United Kingdom - Racks and Stands

An incredibly elegant wall mounted hat and coat rack. French, c.1930 Of very high quality, nickel plated brass. Two top rails over single square rail with moveable hooks. A beauti...

Antique Victorian quality mahogany towel rail having five quality mahogany turned rails supported by barley twist columns standing on cabriole legs...

This is a beautiful quality c.1900 bamboo hall stand in the Chinoiserie manner. The condition is very good for a piece made entirely of real bamboo. A few ...

Piero Fornasetti Magazine rack with wooden frame and silk-screened “Bassorilievo” decoration. Prod. Fornasetti, Italy, circa 1950 (minor losses, crazing to the paint and oxidisati...

Magnificent exhibition quality antique Black Forest bear tree hall stand has two spectacular quality carved bears consisting of the mother be...

Large Windsor and Newton artist’s fully adjustable studio easel raised up on trestle base terminating in four lignum vitae casters Dimensions Height 71.5 Inches ajustable to 97 Inche...

Antique Victorian quality mahogany towel rail having five quality mahogany towel rails supported by shaped turned mahogany ends standing on shaped ...

Philip Webb for Morris and Co. A rare walnut sheet music or folio stand with elongated turned finials, pierced circular decoration and a three quarter turned gallery below with three...

Joseph Ellwood is a British designer and maker, he has been named one of 10 'Future Icons' in design by Wallpaper* magazine, collaborated with the luxury brand Rimowa and embarked on...

Vintage Beech Shop Display Glove Stand circa 1930s Mounted on Brass & Copper Telescopic stand Beech Carved Hand for glove Display. Brass & Copper Columns & Fittings, Base with C...

A top quality Arts and Crafts oak Hallstand by Shapland and Petter with bevelled mirror flanked by a circular copper disc with hat and coat hooks, stylised cut-outs and stylised flor...

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...

Vintage Beech Shop Display Glove Stand circa 1930s Maker : Harris & Sheldoon Ltd B, Ham Mounted on Brass & Copper Telescopic stand Beech Carved Hand for glove Display. Brass & Cop...

This is an antique Canterbury stand. An English, mahogany three sectioned magazine or newspaper rack, dating to the Victorian period, circa 1900. Exuberant craftsmanship, ideal fo...

Liberty's of London An Elegant Arts & Crafts Magazine / Newspaper Rack, early 20th century, mahogany, the central 'V' section magazine rack over under tier shelf, within spindle and...

Roger Feraud. French. A rare "Clef De Sol" atomic iron hat and coat stand in original black paint with original red balls.     

Piero Fornasetti Umbrella stand in metal printed gold cameos and brass. Piero Fornasetti, Italy circa 1960 (minor losses to the surface decoration)

Crafted from natural rattan—a durable, flexible palm vine sourced sustainably from tropical regions—this magazine rack embodies eco-conscious elegance. Its sturdy, solid-frame constr...

A good early 20th century large bentwood coat stand. Circa 1900. Standing on four large down-swept legs, each with a scroll enclosing a circle radius to hold sticks and umbrellas. T...

An Arts and Crafts walnut Hall stand by Shapland and Petter with a copper panel depicting a mythical creature to the top, leaf cut-outs to the centre with circular ball uprights to e...

Sn5630 Finest quality antique Victorian pedestal drinks cabinet / music cabinet in burr and figured walnut, having oversailing top with rounded and moulded edge above a cabinet door ...

Quirky pair of postmodern John Risley style black metal figural valet stands, USA 1980s The smoking man figure has an ashtray / key dish. Dimensions: ma...

A good Arts and Crafts oak Hall stand by Shapland and Petter with a seat to the left and a mirror and glove drawer to the right, the lower section with Shaplands typical square shape...

From Rome, Italy this beautifully ornate coat hook. Finished in ebonised wood with golden serpent detail. Dim; W: 150 cm H: 40 cm D; 20 cm

Introducing an interesting mid 20th Century Mahogany Canterbury Magazine Rack, boasting timeless elegance. This charming piece is brimming with charm, and character, standing gracef...

Antique quality C1900 beech and pine towel rail stand. Lovely warm walnut colour. No loose joints and no woodworm. Would look amazing in the right location! Overall maximum dimens...

Vintage mid-20th Century black steel hall, coat or hat stand. Lovely age and charm. Solid and strong with no loose joints. Overall maximum dimensions: 50cm diameter x 200cm high....

This is a lovely country stool made of Elm in Victorian England during the 19th century, circa 1850. The elm stool has thick solid circular turned seat or top which sits on four ring turned legs with four shaped turned stretchers between the legs which make this stool very strong and stable. The stool has developed a glorious rich color through natural patination and polishing over the years with the top a lovely mellow color. We attribute this stool to a North East Yorkshire...

