Thomas Sheraton’s “The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book”, published in 1791, was hugely influential, with over 600 cabinetmakers across the country subscribing to it.  It is believed that Sheraton himself did not make any of the pieces he designed.  Page 536 shows a ‘Ladies drawing and writing table’ which is evidently the inspiration for our Carlton House desk.

George Hepplewhite’s book ‘Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide’ was published posthumously by his widow, Alice, in 1788.  She chose in the region of 300 of his designs including those for his signature shield back chairs (above).  The original subtitle read ‘Repository of Designs for Every Article of Household Furniture, in the Newest and Most Approved Taste’. 

It was indeed the task of any designer to supply ‘every article of household furniture’ - and the fixtures and decorations besides.  John Claudius Loudon was a celebrated botanist, garden planner, greenhouse engineer and author, yet even he, in ‘The Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture’ (1833) occupied himself with minor items of furniture such as this Canterbury.

The Gillow archive is another rich source of drawings through which we can date and attribute many items of furniture.  They comprise the commercial ledgers, Estimate books and Estimate sketch-books of Gillows of Lancaster and London from 1729.  Gillows supplied the entire contents of many aristocratic houses.  

Arguably the most ‘immersive’ designer was Augustus Pugin.  His prodigious energy and extraordinary passion for the Gothic Revival of the mid-Victorian era culminated in the interior of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament.)  He drew literally thousands of designs to cover every square inch of the palace.  Mintons made acres of floor tiles and there were over a 100 wallpaper patterns.  Nothing was too daunting, the fan vaulted ceilings, the extravagant throne in the House of Lords, nor beneath his notice, the window furniture, the door keys.  He designed the table above for Windsor Castle when he was only 15.  
 

Please see the blog below, by Christopher Coles, to learn more about the Gillows Archive or visit our website to explore our extensive collections.

The Furniture of Gillows And Their Design Records

One of the most successful and long-established firms of British cabinetmakers, Gillows were established in 1729 by Robert Gillow in Lancaster. In 1769 a second branch was established in Oxford Street, London, creating a business with two distinct workshops and two distinct styles. It would appear from known commissions that the quality of the two workshops was equally high but the London workshop, as might be expected, tended to produce pieces encapsulating the most up to date taste whereas the Lancaster workshop was a little more conservative and didn’t follow new trends as quickly. The firm survived as an independent concern until 1897 when it merged with Warings to become Waring and Gillows and continued to produce quality furniture throughout the Victorian period and in to the 20th century...

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