British Racks and Stands

19th century English mahogany Canterbury with drawer and wreath design.

A COLLECTION OF 3 VICTORIAN SILVER & GOLD-FILLED PARASOL HANDLES Late 19th to early 20th Century. In various styles, two gold-filled with hand chased and engraved decoration and on...

Dr C Dresser An Aesthetic Movement Cast Iron Stick Stand with stylised floral details. Made By Coalbrookdale Iron Works. (The width is measured to the edges of the little lions paw ...

Small bookcase made of solid wood construction, primarily mahogany. This antique piece has four compartments for holding books or collectables and can be set on a table or chest for ...

Edwardian satinwood banded mahogany pedestal torchere bust stand of Sheraton design - 14" x 14" x 48"h

A very nice early 19th century blacksmith handwrought iron game rack with a center ring with eight hooks supported by four arms. Game racks are used to hang small game meat such as f...

Beautiful Victorian hand crafted wood and veneer Canterbury rack to hold sheet music or magazines with one drawer and brass wheels.

This is an antique stick loop stand. An English, brass and cast iron hallway cane or umbrella rack, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. Appealing Victorian elegance wi...

Elegant two-tiered Art Deco side table crafted from solid wood with brass structural details. Its design combines clean, geometric lines with a functional base that includes an integ...

St041 Stylish Victorian coat stand in oak in the manner of Christopher Dresser, having architectural pediment with sunray carvings above panelled and fielded back with beehive style ...

19th century bookstand from England made from rosewood. The handles are hand-turned along with the spindles, which terminate on the ends with lovely lyre inspired shaped pieces. The ...

Good late 19th century English oak and brass umbrella stand with serpentine brass rail on brass rope twist support and shaped base, retaining original rain catcher, the back with pie...

19th century oak umbrella or cane stand from England. The back has lovely serpentine and scalloped details, which give it a lovely shape and will lend itself to a beautiful silhouet...

Antique English BRASS Umbrella Stand, Cane or Stick Stand~~c. 1920s Charming antique English freshly polished and hand-seamed BRASS umbrella stand~~perfect for a entry hall or mud...

19th Century English painted iron umbrella with brass plated ball finial. Iron frame with scroll design and painted gilt accents. Retains the original drip pan.

This is an antique carved eagle coat rack. A Scottish, oak hallway peg mount, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. Superb eagle decor accentu...

Regency mahogany canterbury, circa 1820.

An Arts and Crafts oak umbrella and walking stick stand with brass division rails to the top and pierced decoration to the sides, and drip tray to the base.

This very rare pair of early 18th century finely hand turned wig stands is superb. They each have an intricately turned fruitwood base with the main columns in beautiful yew wood cri...

This sturdy and elegant English-chinoiserie umbrella stand gets its sturdiness from its metal core and its elegances from the hand painted chinoiserie nature scene on papier mâché in...

This is an antique ornate stick stand. An English, cast iron hallway umbrella rack, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. Enthusiastical...

Rare and interesting wood and brass wall coat-hanger. English Art & Crafts work. Circa 1890

E W Godwin style of, a fine quality Anglo-Japanese oak hallstand with upper panels depicting songbirds perched in a cherry blossoms, a central bevelled mi...

An imposing 1970 film prop ladder by maker Stephens & Carter, stamped L.F.S (London Film School). In good solid condition with nice wear and paint. Original...

This is an antique decorative hall stand. An English, cast iron stick rack in the manner of Coalbrookdale, dating to the Edwardian period, circa 1910. Wonderfully ornate hallway stand...

An original example in excellent order, black enamel coated frame with polished aluminium luggage rack. This example is a nice handy size and will fi...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale 1 of 2 Dolce & Gabbana retail shop display rails from Bond Street London Please note the delivery fee liste...

K0280 Fine English Victorian walnut coat rack with four shaped coat and hat hooks in brass on solid walnut backing. Cleaned and polished, ready to place at  home. c1880 Please view o...

Typical form, slots for magazines or papers over a drawer, turned legs and casters.

An English rum keg with oak staves bound with brass bands. Of coopered construction with staves shaped to fit snugly and become watertight when filled with liquid. Retaining remnant ...

Jaques Adnet style magazine rack, mid-20th century. Mid-Century Modern wrought Iron Faux bamboo and faux painted leather with stitch detail. Featuring two central horse bits and faux reed base...

