English More Furniture and Collectibles

Pair of 19th century Italian bedside tables - night stands. Tables feature a concave top with drawer above inverted tapering case with with three drawers, cabriole legs with pad feet...

We love this amazing interpretation of the Willow Bough fabric, originally designed by William Morris in 1887. Coloured by Ben Pentreath, richly saturate...

Mid-19th century Victorian Eastlake walnut carved Lincoln style bed. Features a high back with burled panels, carved finials, and open pediment with ...

It does not come with an insert but a bag made to the size to accommodate insert materials. Linen in the back. Zipper closure. Dry cleaning is recommended.

A very good quality mid 19th century Satinbirch wood, childs size wellington chest, having eight drawers with original turned wooden knobs, enclosed by Locking Pilaster. Childs si...

Condition: Original Vintage Condition Style: English Antique

A very attractive and good quality and early 20th century Queen Anne style walnut childs chair having carved decoration to top of well figured splat back over drop in seat raised on ...

This is a beautiful antique English horn handled gold mounted handle walking stick/swagger stick, circa 1880 in date The striking stick features an ornate gold mounted horn crutch h...

An English rustic wicker trunk from circa 1930 with iron hardware, rectangular lid, lateral handles and fabric lined interior. Capturing the essence of English craftsmanship, this ru...

Victorian taxidermy toy horse, late 19th century. Unusual and rare, a bit bizarre, this model of a horse with glass eyes, is made of a stuff...

Rescued from Industrial scrap yards and brought back to life in our UK workshop, our expert process allows us to create a high quality clock of luxury standards. At A.C GMT Co. we apply new paint finishes or lustrous copper and bronze to the clock case. Our high speed polishing machine restores the chrome bezel, which then frames one of our high definition screen printed dials. These clocks were originally slave or secondary clocks used on cargo ships and super tankers, they would have been controlled by a master clock...

Superb and extremely glamorous 1930s Art Deco bed. Originating from England this bed boasts the most wonderful veneers. Totally original and havin...

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...

Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [together with] Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1959, 1955. Illustrated by John ...

Antique Wire Work Moses Basket Crib The Rolls Royce of Victorian cradles. Cast and wrought iron frame with wire work cradle. Brass rim and knob finials...

London: R. Ackermann, 1823. Thomas Rowlandson. Second Edition. Tall 8vo. 9 1/8 x 6 7/8 inches (228 x 174 mm); 8 + 254 pp.; with 24 hand-colored plates by Thomas Rowlandson, includin...

Quartz sweep seconds / non ticking wall clock finished in Yellow Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating. Rescued from Industrial scrap yards and brought back t...

A charming set of three boxed coin shaped medallions celebrating the silver jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. The medallions of rounded shape are each contained in a turned boxwood ...

Vintage Conical Glass Hunting Saddle Flask. A beautiful unusual hunting flask, conical shape with plated top and bayonet fitting, contained in leather saddle case. The saddle flask's...

Rescued from Industrial scrap yards and brought back to life in our UK workshop, our expert process allows us to create a high quality clock of luxury standards. At A.C GMT Co. we ...

English, 20th century. A wonderful 19th century elephant ladder, in walnut and wrapped with a beautiful light brown leather which is accented by nail...

Geoffrey Bennison Master Decorator by Gillian Newberry and Sir John Richardson hardcover book.Extremely rare, limited edition, collectible out of print.The first monograph on the wor...

19th century oak umbrella or cane stand from England. The back has lovely serpentine and scalloped details, which give it a lovely shape and will lend itself to a beautiful silhouet...

Two copper and brass metric "Checkpump" fuel measures by Sutherland Astell, circa 1950. Made for the County Borough of Blackpool. Marked: 10 and 20 litres, at 20°. 20L, Height: 23...

1970s Astonishing Swift 1778 model ship in walnut wood. Handmade. Made in England. This model is amazing and in excellent condition and all handmade. A true piece of history. Dimensi...

A stunning early 20th Century telescope brass and leather coast guard telescope of exceptional quality and with excellent optics. The finely cast polished brass and leather telescop...

Quartz sweep seconds / non ticking wall clock finished in Ultimate gray Pantone 17-5104 Rescued from Industrial scrap yards and brought back to life in our UK workshop, our expert...

For your consideration is this original 1930s Art Deco Walnut dressing table. Originating from England and oozing everything about this wonderful bygone era we've all come to love an...

An early 19th century brass surveyor's level with telescope, compass and spirit level. With original brass mounted pine case. Telescope length: 18 1/4 inches. - 46.5 cm. Fitting for tripod mount, now re-mounted on a modern brass plate for desk top display.

Antique English Reverse Painted 'Hey Diddle Diddle' Eglomise Child's Mirror England, Circa 1850s A true rarity, a diminutive gilt Eglomise /reverse painted mirror depicting the English nursery rhyme Hey diddle, diddle!. Finely executed with gilt split column frame, with the upper-section hand painted highly detailed glass panel illustrating the children's nursery rhyme 'Hey diddle, diddle!' 'Hey diddle, diddle! The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon...

