Lawes, T. and Co. (1860-1915)
Lawes, Kitchen and Booth; Lawes, T. and Co.; Lawes, Thomas, Randell and Co.
London; Manchester, Lancashire & Edinburgh, Scotland; wholesale cabinet maker, timber merchant, feather merchant, bedding manufacturer, looking glass manufacturer, carved woodwork manufacturer, gilder, piano manufacturer & upholsterer (fl.1860-1915)
Lawes, Kitchen and Booth, feather merchants, purifiers & wholesale cabinet makers & upholsterers were listed at 65 City Road in London Post Office Directory, 1860 and by 1865 the firm was called Thomas Lawes and Co. In 1874 they advertised as ‘Wholesale cabinet and pianoforte makers and factors, upholsterers, looking-glass manufacturers, and gilders, feather dressers. By Patent Process. Bedding, mattress, quilt and down clothing manufacturers. Importers of French cabinets, furniture, etc.’ [The Furniture Gazette, 3 January 1874].
A detailed description was published in The Furniture Gazette of their London factory and stock of ‘common, middle and first class furniture’ for the hall, drawing room, library, dining room, breakfast room and bedroom; the wholesale prices being ‘cheap’ and quality reputedly good. The principal cabinet-making shop had about thirty benches, including one for Mr. George Hudson, who reputedly executed the fine figure carving on a sideboard shown at the International Exhibition, 1862 (although the name of the firm was not stated) and also some figure carvings in St Peter’s Church, Cornhill. Nearby was the bench of a french ‘ouvrier’, who was working currently on a sideboard [The Furniture Gazette, 29 November 1873].
The furniture produced in 1873 included wardrobes, cabinets and sideboards, chairs & tables, in Medieval, Gothic & Renaissance styles and made in walnut, ebonised, white oak, ash and mahogany. At this time their 'novelty' furniture included ‘The Handel’, a combination music and writing cabinet; the new ‘Louise’ writing and work table; the patent combined billiard table and dining table; the patent ‘Comfort’ carpet, armchairs, and various child carriages.
Messrs. Lawes also held the sole agency of ornamental woodwork for a company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The firm produced knobs, handles and other forms of ornamentation. John Williams Benn designed some of the furniture and both he and Mr Randell (the managing partner) had a fear of running behind trends. A suite designed by the former was domestic Gothic in style, and available in ebony, oak or sycamore, with maroon morocco. Looking glasses were another speciality of the firm; gilt carved or gilt combo chimney glasses, dressing, box, tray and cheval glasses. There were also feather & bedding departments.
An author for The Furniture Gazette regarded Hudson’s choice of timber as his forte with their yard was extensively stocked with logs, planks, boards and veneers.
The firm was then listed in The Furniture Gazette Directory (1876 & 1877) with the same City Road address along with adjoining factories in Oliver Yard’s, London; 20 St Mary’s Parsonage, Albert Street, Manchester, Lancashire & 3 East Register Street, Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Furniture Gazette illustrated various furniture in editorial and the firm’s advertisements: a bedroom suite in birch with ebonised decoration [13 March 1875]; a white oak sideboard with brown oak panels, mouldings of ebony with two terracotta door panels representing winter and summer, designed by J. W. Benn [11 September 1875]; an oak sideboard [21 September 1878]; and hall furniture[14 December 1878]. Benn, with the City Road address had also applied for a patent for a children’s chair which could be adjusted to various heights, to be used as a nursery carriage, or when separated as a low chair, table or cart, and also independently for commode purposes [The Furniture Gazette, 17 November 1877].
A nursery chair and phaeton were among the display of its furniture at the 1878 Paris Exhibition, illus. [The Furniture Gazette, 5 October & 16 November 1878]. Lawes also participated in the 2nd Furniture Trades Exhibition, Agricultural Hall, 1882 [The Furniture Gazette, 25 March 1882].
In 1883 an extensive fire occurred at their cabinet factory in Tabernacle Walk, Finsbury, with production temporarily continued in Oliver’s Yard. The following year it was announced that new cabinet factories were to be built in Tabernacle Walk; tenders for this work ranged from £23,844 to £24,700 [The Furniture Gazette, The Furniture Gazette, 21 April 1883 & 26 April 1884].
Lawes was listed in The Furniture Gazette: Classified List of the Furniture, Upholstery and Allied Trades (1886) as wholesale Art Furniture Manufacturers and Merchants, Cabinet Carvers, Gilders, Looking Glass Manufacturers at 65 City Road, London and 3 East Register Street, Edinburgh. T. Lawes was recorded in connection with a bill of sale of £200 in 1880 & re-registered in 1885 for W. H. Percival of Westbourne Grove, which could have been in connection with the use of Percival's patent for an improved folding chair [The Furniture Gazette, 17 March 1877 & 1 September 1885].
Messrs. Lawes took two of their employees, Thomas Edwards and Thomas Rutter, to court for breaches of contract due to their unwillingness to make a wardrobe for the originally quoted price which was less than deemed appropriate by the Society. The employers sought damages and the judge ruled in favour of them [The Furniture Gazette, 16 December 1876 & 3 February 1877]. Another similar case, against an employee, Alex Horne, resulted in the same judgement. As a result of these disputes over employees’ wages, Lawes presented the idea of establishing an alternative master cabinet maker association to allow employers to negotiate employees’ wages direct so as to prevent ‘starvation wages’ [The Furniture Gazette, 30 December 1876, 13 January, 10 February & 24 February 1877]. Thomas Lawes & Company are cited for completing a 'wage questionnaire' in March 1893.
The partnership between the furniture makers, Thomas Lawes & John Edwin Randell of 65 City Road, was dissolved on 24 July 1886 [The Gazette, 24 December 1888].
Thomas Lawes and Co. were recorded as cabinet makers and upholsterers at 65 City Road in 1893 and the 1915 London Post Office Directory recorded addresses as 55 & 65 City Road, Oliver's Yard and Tabernacle Street [London Post Office Directory, 1893 & 1915].
Source: Agius, British Furniture 1880-1915 (1978).
Occupation
Object
- Overmantle
- Children's furniture
- Hall furniture
- Drawing room furniture
- Library furniture
- Dining room furniture
- Bedroom furniture
- Sideboard
- Wardrobe
- Cabinet
- Chair
- Table
- Writing cabinet
- Work table
- Billiard table
- Dining table
- Armchair
- Carriage
- Carpet
- Looking glass
- Chimney glass
- Dressing glass
- Box
- Tray
- Cheval glass
- Bedding
- Panel
- Phaeton