Folding easel / sheet music holder.

Late 19th century oak umbrella or cane stand from England. This is a lovely umbrella stand, made solidly from nice English oak. The back legs are simple, to allow for easy placemen...

This unique early 19th Century Regency Rosewood Canterbury is designed to hold and organize items such as sheet music, magazines, or newspapers. Features X-shaped wooden storage divi...

Fine Sheraton Revival Inlaid Mahogany Canterbury on stand circa 1890s with 3 Division top, Floral Marquetry & inlaid panels , front & back, The Frieze with ribbon & Swag inlaid deco...

A handsome English two-tiered book trough or library book stand of walnut, from the Edwardian era, featuring a canted upper tier over a flat bottom ...

A fine antique English burl walnut music Canterbury whatnot stand etagere, circa 1880. This late 19th century music Canterbury having a twin-tiered what...

A superb quality Regency period mahogany whatnot Having four well figured tiers and adjustable top with Turned upright supports over one frieze drawer raised On turned legs with original brass castors (A very elegant and good quality 19th century whatnot...

A Very Good Quality Regency Period Mahogany Boat Shaped Canterbury Of Generous Proportion Having Pierced Carrying Handle And Turned Upright Supports Over One Drawer To Frieze Raised ...

Antique East Lake Style Wood Carved Easel This well balanced and sturdy decorative wood carved East Lake easel is crafted from mahogany wood with brass hardware. It measures six fe...

Dramatic black lacquer ebonized artist easel stand made in the English chinoiserie revival period of the early 20th century. The stand features a de...

Scottish cast iron umbrella stand with decorative urns, swags, and floral motif resting on a molded edge rectangular base with two removable pans for water . Mid-19th century. Carron...

With brass carrying handle, boot holder and trestle support.

A tall and impressive Victorian hall stand in walnut. The central domed top is complemented with an arrangement of two rows of seven substantial painted brass hooks. The base is fl...

A superb antique hand crafted English brass and oak magazine rack, circa 1920. It has been professionally polished and lacquered. This lovely stand has a stylish Art Deco design with...

19th century oak hall stand from England. The top has a lovely crown molding, over a hand carved central panel, flanked by carved sides, which have three brass hooks on each side fo...

