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GILLOW &
CO – LANCASTER & LONDON
The firm of Gillows of Lancaster can be traced back to Robert Gillow (1704-72) During the 1730's he began
to exploit the lucrative West Indies trade exporting mahogany furniture and
importing rum and sugar. Following his death in 1772, the business was continued
by his two sons, Richard (1734-1811) and Robert (1745-93). In 1764 a London
branch of Gillows was established at 176 Oxford Road, now Oxford Street, by
Thomas Gillow and William Taylor. The firm rapidly established a reputation for
supplying high quality furniture to the richest families in the country.
During the final years of the 19th century the company ran into financial
difficulty and from 1897 began a loose financial arrangement with Waring of
Liverpool, an arrangement legally ratified by the establishment of Waring and
Gillow in 1903.
Gillows marks and stamps:
makers numbers were stamped on the pieces of furniture when they did not form
part of a special order. The letter L placed before the number indicates that
the piece was manufactured at the Lancaster factory. The stamp GILLOWS LANCASTER
first appeared on furniture between 1780 and 1790. By the middle of the 19th
Century GILLOW is found stamped on pieces in 2.5mm letters. By the end of the
19th Century GILLOW & Co is often found, lightly impressed in letters 3mm high.
Waring and Gillow instituted a thin stamped brass name plate, a practice that
was continued up to the 1950's. Marks are generally found on the top edges of
drawers, on the underside of lids or table tops, on the right hand back leg of
early chairs and under the front edge of the seat of later chairs. Very often
the pencilled signature of the craftsman making the piece can be found on the
underside of a drawer.
A fine and rare 67" (170cm) Walnut Twin Pedestal
Partners Desk by Gillows - fully authenticated and catalogued - made in 1882 to
special order for a named Client.
SOLD by Antiquedesks.net
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