Antique Mahogany Leather Revolving Office Desk Chair by Maple & Co. (Circa 1920)

Summary:
• Item: Revolving desk armchair
• Circa: 1920
• Period: George V
• Provenance: England, UK
• Cabinet Maker: Maples & Co.
• Wood: Solid mahogany
• Padded leather back
• Newly upholstered in brown leather
• Newly padded seat
• Padded, shaped arms
• Hand tacked brass studwork
• Splayed mahogany legs
• Original castors
• Height adjustable
• Cleaned & serviced Hillcrest mechanism
• Rotates 360 degrees
• Very comfortable
• Very sturdy
• Excellent condition
• Stunning original patination & colour
• Free delivery to mainland England, Wales & southern Scotland*
• 14 day free UK returns policy

Description:
Here is a fine quality antique English George V mahogany & brown leather revolving office armchair, by Maples & Co, circa 1920, which has been newly upholstered and is in excellent condition. The chair features a high curved padded back, secured by padded arms, on shaped vertical supports. The chair has been newly upholstered in top quality full grain brown leather, which has been finished with hand-tacked studs to the perimeter. The seat has been fully re-upholstered; therefore, the seat is firm, but comfortable and you do not sink into the seat. The underside of the seat features a traditional hessian backing. The chair boasts a Hillcrest mechanism; the chair rotates 360 degrees and the seat height can be adjusted by turning a ribbed metal screw on the underside of the chair. The chair also features a reclining action. The tension of the reclining action can be adjusted by turning the wheel at the front of the mechanism. The chair mechanism has been cleaned and serviced and is in good working order. The chair stands on mahogany legs with the original mug castors. The chair is very comfortable to sit on, has a fantastic colour and is in good condition.

This item features a rich brown mahogany colour. As it boasts the original polish, it has a fantastic colour and patination; this can only be achieved through age and years of care and cleaning it has received.

This item would look superb in a variety of rooms in the home, especially the office or study as it so comfortable. This item would certainly grace any home. So don’t miss out on your chance to own a lovely piece of furniture.

Provenance:
Sir John Blundell Maple (1845-1903) was a furnishing storeowner, perhaps the most successful of all Victorian retail entrepreneurs. He achieved great wealth, became a politician, a horserace breeder and a member of the Prince of Wales’ set, and his emporium in 149 Tottenham Court Road, London, furnished everyone who was anyone in Victorian society.

Maple was born in 1845. His father, John Maple, had come from Horley, Surrey, where he had been apprenticed before opening a small shop there. John Maple senior moved to London, working first as a shop assistant, and then moving to Tottenham Court Road where he set up in business with James Cook. Within a few years the partnership had split and John Maple decided to run the business on his own. He began to succeed with what was at first a very small business, despite a fire and a building collapse. In fact, he was so successful that he was able to afford a good education for his son, John Blundell Maple (Blundell was his wife’s maiden name).

At the age of 16, John Blundell Maple joined his father’s business, which began to take off in ways never before imagined. John Blundell Maple had exceptional business skills and while still a young man was running the company. The British Empire was spreading round the world and Maples seized the opportunity – by the 1880s it was the largest furniture store on the planet. John Blundell Maple’s skills and vision were crucial and the moment was right for expansion.

Maples manufactured their own luxury furniture in a complex eventually so vast that by the 1880s it occupied an area where once stood 200 houses. They were timber importers, and exporters of furniture and fittings to all parts of the world. They used steam power and electricity, had a fleet of horse-drawn vans, depository and showrooms, and employed a vast workforce.

Maples’ market was the middle class and upwards – anyone anywhere who had money. They furnished palaces all over the world, including Tsar Nicholas’s Winter Palace, the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna, all the great hotels, and town and country homes. Maples furnished all prestigious British embassies, even if it meant carrying a grand piano up the Khyber Pass on packhorses.

After the end of World War II and the change in tastes and the manufacturing cost factors, the decline started. In 1980 the furniture maker Warring & Gillow joined with Maple & Co., to become Maple, Waring & Gillow. It subsequently became part of Allied Maples Group Ltd, which includes Allied Carpets. In 1997 it went into administration and was taken over by the retailer Allders (Source: BBC & Wikipedia).

Condition Report:
The chair and mechanism are in good working condition. Nominal old use marks to the leading edges of the chair frame, but nothing significant considering the age of the item. The chair frame has been cleaned and wax polished in our workshop. The chair has been newly upholstered in top quality full grain brown leather, which incorporates traditional brass studwork tacks to the seat perimeter and traditional hessian material to the underside. Therefore, the leather is in excellent condition, with no damage, wear and tear or marks. The seat has been re-padded, making it firm, but comfortable to sit on, and you do not sink into the seat. The revolving Hillcrest mechanism is in good working order, having been stripped down, cleaned and serviced. There is some play to the mechanism, but this is perfectly acceptable, and in line with the age of the chair, and will be found in all office chairs of this age. The chair stands on mahogany legs with the original steel castors. The chair is well constructed, solid in joint and ready to use.

Dimensions:
The following information provides dimensions for when the chair height is lowered and also raised to its highest setting by adjusting the central steel rod:

Raised External Height = 98.3cm or 38” or 3ft 2”
Lowered External Height = 90.5cm or 35⅝” or 2ft 11⅝”
External Width (feet) = 68cm or 26¾” or 2ft 2¾”
External Depth (feet) = 68cm or 26¾” or 2ft 2¾”
Raised Seat Height = 57.5cm or 22⅝” or 1ft 10⅝”
Lowered Seat Height = 49.5cm or 19½” or 1ft 7½”
Seat Width (inside arms) = 53.3cm or 21” or 1ft 9”
Seat Depth = 45.5cm or 18” or 1ft 6”
Raised Arm Height = 76.8cm or 30¼” or 2ft 6¼”
Lowered Arm Height = 69cm or 27⅛” or 2ft 3⅛”
Back Height = 45.5cm or 17⅞” or 1ft 5⅞”

Terms & Conditions:
Before you purchase this item, please ensure you have read and are in agreement with our Terms & Conditions of Sale. If you have any questions regarding our Terms & Conditions of Sale, please contact us to discuss them, before purchasing this item.

Ref. Office Chair 114