A wonderful, impeccably English deluxe valet stand with trouser press. Circa 1920's. Labelled 'Watt Cam Tourist' and 'The Watts Dumb Valet' patent design. This stylish English stand...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original Arts & Crafts Shapland & Petter Hall stand with hand hammered Copper panels over a Walnut frame with inset sheild mirror Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price A very good looking well made and decorative hat glove coat and scarf rack, this one is rare as it has the central mirror and its an earlier than usual example circa 1900 Made by Shapland & Petter, a full blub on their life and works can be found below In terms of the condition it is straight and solid, the piece sits well in any setting and looks decorative and very English country house, we have cleaned waxed and polished the timber, there is one hook slightly bent, otherwise its in fine order Dimensions Height:- 205cm Width:- 113cm Depth:- 40cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask Shapland and Petter of Barnstaple Introduction This Barnstaple based company manufactured some of the finest pieces of furniture in Arts and Crafts style but very little has been written about the company or the pieces they produced. It a great shame that whilst Shapland and Petter pieces have been illustrated in books and auction catalogues they are invariably attributed to other makers such as Liberty and Co in London or Wylie and Lochhead in Glasgow. With this feature, we intend to inspire a more thorough appreciation of the work of the company; readers are invited to help with the task by sending photographs and information. Collectors and auction houses are now showing significantly more interest in Shapland and Petter pieces. The company, based in Barnstaple, England produced a very wide range of furniture in several different styles including many pieces in period reproduction and municipal style for town halls and commercial premises alongside their superb Arts and Crafts range Distinctive features of their superb Arts and Crafts style are the use of heart shaped piercing, geometric shapes with angled arches and the application of repousse copper panels. Decoration with marquetry, metal inlay, mounting of ceramic and enamel cabochons were techniques which they mastered with a combination of state of the art technology and traditional craftsmanship. Most distinctively, the pieces were extremely well made, with care and very best quality materials The growing interest in Shapland and Petter has raised many questions about the origins of the firm, and the sources of influence on their designs, some of which resemble designs by Ashbee, Ballie Scott, Voysey and Talwin Morris. Links have been assumed with Liberty and Co with the supposition Shapland and Petter worked on commissions for Liberty. There appears to be little evidence to support many of the assumptions which have developed around the company and this article is intended to help to start the discussion and to stimulate research The History of Shapland and Petter The Museum of North Devon in Barnstaple have an archive of Shapland and Petter which includes some company records and a small display of furniture and related items. The following text gives history of the company and is reproduced from the display boards in the museum with kind permission of North Devon Museums For over 100 years the Shapland and Petter factory has stood at the end of Barnstaple Long Bridge. Manufacturers of doors, door sets, and custom wood interiors, NT Shapland and Petter Ltd are still one of the towns largest employers. The company was established by Henry Shapland (b. 1823), a cabinet maker by trade. He embarked on a voyage to America in 1848, where he was inspired by an invention for a wave-moulding machine. He was only allowed to see it if he left the country immediately. Returning home with only rough notes, he reproduced the machine and in 1854 began a cabinet making business in one room at the Raleigh woolen mill in Pilton. Later the firm moved to Bear Street in Barnstaple. Henry Petter was an accountant who entered into partnership with Mr Shapland. The business progressed and in 1864 they bought the Raleigh Factory where Shapland first began his work. Success was rapid, but in 1888 the building burnt down. Immediately work began on a bigger and better factory - their present site by the Long Bridge - which included many modern inventions The two Henrys died within two years of each other - Petter in 1907 and Shapland in 1909. In 1924 Shapland and Petter merged with the Barnstaple Cabinet Company, producing North Devon's biggest industry. During the First World War Shapland and Petter's skilled craftsmen turned their hands to wooden propellers for the aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps. After the war, public tastes changed, and hand carved furniture was too expensive for many. Shapland and Petter's output now included elegant veneered pieces with smooth Art Deco lines. The company fitted out Pullman carriages and ocean liners and made hand-carved church furniture. The famous England Rugby Captain W. W. Wakefield was appointed Company Director in 1927. Throughout the depression of the late 1920's and early 1930's the company still managed to produce high quality work Furniture manufacturing continued until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Many workers left to fight, while the factory worked on Air Ministry contracts for ammunition boxes. After the war came radio cabinets and laboratory and contract furniture, until eventually large quantities of doors were being produced for hospitals, hotels, schools, offices and other buildings. Examples of Shapland and Petter's work can be seen all over North Devon. In Barnstaple, the shop front at 109 High Street is a good example, and the interior of the old Lloyd's Bank, now Chamber's Brasserie, was also Shapland's work. Examples of carving by Shapland's men can be seen in two chairs and a reading desk in Barnstaple Parish Church As cabinet makers, Shapland and Petter employed up to 350 people at a time. There were designers, carvers, cabinet makers, machinists, polishers, and labourers. The company was one of the first to install American labour-saving devices and was keen to adopt the most up-to-date machinery The fire of 1888 at the Raleigh Cabinet Works was a huge loss for the company. However, it resulted in a new factory which was altogether more modern and better equipped. The new building by the river was arranged into blocks. The production line began with the saw mills and ended with the finishing rooms. There was modern machinery in every department - one of their saws was the first of its kind in Britain. Water sprinklers and electric lights were a necessity - this factory would not burn down As well as the furniture production, Shapland and Petter imported timber by sea and rail. The new factory 's facilities were exceptional Shapland and Petter were renowned for excellent design and workmanship. The carvers were highly skilled, serving seven year apprenticeships and attending classes at the Barnstaple School of Art. Ornately carved furniture required up to a hundred tools The factory produced made to order woodwork for banks, hotels, and shops; mantelpieces, paneling and staircases. They fitted out Pullman railway carriages, the London Guildhall, and Edgar Wallace 's dining room as well as houses like Tapeley Park in North Devon Much of the work involved intricate leaded glass panels, or inlaid fruitwood designs, like the white bedroom suite shown in the exhibition here. This type of work is typical of Art Nouveau 1895 to 1910, inspired by the fluid shapes of plants and flowers Many pieces were made from standard designs. There were hundreds to choose from, and a selection could be seen in local and London showrooms and in catalogues. Although mass-produced, this furniture was well-made by skilled technicians and modern machinery Arts and Crafts designs of Shapland and Petter The development of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the South West of England has not been written up in any detail though we do know of the Art Potters of Barnstaple from the excellent book of this name by Audrey Edgeler. Less is known of the Barnstaple Guild of Metal Workers. We know of the Bath Cabinet Makers and the Newlyn School of Industrial Art in Cornwall but very little has been written about the furniture makers of Barnstaple in Devon The establishment of a large cabinet making firm in Barnstaple is not remarkable in itself; there were several cabinet makers in the area. What is interesting is that this particular Barnstaple firm should become a leading maker of Arts and Crafts furniture, copying the styles of the leading Architect designers and creating their own unique style Critics may point out that as their work was commercially driven and reliant upon machines it therefore does not really qualify as Arts and Crafts. Whilst the company was highly innovative in machine technology, they also employed many craftsmen who worked with their hands in woodcarving, marquetry work, design and application of decorative copperwork and other artistic embellishment in the true Arts and Crafts tradition. Anyone who has experience of Shapland and Petter workmanship knows the level of craftsmanship invested in each piece Sources of inspiration There appears to be no evidence to link any known architect, artist or designer to the Shapland and Petter company. Their designs appear to have been created solely by their own internal design staff none of whom appear to have published or registered their work in any other context C. R. Ashbee who established the Guild of Handicrafts visited Barnstaple in 1893 and provided a twelve week course on the design and decoration of furniture. It is presumed that this visit was hosted by Shapland and Petter, and that their own staff and those from other local furniture makers attended the course. Ashbee appears to have been unimpressed by the commercial attitudes he encountered and apparently disappointed at the lack of interest in his (high minded) lectures. What is interesting however is the similarity between some of his designs and those used by Shapland and Petter, particularly in respect to inlaid floral design. Perhaps he left a lasting influence which has not yet been verified There has been some speculation on the influence of Scottish designers, particularly because of the use of Glasgow rose designs which are typical of the Glasgow School, and particularly of Talwin Morris. There are also several designs which use similar motifs to those used by Baillie Scott, the use of two doves in flight for example. More research is needed to trace possible links here. One thing that is clear is that there was a great deal of copying and selling designs in the furniture industry at the time and a nineteenth century survey on the furniture trade recorded that '' Barnstaple pays the best prices for designs ..'' Collaboration with other companies There is evidence that Shapland and Petter organised a wide network of companies to retail their products and hence many pieces have the labels of retail furnishers added. Little is known of their marketing in Europe and America but it may be that many Arts and Crafts pieces were sold abroad. Shapland and Petter had excellent access to rail and shipping lines for importing timber and presumably for exporting their finished products The extent of their collaboration with other companies is yet to be ascertained but there is evidence that their suppliers included the Della Robbia Pottery, Pilkingtons Tile...

