Royal House Antiques

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely vintage hand made in England Mahogany framed green Velour Chesterfield tufted footstool Please ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original Gothic Revival circa 1900 English oak Throne armchair with steeple back Please note...

Royal House Antiques Royal House antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning pair of circa 1920's Chinese Export hand painted and lacquered nightstands or side ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this exceptionally rare Emile Galle signed occasional table with sample wood top depicting a Rooster and a q...

Royal House Antiques We are delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning circa 1920's Chinese Export hand painted and lacquered Cheval mirror which is part of a suite Plea...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely pair of hand made in Paris France, Leon Jallot, Art Nouveau brown leather barrel back tub armcha...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning fully restored pair of 1950’s hand dyed Cigar brown leather English oak Robert Mouseman Thompson armchairs Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price If your looking at this listing then the chances are you know exactly what these chairs are. They are early mid century examples circa 1940-1950, made with every bit of style charm and charisma we’ve all come to love and admire from the Mouseman workshop They are very good looking well made and comfortable armchairs, the leather is thick saddle hide upholstery which has been washed back and hand dyed this glorious cigar brown colour which is exclusive to my leather polishers, the frame is solid oak and has been traditionally French polished The sale includes the original seat cushions and two new Chesterfield cushions...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely suite of six original Gothic revival English oak Victorian dining chairs circa 1880 Please note...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare and important pair of lightly restored C Hindley & Son’s Parlor chairs circa 1845 with period...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original Egyptian Gran Tour Thebes Karnak gold framed copper plate print 2nd ed. (Paris, 1829,...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original French Gran Tour D'APRES JACQUES-MARIE LE PERE Elevations of Two Sides of the Obelisk...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning highly collectable Antique Italian oak Media or Drinks cabinet with hand painted Coat of Arms ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely large, tall four drawer flamed mahogany filing cabinet with green leather top Please note the d...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning pair of custom made to order, Ralph Lauren Jamaica II, fully restored, hand dyed brown leather...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare original circa 1900 French Brass ornately crafted bedstead frame in exquisite condition throu...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely vintage 1965 Madonna & Child Oil painting by R Russell with a nice hand written letter and displ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare original circa 1900 French Brass ornately crafted Nightstand with glass panels Please note ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this exquisite original circa 1925 Antique Brass Gimbal Ships Master Sui...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this exquisite original circa 1925 Antique Brass Gimbal Train Carriage w...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely vintage Circa 1960's Italian Urn shaped marble table lamp A very good looking well made and dec...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely vintage Circa 1960's Made in Italy stamped table lamp in Marble with Brass Lions hairy paw feet ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very unique and highly collectable Antique circa 1880 Anglo Indian Camphor wood Military Campaign Chest...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely exquisite, Regency style Henkel-Harris Winchester Virginia, large round dining or centre tab...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely Antique Victorian Circa 1880 Mahogany Revolving Snooker cue stand with 18 cues some stamped Sir ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original fully restored hand dyed deep Brown leather Art Deco Circa 1920-1930's club armchair ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale lovely hand carved 18th century wall Surmount Circa 1700-1720 depicting Recumbent Regal Lions with a large w...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale lovely hand carved 17th century wall Surmount Circa 1640-1680 depicting winged Cherub Angels holding flowers...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely pair of vintage Limed Oak open Library bookcases with height adjustable shelves and French Napol...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely 1 of 2 large hand made in Paris France, Leon Jallot Art Nouveau, Burr Walnut & Oak bookcase cupb...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely 1 of 2 large hand made in Paris France, Leon Jallot Art Nouveau, Burr Walnut & Oak bookcase cupb...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this exquisite vintage fully restored hand dyed cigar brown leather Collin & Hayes armchair and matching ott...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning hand made in England vintage Bevan Funnell RRP £3799 Chesterfield Directors captains armchair ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely Burr & Burl Yew wood small bank or chest of drawers made in the Georgian taste Please note the...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely large, two drawer Burr Walnut Brights of Nettlebed filing cabinet Please note the delivery fee ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this sublime Vintage hand made in England Burr Walnut chest of drawers with Butlers extending top Please no...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely Burr & Burl yew wood bedside, side table sized chests of drawers Please note the delivery fee l...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this super rare and highly collectable, R Wolff, Les Jeux Automatiques, hand made in Paris France football table...