Late 19th century Pair of Cast Iron Andirons

Pair of antique English naval cannon each with a tapering three stage barrel flanked by plain trunnions, with a knob shaped cascabel button before a shaped rectangular raised vent and ending in a 3 1/2” bore muzzle, enclosing a removable conforming wood plug, circa 1800. Stood upon a naval type bronze-mounted four wheeled wooden carriage, including its wedge shaped quoin with knob handle. The Earls of Lonsdale, Lowther Castle, Cumbria, presumably by descent to Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale (1857-1944), until sold by his heir and brother, Lancelot, 6th Earl, as part of the contents of Lowther Castle, Maple & Co. Ltd./Thomas Wyatt, Tuesday 14 April 1947 and two following days, lot 558: ‘A pair of Old Gun Metal Cannons on teakwood carriages, 3ft. 6in. long’. Mrs. P.M. Adie-Shepherd, sold Christie’s, London, 29 May 1970, lot 96. Lowther Castle is a castellated mansion built by Robert Smirke between 1806 and 1814 for William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (1757-1844). It was constructed on the foundations of the former 17th century family seat, Lowther Hall, but it was only in the early 19th century that it was afforded the name ‘castle’ in keeping with the Europe-wide fashion for romanticism and which was promoted by influential characters such as William Beckford at Fonthill Abbey, Wiltshire in England and by the writer Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford, Roxburghshire, Scotland. While it’s not known when these naval cannon were acquired for Lowther they would have been entirely fitting in the castle or its approaches and it’s likely that they were in place soon after the castle was completed, or perhaps acquired later by the 5th Earl. A tantalising possibility is that the cannon were originally aboard the East Indiaman Lowther Castle which was active in the early 19th century. HUGH CECIL LONSDALE, 5TH EARL OF LONSDALE (1857-1944) AND THE DEMISE OF LOWTHER CASTLE In 1882 at the age of 25 Hugh Lonsdale (1857-1944) unexpectedly inherited the earldom and with it the extensive Lonsdale estate, including tens of thousands of acres of Cumberland and Westmorland and coalfields at Whitehaven. However, despite his spectacular inherited wealth – he was suddenly one of the wealthiest men in England, over the course of his lifetime he managed to decimate the family fortune. He led a full and colourful life, one of adventure and luxury. An early intrepid escapade took place in July 1888 when, as part of an expedition called the Scotch Naturalist Society, he set embarked on horse sleigh...

A pair of superb quality Victorian brass fenders, each with rounded and moulded ends and four small turned finials, decorated with pierced tied bows in the frieze. English 1860.

A pair of 19th century bronze, ormolu and fluorspar candelabra.

A Black Forest lindenwood mountain dog stick stand, in the form of a shaggy dog standing on his hind legs holding a circle of twisted branches in his front paws, the base also of si...

Pair of American cast iron squatting figural andirons of man and woman with original dog legs. Mid 19th Century

Pair of large 19th century cast iron andirons from Normandy. Measures: 10" L x 18" W x 27.5" H.

Pair of fireplace andirons. Iron, 19th century. Pair of andirons for chimney made of iron formed by a horizontal piece to be placed under the firewood and another part at the decorative front (this one consisting of a rectangular plate finished in two facing scrolls and another vertical piece reminiscent of a column and finished off by a disk flat). Although there are elements such as the scrolls that already appear in the Romanesque forge, the lines of the andirons are more reminiscent of Neoclassical examples in some details." Size: 32 x 80...

Cast iron American figural andirons, circa 1870.