer’s requirements – 1795 saw a round library table with a revolving top. It fitted secrétaires with movable drawers and partitions, like early filing cabinets, and it even made a bureau bedstead that served as a desk but pulled out to a bed. The social or “gentleman’s” table, horseshoe-shaped with japanned ice buckets...

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This is a important and rare Queen Anne revival walnut jupe action dining table by Gillows, dating from the late 19th century. The amazing table features a shaped circular crossbanded top with a moulded edge, the six triangular segments rotating and expanding to accomodate two sizes of leaves. This means that the table can be set to three different sizes as required to suit the occasion. The shaped top and frieze is raised on shell-carved cabriole legs terminating in pad feet. The table is stamped GILLOWS twice and bears the serial no. 96643. The two sizes of white metal capped set of six large leaf inserts, and six small leaf inserts come complete with a leaf carrier chest . The table seats four with all leaves removed, six with the small inserts and eight with the large inserts. This fascinating table illustrates all the very best elements of English cabinet-making combined with the remarkable burst of inventiveness of the Industrial Revolution. It was not until John Johnstone and Robert Jupe patented their ingenious design in March 1835 for an expanding round table...

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