Sharples Thomas; Sharples & Rainford

Liverpool, Lancashire and London; cabinet maker and upholsterer (fl. 1804–1834)

The business is first recorded as a partnership with a person named Rainford, 1804–05. They traded from 4 Haymarket and advertised themselves as cabinet and bedstead manufacturers. Sharples & Rainford stated that they were successors to Edward Rimmington, and on 8 February 1804 indicated that Joseph Bennett, cabinet maker and upholsterer formerly of Dale Street, Liverpool, had transferred the goodwill of his business to them when he retired from trading.

On 7 May 1805 Thomas Sharples married Miss Blackburn of Lancaster at St Peter's Church, and by May 1809 was trading on his own behalf from the Haymarket address. From these premises he was able to offer ‘a fashionable assortment of Cabinet Furniture, Chairs, Bedsteads, Looking Glasses etc. etc. of all sizes & descriptions’. He remained at the Haymarket address until 1821, and from 1813 additional premises were used at 79 Fontenoy Street, described initially as a timber yard.

In December 1821 he announced a move to 8 Queen's Square which he continued to occupy until 1834. These new premises, described as a ‘Cabinet & Upholstery Warehouse’ could also be entered from St John's Lane. They were said to have spacious rooms ‘with a choice assortment of Household Furniture’. He also sold ‘Venetian Shade Blinds, Paper Hangings, Mattresses etc.’.

The Fontenoy Street address was retained but now called a manufactory. The number was however to change to 96 in 1821–29, and 89 in 1834. One directory of 1827 records 49 Fontenoy Street [Liverpool Chronicle, 22 February 1804, 22 May 1805, 24 May 1809; Liverpool Mercury, 14 December 1821].

Source: DEFM