Tinker & Toad has dated this piece to the Victorian era.
Each of these sits above its own graduated bank of drawers. The central mirror has a single drawer beneath. The linen press has five large tray slides providing ample storage for garments or shoes. The central and righthand cupboards are fitted with hanging rails and brass hooks. There is also a tie or belt clip fitted to the righthand door. The wardrobe has the most impressive brass sliding bolts fitted to the outer cupboards and there are also brass locks fitted. The doors and drawers are finished with attractive turned handles and the whole stands on a moulded plinth base. Breaking down in to eight separate pieces this gives the added bonus of an easier installation. A truly magnificent piece of English craftsmanship by one of the leading cabinet makers of the time. Makers stamp to the drawers.
The antique tables and chairs of Lamb of Manchester are well documented. An important name in the Aesthetic Movement, they produced furniture exclusively for the wealthy industrial families of the north, with a large showroom in the city centre. Their furniture regularly turns up in Preston; the antique desks, Victorian dining chairs , antique cabinets and other items always being of exquisite quality.
Lamb of Manchester was founded by James Lamb (1816 – 1903), one of the leading cabinetmakers in Manchester. He was acclaimed for his dedication to high quality cabinet making and artistic design. He also used only the finest quality materials and workmanship. His designers included Alfred Waterhouse, Bruce Talbot and Charles Bevan, who said he was the most aesthetically advanced furniture craftsman outside London at the time. Lamb of Manchester laid the foundations for the Arts & Crafts Furniture that was to follow.
At the London Exhibition of 1862 Lamb’s displayed work by W.J. Estall and Hugues Protat, who designed furniture in an elaborately French style. In the late 1860s the company changed focus, making inlaid gothic pieces to Charles Bevan designs. They also made furniture for the Manchester Assize Courts, to Waterhouse designs which were shown at the Paris Exhibition in 1867 and 1878. Later, they exhibited “Quaint” furniture at the 1887 Manchester Jubilee Exhibition.
Their designs can still be seen in The V & A, Manchester City Art Gallery and the Fine Art Society.
Tinker & Toad has dated this piece to the Victorian era.
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A Large Victorian Mahogany Wardrobe by Lamb of Manchester
