English Collectibles and Curiosities

A very large antique Victorian brass lobster-form box. English, Late 19th Century. Measures: Height 34cm, width 91cm, depth 41cm. This exceptional piece is a remarkably large brass box...

Rescued from Industrial scrap yards and brought back to life in our UK workshop, our expert process allows us to create a high quality clock of luxury standards. At A.C GMT Co. we ...

Very fine English early 19th century mahogany architectural model of a church, the multiple steeples flanking a faux carved slate shingled room, wh...

A very good example of a flintlock light Dragoon pattern pistol with walnut stock and good tower marks on the lock. In wonderful untouched condition Circa 1800 Barrel length 9"

Thomas Chippendale's, The Gentleman and cabinet makers Director. Published by The Chippendale Society, Leeds, United Kingdom, 2005. 1st Ed thus hardcover with dust jacket. A beautifu...

Nice map of Australia Drawn and engraved by J.Dower Published by Orr & Smith. C.1835 Unframed. Free shipping

A fine example of a double barrel flintlock sporting gun by Probin, London. The browned barrels and the locks are both signed, good colour walnut stock. circa 1795 Barrel length 83c...

Glass Art Nouveau to Art Deco by Victor Arwas. Academy Editions, London, 1980. Second Edition hardcover with dust jacket. 256pp 104 color plates and 212 b&w. The most important and c...

London: Cassell and Co., 1896. First Edition. Small 8vo., 7 3/8 x 5 inches (188 x 127 mm), pp. viii + 452 + 4 of publisher's advertising. Red calf binding by Root & Son (stamp on f...

Great map of Sweden and Norway Original color. Good condition Published by Alexander Gross Unframed.

Art Nouveau by Alastair Duncan offers a lush exploration of this transformative art movement, showcasing exquisite examples of glass, furniture, and jewelry that define its organic e...

This original antique map of Jamaica is part of the renowned series created by the Tallis Company, known for their detailed and decorative maps ...

PRESENTING an EXTREMELY UNIQUE and RARE 19C British Tunbridgeware Hair Pin/Bobbin or Slide. This slide is unlike any of it’s kind we have seen before, it is a VERY RARE survivor. From circa 1860 – 80 and made in Tunbridge Wells, England. Made of walnut with gorgeous marquetry inlay on the entirety of the front with classic Tunbridgeware micro-mosaic all over the front. The rear is walnut. The marquetry inlay appears to be various different woods, namely, maple, walnut and satinwood. Would have been worn in a Lady’s hair bun with the micro-mosaic facing forward. This would have belonged to a VERY ELEGANT LADY in the mid to late 19th Century. Tunbridge ware is a form of decoratively inlaid woodwork, typically in the form of boxes, that is characteristic of Tonbridge and the spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent in the 18th and 19th centuries. The decoration typically consists of a mosaic of many very small pieces of different coloured woods that form a pictorial vignette. Shaped rods and slivers of wood were first carefully glued together, then cut into many thin slices of identical pictorial veneer with a fine saw. Elaborately striped and feathered bandings for framing were pre-formed in a similar fashion. There is a collection of Tunbridge ware in the Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery in Tunbridge Wells. The famous makers of Tunbridge ware were in the Tunbridge Wells area of Kent; their most notable work was from circa 1830-1900. Early makers of Tunbridge ware, in Tunbridge Wells in the mid-18th century, were the Burrows family, and Fenner and Co. In the 19th century, around 1830, James Burrows invented a technique of creating mosaics from wooden tesserae. Henry Hollamby, apprenticed to the Burrows family, set up on his own in 1842 and became an important manufacturer of Tunbridge ware, employing about 40 people. Edmund Nye (1797–1863) and his father took over the Fenner company when William Fenner retired in 1840, after 30 years in partnership with him. Thomas Barton (1819–1903), previously apprenticed at the Wise factory, joined the Nyes in 1836, and worked as Nye’s designer; he took over the business in 1863 and continued there until his death. In Tonbridge (near to Tunbridge Wells), George Wise (1703–1779) is known to have had a business in 1746. It continued with his son Thomas, and Thomas’s nephew George (1779–1869), who took over in 1806. In its early years the company made articles such as workboxes and tea caddies with prints of popular views; later items had pictures created from mosaics. Their workshop in Tonbridge, Wise’s Tunbridge Ware Manufactory, was next to the Big Bridge over the Medway; the building was demolished in 1886 to widen the approach to the bridge. Tunbridge ware became popular with visitors to the spa town of Tunbridge Wells, who bought them as souvenirs and gifts. Articles included cribbage boards, paperweights, writing slopes, snuffboxes and glove boxes. At the Great Exhibition of 1851, Tunbridge ware by Edmund Nye, Robert Russell and Henry Hollamby was shown; Edmund Nye received a commendation from the judges for his work. He exhibited a table depicting a mosaic of a ship at sea; 110,800 tesserae were used in making the picture. The manufacturers of Tunbridge ware were cottage industries, and they were no more than nine in Tunbridge Wells and one in Tonbridge. The number declined in the 1880s; competent craftsmen were hard to find, and public tastes changed. After the death of Thomas Barton in 1903 the only surviving firm was Boyce, Brown and Kemp, which closed in 1927. Marquetry was an old technique which was continued by Nye and Barton to create images such as birds or butterflies. ‘Green Oak’ as caused by the fungus Chlorociboria aeruginascens. Stickware and half-square mosaic was invented by James Burrows in about 1830: a bunch of wooden sticks of different colours, each having triangular or diamond-shaped cross section, were tightly glued together; in the case of stickware, the resulting block was dried, then turned to form an article such as the base of a pincushion. For half-square mosaic, thin slices were taken from the composite block, and applied to a surface. Tesselated mosaic, was a development by James Burrows of half-square mosaic; it was adopted by George Wise and Edmund Nye. Minute tesserae were used to form a wide variety of geometric and pictorial designs. Many sorts of wood were used for the various colours; about 40 were in regular use. Only natural colors were used; green was provided by “green oak”, produced by the action of fungus on fallen oak. Designs for articles were often taken from designs of Berlin wool work.