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original Arts & Crafts Shapland & Petter Hall stand with hand hammered Copper panels over a Walnut frame with inset sheild mirror Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price A very good looking well made and decorative hat glove coat and scarf rack, this one is rare as it has the central mirror and its an earlier than usual example circa 1900 Made by Shapland & Petter, a full blub on their life and works can be found below In terms of the condition it is straight and solid, the piece sits well in any setting and looks decorative and very English country house, we have cleaned waxed and polished the timber, there is one hook slightly bent, otherwise its in fine order Dimensions Height:- 205cm Width:- 113cm Depth:- 40cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask Shapland and Petter of Barnstaple Introduction This Barnstaple based company manufactured some of the finest pieces of furniture in Arts and Crafts style but very little has been written about the company or the pieces they produced. It a great shame that whilst Shapland and Petter pieces have been illustrated in books and auction catalogues they are invariably attributed to other makers such as Liberty and Co in London or Wylie and Lochhead in Glasgow. With this feature, we intend to inspire a more thorough appreciation of the work of the company; readers are invited to help with the task by sending photographs and information. Collectors and auction houses are now showing significantly more interest in Shapland and Petter pieces. The company, based in Barnstaple, England produced a very wide range of furniture in several different styles including many pieces in period reproduction and municipal style for town halls and commercial premises alongside their superb Arts and Crafts range Distinctive features of their superb Arts and Crafts style are the use of heart shaped piercing, geometric shapes with angled arches and the application of repousse copper panels. Decoration with marquetry, metal inlay, mounting of ceramic and enamel cabochons were techniques which they mastered with a combination of state of the art technology and traditional craftsmanship. Most distinctively, the pieces were extremely well made, with care and very best quality materials The growing interest in Shapland and Petter has raised many questions about the origins of the firm, and the sources of influence on their designs, some of which resemble designs by Ashbee, Ballie Scott, Voysey and Talwin Morris. Links have been assumed with Liberty and Co with the supposition Shapland and Petter worked on commissions for Liberty. There appears to be little evidence to support many of the assumptions which have developed around the company and this article is intended to help to start the discussion and to stimulate research The History of Shapland and Petter The Museum of North Devon in Barnstaple have an archive of Shapland and Petter which includes some company records and a small display of furniture and related items. The following text gives history of the company and is reproduced from the display boards in the museum with kind permission of North Devon Museums For over 100 years the Shapland and Petter factory has stood at the end of Barnstaple Long Bridge. Manufacturers of doors, door sets, and custom wood interiors, NT Shapland and Petter Ltd are still one of the towns largest employers. The company was established by Henry Shapland (b. 1823), a cabinet maker by trade. He embarked on a voyage to America in 1848, where he was inspired by an invention for a wave-moulding machine. He was only allowed to see it if he left the country immediately. Returning home with only rough notes, he reproduced the machine and in 1854 began a cabinet making business in one room at the Raleigh woolen mill in Pilton. Later the firm moved to Bear Street in Barnstaple. Henry Petter was an accountant who entered into partnership with Mr Shapland. The business progressed and in 1864 they bought the Raleigh Factory where Shapland first began his work. Success was rapid, but in 1888 the building burnt down. Immediately work began on a bigger and better factory - their present site by the Long Bridge - which included many modern inventions The two Henrys died within two years of each other - Petter in 1907 and Shapland in 1909. In 1924 Shapland and Petter merged with the Barnstaple Cabinet Company, producing North Devon's biggest industry. During the First World War Shapland and Petter's skilled craftsmen turned their hands to wooden propellers for the aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps. After the war, public tastes changed, and hand carved furniture was too expensive for many. Shapland and Petter's output now included elegant veneered pieces with smooth Art Deco lines. The company fitted out Pullman carriages and ocean liners and made hand-carved church furniture. The famous England Rugby Captain W. W. Wakefield was appointed Company Director in 1927. Throughout the depression of the late 1920's and early 1930's the company still managed to produce high quality work Furniture manufacturing continued until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Many workers left to fight, while the factory worked on Air Ministry contracts for ammunition boxes. After the war came radio cabinets and laboratory and contract furniture, until eventually large quantities of doors were being produced for hospitals, hotels, schools, offices and other buildings. Examples of Shapland and Petter's work can be seen all over North Devon. In Barnstaple, the shop front at 109 High Street is a good example, and the interior of the old Lloyd's Bank, now Chamber's Brasserie, was also Shapland's work. Examples of carving by Shapland's men can be seen in two chairs and a reading desk in Barnstaple Parish Church As cabinet makers, Shapland and Petter employed up to 350 people at a time. There were designers, carvers, cabinet makers, machinists, polishers, and labourers. The company was one of the first to install American labour-saving devices and was keen to adopt the most up-to-date machinery The fire of 1888 at the Raleigh Cabinet Works was a huge loss for the company. However, it resulted in a new factory which was altogether more modern and better equipped. The new building by the river was arranged into blocks. The production line began with the saw mills and ended with the finishing rooms. There was modern machinery in every department - one of their saws was the first of its kind in Britain. Water sprinklers and electric lights were a necessity - this factory would not burn down As well as the furniture production, Shapland and Petter imported timber by sea and rail. The new factory 's facilities were exceptional Shapland and Petter were renowned for excellent design and workmanship. The carvers were highly skilled, serving seven year apprenticeships and attending classes at the Barnstaple School of Art. Ornately carved furniture required up to a hundred tools The factory produced made to order woodwork for banks, hotels, and shops; mantelpieces, paneling and staircases. They fitted out Pullman railway carriages, the London Guildhall, and Edgar Wallace 's dining room as well as houses like Tapeley Park in North Devon Much of the work involved intricate leaded glass panels, or inlaid fruitwood designs, like the white bedroom suite shown in the exhibition here. This type of work is typical of Art Nouveau 1895 to 1910, inspired by the fluid shapes of plants and flowers Many pieces were made from standard designs. There were hundreds to choose from, and a selection could be seen in local and London showrooms and in catalogues. Although mass-produced, this