Burr Walnut Partners Pedestal Desk by Maple & Co.

A splendid burr walnut partners pedestal desk in the Queen Anne style. Dating to the early 20th century and manufactured and originally retailed by Maple & Co. of London. Of generous proportions and very good construction in solid walnut with attractive burr walnut veneers. The top section is fitted with its original sumptuous tan coloured leather writing surface. To the front are 3 drawers of "cushion" outline to the freeze. Each pedestal has 3 drawers to the front and a cupboard to ther rear. The doors and drawers are cross banded and lockable (keys supplied). All standing on stylish ogee bracket feet. Cleaned and waxed in our workshops and now offered for sale in very good original condition, with a good colour and patina. Splits into 3 sections for ease of installation.

Dimensions:

Width 176cms

Depth 90cms

Height 75cms

Knee hole height 60.5cms

Knee hole width 78cms

Maple & Co was established by John Maple, a shopkeeper from Horley, Surrey, who later opened a furniture shop in Tottenham Court Road. However it was his son, John Blundell Maple , who made Maples & Co a success. With exceptional business skills, John B. Maple took over the company while still a young man. By the 1880s they were the largest furniture store in the world, exported their fine furniture to every continent.

Maples manufactured their luxury furniture entirely in-house, at a huge modern complex. A timber importer and furniture exporter, they landed prestigious contracts furnishing fine houses, hotels, embassies and palaces in Europe; among them Tsar Nicholas’s Winter Palace and the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna . With his own empire established, John Blundell Maple achieved further fame in politics and horseracing – some lines, such as the Atherstoke antique cabinet, having racing connections in the titles.

Never compromising on quality, Maples produced a huge catalogue of fine furniture, covering every avenue of interior design. A Maples & Co sale today would cover everything from Chippendale Revival antique dining chairs , to Aesthetic style carved oak dressers, to Art Nouveau tulip carved antique dining tables – all from the same catalogue.

The exclusivity and high quality of craftsmanship of Maples’ antique cabinets, dining suites and bedroom furniture made them highly popular with Britain’s social elite. Today, they appeal to anyone who appreciates fine craftsmanship.