The hollow potted castle is mounted on a long oval shaped base molded in relief with swirl patterning with a raised molded banner reading BALMORAL CASTLE...

A visually striking smaller scale vintage WWII era maritime salvage ship's binnacle pedestal with compass by Sestrel Henry Browne & Son. circa 1940s The beautifully aged heavily patinated polished brass binnacle housing a high quality marine navigational instrument, having an enclosed brass bowl English Sestrel compass...

Hallmarked in London in 1902 by Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. This adorable Antique, Edwardian, Sterling Silver Hedgehog Pincushion is rare and collectible, with the silver overlayin...

3 ½ inch gauge model of the 4-6-0 steam locomotive the Black Knight. Circa 1955. Mounted on a display track. Length of Locomotive: 31 inches - 79 cm. Length of Tender: 19 inches -...

A solid oak full size Arts & Crafts Billiard, Snooker or Pool table, circa 1910 in the style of George Montague Ellwood and manufactured by Burroughes & Watts of London. Standing ...

Post-Impressionism, published in conjunction with the exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1979-80. Softcover book, printed in England and Italy, illustrated, 303 pages.

This curved sword has a blued steel German blade with an ivory cross-hatched grip bearing silver and gilt mounts in the form of a lion’s head and mane. ...

An essential tool in the creation and finishing of furniture, this 19th-century English ornamental lathe is an object of beauty in and of itself. The extraordinary machine...

One of the most desirable of all nineteenth century color plate books. RARE. Morris, Richard. Flora Conspicua; A Selection of the most ornamental flowering, hard, exotic and indig...

A fine presentation sword given to Lieutenant Charles Peake as a token of gratitude by the Men of His Ship when recommissioned for Foreign Service i...

Unusually shaped, Victorian Period, sterling silver-mounted, threaded crystal match striker, Birmingham, England, year-hallmarked for 1899, Levi and Salaman - makers. Measures 2 inch...

English oil on canvas portrait dating from the late 1700s painted in the manor of Joshua Reynolds. We believe the giltwood frame could be the original as it is right for the period. ...

