The Antique Furniture Company

Description

An impressive Gothic Revival oak and pollard oak four door breakfront bookcase in the Pugin style and attributed to Gillows of Lancaster. Dating to c.1860 this superb library bookcase features a stepped castellated cornice with tapering stylised pine cone finials and a moulded frieze decorated with carved medieval square crosses and circles, and applied oak leaf bosses. In quarter-sawn oak with beautifully grained and rare pollard oak panels to the lower drawers and drawer fronts and finished with canted and notched edges throughout and attractive spray carvings flanking the drawers. The pierced brass fleur-de-lys terminated strap hinges and complimentary heavy ornate twist decorated handles are similar to those produced by Hart and Son of London and are of outstanding quality.

With eighteen original adjustable shelves to the upper section all finished with brown leather gilt embossed skirts in a design matching the carvings to the drawer sections, the stepped out base section with two removable shelves on fixed baton supports to each cupboard. Original Clarke & Timmins VR patent locks to the doors. With panelled sides also with canted & notched edges and standing on a plinth base, overall this bookcase will house a large run of 78 ft (23.76m) of books.

In very good condition overall with an attractive golden colour, this has been sympathetically cleaned and polished by hand using traditional materials. Some marks as should be expected for age and use and including a chip to the back of the plinth on the right hand side and three replaced locks to the drawers (which has resulted in a some marks to the top drawer edges which are unseen when closed). Presently the keys only operate some door locks but we will arrange for the locks to be serviced and keys to be cut where possible.

The overall dimensions at the largest points are approximately
Width - 10ft (305cm)
Depth - 20.5in (52cm)
Height - 118.5in (301cm)

The shelf dimensions are:
Upper sides - 26 5/8in wide x 9in deep (67.5cm wide x 23cm deep)
Upper centre - 55.75in wide x 11.75in deep (141.5cm wide x 29.7cm deep)

Base sides - 28.25in wide x 17 1/8in deep (72cm wide x 43.5cm deep)
Base centre - 27 5/8in wide x 20in deep (70cm wide x 51cm deep)

For moving this bookcase is designed to be split into sections with the cornice lifting off, the upper part dividing into three sections and lifting off the base. These sections should all be screwed together when assembled.

Ref: 0598

Delivery: We can arrange to deliver of this to most UK mainland destinations, prices start from around £150 for one man delivery.
Please appreciate all our items are antique and as such may have minor scratches, marks, knocks, shrinkage splits signs of old woodworm, and minor losses to veneer, which combine with care and years of polishing to create an individual character and patina. We cannot describe each marks separately and therefore suggest you do take the time to request extra photos. We do offer a 14 day money back guarantee for UK purchases but cannot refund the return shipping cost.