An English rustic oak barrel from the late 19th century, with iron braces. Created in England during the last decade of the 19th century, this barrel features a sturdy oak body made ...

An English Victorian period wooden oval shaped barrel from the 19th century with painted coat of arms and brass braces. Step into the grandeur of the Victorian era with this English ...

A fine antique late 18th century George III mahogany & brass music duet stand, circa 1790. The stand is made of the finest figured Cuban mahogny & has twin music slants with hinged r...

Oak Hat and Umbrella Stand, of circular form with carved finial above eight well-cast brass adjustable coat hooks supported on solid oak uprights. To the quarter-divided umbrella sta...

Edwardian Brass Half Moon Stick Stand with Mahogany Back and drip tray insert - 12.5"w x 8"d x 29.5"h

Circa 1900-1910 Warm oak patina hand made barley twist cane stand with simple lines, six sectionals and original metal drip pans. Compact size and e...

This antique walking stick or umbrella stand is unsigned, but presumed to have originated from England and date to approximately 1900 and done in the period Edwardian style. The stan...

English Victorian-style brass book / magazine rack with a lyre motif top with four sections, a black lacquer wooden floor, supported by a pedestal base with central black lacquered s...

English Victorian rectangular dark brown crocodile easel picture frame. Condition: Good; Wear consistent with age and use

A very good quality Victorian swivel top bentwood coat and stick stand, in overall excellent condition. 79" high 18" square You are welcome to view this item at our showroom, pleas...

Having a handled backrest used for movement and a galleried tray for stacking books, with original brass casters.

English Victorian brass rectangular easel picture frame with embossed roses and floral design frame.