A matching pair of early 20th century mirrored witches balls, with pressed steel galleries and hanging hoops. They have later been associated to a pair of extremely well cast and he...

Art Deco style, 1945, Strohmenger baby grand piano with a polished, book-matched, figured walnut case and brass fittings. The high arched piano cheek ends with an angular square cut....

An exceptional classical sterling silver straight lined art deco Menorah with eight candle holders, on the top in the center there is a pine cone which represents and symbolizes huma...

One of the rarest English works on moths. Johnson, Theophilus (1836-1919) Illustrations of British Hawk Moths and their Larvae (including the Sesidae); with thirty-six original draw...

Museum quality tabletop Stereoscope by British maker R. & J. Beck London. It is fitted with with adjustable rack and pinion focusing and elevation adjustment for ease of viewing. Eac...

Naval range finder made by Waymouth-Cooke of London. These were based on the principals of a sextant range finder. They were patented in 1914. The Mark II like this one came out in 1...

Pair of antique English naval cannon each with a tapering three stage barrel flanked by plain trunnions, with a knob shaped cascabel button before a shaped rectangular raised vent and ending in a 3 1/2” bore muzzle, enclosing a removable conforming wood plug, circa 1800. Stood upon a naval type bronze-mounted four wheeled wooden carriage, including its wedge shaped quoin with knob handle. The Earls of Lonsdale, Lowther Castle, Cumbria, presumably by descent to Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale (1857-1944), until sold by his heir and brother, Lancelot, 6th Earl, as part of the contents of Lowther Castle, Maple & Co. Ltd./Thomas Wyatt, Tuesday 14 April 1947 and two following days, lot 558: ‘A pair of Old Gun Metal Cannons on teakwood carriages, 3ft. 6in. long’. Mrs. P.M. Adie-Shepherd, sold Christie’s, London, 29 May 1970, lot 96. Lowther Castle is a castellated mansion built by Robert Smirke between 1806 and 1814 for William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (1757-1844). It was constructed on the foundations of the former 17th century family seat, Lowther Hall, but it was only in the early 19th century that it was afforded the name ‘castle’ in keeping with the Europe-wide fashion for romanticism and which was promoted by influential characters such as William Beckford at Fonthill Abbey, Wiltshire in England and by the writer Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford, Roxburghshire, Scotland. While it’s not known when these naval cannon were acquired for Lowther they would have been entirely fitting in the castle or its approaches and it’s likely that they were in place soon after the castle was completed, or perhaps acquired later by the 5th Earl. A tantalising possibility is that the cannon were originally aboard the East Indiaman Lowther Castle which was active in the early 19th century. HUGH CECIL LONSDALE, 5TH EARL OF LONSDALE (1857-1944) AND THE DEMISE OF LOWTHER CASTLE In 1882 at the age of 25 Hugh Lonsdale (1857-1944) unexpectedly inherited the earldom and with it the extensive Lonsdale estate, including tens of thousands of acres of Cumberland and Westmorland and coalfields at Whitehaven. However, despite his spectacular inherited wealth – he was suddenly one of the wealthiest men in England, over the course of his lifetime he managed to decimate the family fortune. He led a full and colourful life, one of adventure and luxury. An early intrepid escapade took place in July 1888 when, as part of an expedition called the Scotch Naturalist Society, he set embarked on horse sleigh...

Victorian taxidermy toy horse, late 19th century. Unusual and rare, a bit bizarre, this model of a horse with glass eyes, is made of a stuff...

KELMSCOTT PRESS Orbeliani, Sulkhan-Saba. Translated by Oliver Wardrop. The Book of Wisdom and Lies; A book of Traditional Stories From Georgia in Asia Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, ...

This antique Victorian knife cleaning and sharpening machine was made by Kent's of London England in circa 1880 in the period Victorian style. The machine is composed of two sharpening stones...

A Fine Presentation Half Hull Model of the Hawthornbank, launched in 1889 and Built by Russell and Co of Greenock and Glasgow for Andrew Weir of Glasgow A fine and important half h...

A fine FIRST EDITION ELEPHANT FOLIO of Jame's Paine monumental work: Plans, Elevations and Section of Noblemen and Gentlemen's Houses, and also of Stabling, Bridges, Public and Priv...