Rescued from Industrial scrap yards and brought back to life in our UK workshop, our expert process allows us to create a high quality clock of luxury standards. At A.C GMT Co. we ...

Quartz sweep seconds / non ticking wall clock finished in Yellow Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating. Rescued from Industrial scrap yards and brought back t...

Timbs, John, F.S.A. Curiosities of London; Exhibiting the most rare and remarkable objects of interest in the metropolis; with nearly sixty years' personal recollections London: Vir...

An authentic WWI-era Princess Mary box of brass. A stamped brass box, circa 1914, given as a thank you gift to all commissioned British troops at ...

Fabulous 1930s Art Deco walnut bed originating from England. The veneers are so beautifully detailed, the quality oozes from this bed. Features hea...

Large antique solid Mahogany flatware / silverware trunk. Box features a large fitted interior for silver, flatware and serving pieces, also this would be an excellent collectors or ...

Antique English Victorian Brass Telescope in a Tabletop Design, Circa 1870-1880. In working order

London Almanack for the Year of Christ 1783 London: Printed for the Company of Stationers, 1783. 64mo, 1 1/4 x 1 3/8 in. (57 x 33 mm), 24pp. Original cream morocco elaborately gilt...

A brass desk top model of a Kedge admiralty anchor. Well modeled with Shank, stock, crown, flukes, shackle and keep pin.  

Original British lobby card for the wonderful 1986 comedy staring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara. This 80s film has become a true cult classic teen coming-of-age film. This ...

19th century mahogany umbrella or cane stand from England. The rim and the base are turned and the stand is made up of mahogany slats, banded together with brass straps. The sides ...

Large antique Dolland & Co brass telescope with labeled wood box with accessories as shown. Engraved brass lens G. Dollond, London. Comes with tall wooden stand or smaller brass tri...

Pair of 12-inch table globes William Harris London, 1832 and 1835 Slight abrasions from use; few cracks lb 11 each (kg 5) The two terrestrial and celestial globes rest in their original Dutch style stands with four supporting turned wood columns. Each one measures 12 in in height x 16.5 in in diameter with the diameter of the spheres measuring approximately 12 in; 48 cm in height x 42 cm in diameter x 31 cm diameter of the spheres. The 12 inch measure was the most frequently used by British manufacturers of globes of this period. Each globe is composed of two series of twelve printed paper gores, aligned and glued onto plaster spheres. The brass circle of the meridian bears engravings...

Antique map of Colorado Published By A & C Black. 1903 Original colour Good condition Unframed. Free shipping

London: Doves Press, 1910. Limited Edition Small 4to, 9 1/8 x 6 3/8 in. (230 x 160 mm); 203 + [7] pp.; one of 250 copies, with an additional 15 on vellum...

Old English walking stick with silver handle, fron the early twentieth century, or older. The city stamps and the date are not legible. ref. O/4146.

Antique Louis Blumfield Faux Crocodile Leather Cigar Case With Silver Mount. A high-quality faux crocodile leather Victorian cigar case with silver mount. The mount with silver hallm...

SHIPPING POLICY: No additional costs will be added to this order. Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included). Enamel portrait of a lady with long curled hair with white veil...

A very well mounted taxidermy snow white terrier with silk bow collar, resting on a scarlet velvet cushion with braided gold fringing and graduated painted blue background. The terr...

George Montague Ellwood, designer (attributed). A rare Arts and Crafts Walnut and inlaid upright iron framed piano made by John Brinsmead and Sons, London...

Incredibly stylish and so indicative of this bygone era is this Art Deco 1930s double bed with integral nightstands. Veneered in the most glorious maple book paged figured veneers, i...

For those with a more refined taste in quality we are pleased to be able to offer you this Sycamore Art Deco dressing table attributed to Betty Joel. Beauti...

ROWLANDSON'S FIRST and most famous color-plate book. FIRST EDITION, in 3 volumes, with 104 brilliantly-colored acquaint plates. London: 1808-1810, Large 4to; 13 x 10 7/16 in. (330 ...

Truly Magnificent Large over size Antique Pillow A very rare late 16th Century English Needlework Panel The entire surface worked by hand Finished with 18th century Chenille bra...

A rare collection of antique inlaid exercise clubs of various sizes from 22.5” tall to 15.5 “ high. 5” to 3” diameter A type of exercise equipment used for strength and mobility tr...

Architectural quartersawn English oak & American black walnut pillar end tables or nightstands. Designed and handcrafted in England using traditional furniture...

The only book published by the Doves Press by an American author. Hammersmith: The Doves Press, 1906. Small 4to, 9 1/4 x 6.5 in (235 x 166 mm). Pp. xiv, 13...

Napoleon, Nelson and Their Time. The Calvin Bullock Collection Christie's, May 1985. The sale consisted of items from the renowned New York collector Calvin Bullock, which was formed...