furniture was well-made by skilled technicians and modern machinery Arts and Crafts designs of Shapland and Petter The development of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the South West of England has not been written up in any detail though we do know of the Art Potters of Barnstaple from the excellent book of this name by Audrey Edgeler. Less is known of the Barnstaple Guild of Metal Workers. We know of the Bath Cabinet Makers and the Newlyn School of Industrial Art in Cornwall but very little has been written about the furniture makers of Barnstaple in Devon The establishment of a large cabinet making firm in Barnstaple is not remarkable in itself; there were several cabinet makers in the area. What is interesting is that this particular Barnstaple firm should become a leading maker of Arts and Crafts furniture, copying the styles of the leading Architect designers and creating their own unique style Critics may point out that as their work was commercially driven and reliant upon machines it therefore does not really qualify as Arts and Crafts. Whilst the company was highly innovative in machine technology, they also employed many craftsmen who worked with their hands in woodcarving, marquetry work, design and application of decorative copperwork and other artistic embellishment in the true Arts and Crafts tradition. Anyone who has experience of Shapland and Petter workmanship knows the level of craftsmanship invested in each piece Sources of inspiration There appears to be no evidence to link any known architect, artist or designer to the Shapland and Petter company. Their designs appear to have been created solely by their own internal design staff none of whom appear to have published or registered their work in any other context C. R. Ashbee who established the Guild of Handicrafts visited Barnstaple in 1893 and provided a twelve week course on the design and decoration of furniture. It is presumed that this visit was hosted by Shapland and Petter, and that their own staff and those from other local furniture makers attended the course. Ashbee appears to have been unimpressed by the commercial attitudes he encountered and apparently disappointed at the lack of interest in his (high minded) lectures. What is interesting however is the similarity between some of his designs and those used by Shapland and Petter, particularly in respect to inlaid floral design. Perhaps he left a lasting influence which has not yet been verified There has been some speculation on the influence of Scottish designers, particularly because of the use of Glasgow rose designs which are typical of the Glasgow School, and particularly of Talwin Morris. There are also several designs which use similar motifs to those used by Baillie Scott, the use of two doves in flight for example. More research is needed to trace possible links here. One thing that is clear is that there was a great deal of copying and selling designs in the furniture industry at the time and a nineteenth century survey on the furniture trade recorded that '' Barnstaple pays the best prices for designs ..'' Collaboration with other companies There is evidence that Shapland and Petter organised a wide network of companies to retail their products and hence many pieces have the labels of retail furnishers added. Little is known of their marketing in Europe and America but it may be that many Arts and Crafts pieces were sold abroad. Shapland and Petter had excellent access to rail and shipping lines for importing timber and presumably for exporting their finished products The extent of their collaboration with other companies is yet to be ascertained but there is evidence that their suppliers included the Della Robbia Pottery, Pilkingtons Tile...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely small Burr & Burl Walnut breakfront sideboard with bank of drawers to the middle Please note t...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this sublime Vintage Oyster / Laburnum wood wall mirror with stunning timber grain and boxed frame boarder ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this sublime Vintage Oyster / Laburnum wood wall mirror with stunning timber grain and cushion framed boarde...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely suite of five handmade original Victorian dining chairs with original upholstery Attributed to H...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this sublime Circa 1940's Pitch Pine dining table that seats 4 with ease and up to 6 with a thick pedestal b...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning Fully Restored, Ralph Lauren, hand dyed brown leather club sofa RRP £24,000 Please note the d...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning highly collectable Antique Italian oak housekeepers cupboard for Wardrobe for folded and hangi...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely vintage circa 1960’s Serpentine fronted, Burr Walnut side table sized Nightstand chest of drawer...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely textured gold leaf Portmanteau Luggage rack Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this sublime Vintage Oyster / Laburnum wood wall mirror with stunning timber grain Please note the deliver...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely vintage Drexel Heritage rectangle wall mirror with lovely timber patina Please note the delive...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this Museum quality, fully restored extra large double sided twin pedestal partner desk with brown leather, ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning and very rare original Circa 1840 English Mahogany Hunt Table with second tiered sh...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely hand made in England vintage Flamed Mahogany open bookshelf with nicely turned finials Please ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning, hand carved, flamed Mahogany, throne style armchair as seen in Lord Marchs Goodwoo...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning, highly collectable original circa 1940's Dorothy Draper Grosfeld House side chair ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely Burr Walnut Broghts of Nettlebed Record Player cabinet with leather Faux books to the front that...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely sublime and very rare pair of original, circa 1940’s Liberty’s London Omersa brown leather h...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely exquisite, fully restored, hand dyed, ornately studded brown leather trunk with a Crown and ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale absolutely stunning ornately carved original Antique Scottish Bobbin Turned side chair with Porcelain castor...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely fully restored hand dyed Cigar Brown leather captain's or directors armchair Please note the de...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely fully restored hand dyed Cigar Brown leather Chesterfield captain's or directors armchair Pleas...