Antique French 19th Century Faux Bamboo Wall Mounted Coat/Hat Rack Constructed from fruitwood to simulate bamboo. C.1880 Good solid construction. Very good condition commensurate of ...

A vintage 20th Century Italian metal stick stand, designed by Piero Fornasetti, features a unique design with umbrellas and sticks encircling the outer cover. The interior is painted...

This is an antique chateau wine riddler. A French, oak 120-bottle champagne rack, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850. Generously sized ...

This exquisite coat stand is a true masterpiece of antique woodenware. Crafted from high-quality wood, this coat stand features three beautifully carved bear figures, showcasing the...

This is an antique chateau luggage stand. A French, mahogany and textile folding suitcase rack, dating to the Edwardian period, circa 1910. Delightful ...

A 1970s French Riviera rattan and bamboo coat rack with four coat hooks, wooden shelf and geometric woven rattan back.

Mahogany Canterbury of good scale, fine turned legs finishing on brass cup casters, making it easy to move around. This large Canterbury has four slatted divisions, so plenty of spac...

Adolf Loos for Thonet Shoe Rest circa 1905, constructed of black stained steamed beech. "By beauty we understand the highest degree of perfection. For this reason it is completely o...

This is an antique Canterbury Whatnot. An English, burr walnut and brass three tier display stand or etagere, dating to the Regency period, circa 1820. Exceptional example, with stu...

Behold the Diana Umbrella Stand - a daring marriage of elegance and simplicity that will leave you breathless. Its round shape and clean-curved lines are not for the faint of heart, ...

A superb quality late 19th century Black Forest Bear. Carved linden wood with original glass eyes. Excellent quality and condition with wear consistent with age use. Dimensions: H ...

Early 20th century carved towel rail circa 1910. Good quality towel rail made from mahogany and pine.  Decorative carved shells to the top with further carvings to the supports.  3 ...

Antique Fine Quality Art Nouveau Mahogany Towel Rail Bathroom Stand c.1900. Solid construction with no loose joints or woodworm, promising longevity and stability. This piece adds ...

Mid-century decorative tall vase by Albert Thiry (circa 1960s). A gentle creamy-white glaze encompasses the exterior of the tall vase (it could also be used as an umbrella holder) to...

A wonderful, impeccably English deluxe valet stand with trouser press. Circa 1920's. Labelled 'Watt Cam Tourist' and 'The Watts Dumb Valet' patent design. This stylish English stand...

A very nice early 20th Century umbrella / stick stand, made from tubular brass with cast iron base. Dates from the early 20th Century, a compact Demi Lume design which fits and look...

Large Rustic Adjustable Oak Artists’ Easel The Easel is the traditional hinged type with turned pegs to support the sliding paint supports, the floor...

Antique George III quality mahogany boot rack having the original brass carrying handle and turned mahogany pegs, double sided boot stand supported by turned...

circa 1880 19thC English Bamboo Mirrored Hall Stand sku 1910 W67 x D50 x H178 cm Weight 13 kg

Art Deco French Modernist Brass Coat Rack & Rail La Maison Desny C.1920 A large French brass coat rack, fitted with a hanging rail and seve...

A large wall-mounted coat rack with nine hanging points. Mid-20th century, Italy. Unsigned, very much in the style of Olaf Von Bohr. The frame and structure of the piece are of bent...

This is an antique portico stick stand. An English, cast iron hallway umbrella loop, dating to the Victorian period, circa 1890. Appealing painted frame with ornate fretwork detail ...

This is an antique cylindrical stick stand. An English, oak and bergère reception hall umbrella bin, dating to the Edwardian period, circa 1910. Pre...

Wonderful, good quality storage originally designed for storing papers or magazine, but can be used for storing various objects, including records, magazines, books or even bathroom ...

Documented Mathieu Matégot steel and rattan bookshelf – similar version illustrated in the Artimeta catalogue – Netherlands circa 1955

Introducing a remarkable 19th Century Mahogany Canterbury Magazine Rack, boasting exquisite craftsmanship and timeless elegance. This charming piece is brimming with age, charm, and...

Bronze Hat and Coat Hooks on a Nautical Theme This is a Superb quality and very practical row of Hat and Coat Hooks, they are in the form of Bronze Ship Yard Bollards set on Teak Tw...

The Hang it All coat rack was first designed for children in 1953. An icon of mid-century design, it was originally designed to encourage children to hang up their belongings. It has...

This is a charming early Victorian stick stand, offering classic country house appeal, circa 1850. Crafted with coopered oak staves and iron strap binding, this substantial umbrella stand or fireside store boasts a rich, time-worn character. Traditional coopered barrel...

An early ‘Afghan Hound’ umbrella stand by the incredibly creative, Piero Fornasetti, c.1955. One of the eight trompe l’oeil dog umbrella stands For...