Rare 1699 Map of the Failed Scottish Colony of Caledonia in Panama This scarce and historically fascinating map, titled 'The Scots Settlement in America or New Caledonia A.D. 1699',...

A 1950's model of a motor boat "Rainbow" with a 2 cc engine. Well built model with good scale details, brass window frames, lights, flag poles, decking, seating, interior table, pro...

Pair Antique English Sheffield Silver Mounted Trophy Horns, Circa 1890.

The Country House Remembered, Recollections of Life Between the Wars by Merlin Waterson. London: Rutledge & Kegan Paul. First edition hardcover with dust jacket, 1985. 256 pp. The bo...

Circa 1970s industrial design sterling silver 31" necklace. Triple wrapped double loop links. marked 925. 48 grams, 1.55 troy oz. We are a family business that has been a major sour...

Sotheby's Art at Auction 1997-1998 Edited by Emma Lawson. Published by Sotheby's, London, 1997. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. This annual reference...

Wonderful scroll map of Lincolnshire By Captain Armstrong, 1778 Copper plate engraving on paper laid on canvas Original ebonized wood frame with lovely t...

"The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan", 12mo., complete in 3 purple full polished calf bound volumes, with gilt page ends and blue marbled endpapers, 1st edition. Written by James...

Cabinet Makers and Furniture Designers by Hugh Honour. Feltham: The Hamlyn Publishing Group, Limited, 1972. Second edition, re-released hardcover with dust jacket. 320 pp. A book on cabinet makers and furniture designers with 50 fascinating studies of furniture from the 16th c to the 20th c. It includes French, English, American, Dutch, German and Scandinavian craftsmen. Some of the artisans represented are Thomas Chippendale, Duncan Phyfe, Pelagio Palagi...

AUTHOR: HOUSE OF LORDS. TITLE: Remembrances for Order and decency to be kept in the Upper house of Parliament by the Lords, when His Majesty is not there. PUBLISHER: London, May 7...

A Children’s Painted Calèche Modelled on a full-sized barouche, this fully functional children’s carriage was either goat- or dog-drawn. The fram...

Sotheby's: Important English Furniture including the Horlick Collection, London 5th June 2007. First edition softcover with 256 on 303 pp. ...

The Poems of William Shakespeare according to the text of the original copies, including the lyrics, songs, and snatches found in his dramas; according to the text of the original co...

AUTHOR: HAWKING, Stephen. TITLE: My Brief History. A Memoir. PUBLISHER: London: Bantam Press, 2013. DESCRIPTION: FIRST LONDON EDITION FIRST PRINTING BEARING THE BLACK INK THUMB P...

19th c. English Knife Sharpener in Oak and Pine

An exceptional carved walnut full size billiard table and accessories by Cox & Yeman. London, circa 1880. One end bearing an ivorine la...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V sterling silver and erotica enamel cigarette case; an addition to our diverse range of continental silverware This exceptional antique sterling silver cigarette case has a plain rectangular form with rounded corners. This antique cigarette...

A set of seven beautifully bound volumes in morocco red leather with gilt decorations and crest to front and rear. A stunning collection of this pictorial work of British and Irish c...

A large collection of late Victorian shell specimens, the majority housed in its pine box with each specimen having its period card sleeve, the remainder displayed in glazed blue car...

Great map of South Africa Original color. Good condition / repair to a minor edge tear middle bottom Published by Alexander Gross Unframed. ...

THE EQUILIBRIAD by William Samsons with illustrations by Lucian Freud. London: Hogarth Press, 1948. Limited Edition. 8vo, 8 5/8 x 5 5/8 in (220 x 140...

Catalogue of English Furniture and Woodwork, Vol. III and IV. Vol III, Late Stuart to Queen Anne by Oliver Brackett. Pair of 1st Ed hardcovers. Published by Victoria and Albert Museu...

"Pictures and Royal Portraits Illustrative of English and Scottish History, from the Introduction of Christianity to the Present Time" by Thomas Archer. Blackie & Son, n.d. in two qu...