One of the chairs; Furniture History, vol. 25 (1989), p. 139.
THE LIVERPOOL TOWN HALL SALOON CHAIRS, English, 1825
Height of seat: 20 in; 51 cm
Width: 24 ¾ in; 63 cm
Depth: 24 ¾ in; 63 cm
Further images
A pair of George IV brass mounted rosewood armchairs designed by Joseph Gandy and made by Rachel Edmundson & Sons.
Liverpool town hall was partly destroyed in a fire in 1795. Following its refurbishment, thirty-seven of these chairs were supplied by the Liverpool cabinet-making firm of Rachel Edmundson & Sons. An inventory of the town hall in 1835 records twelve chairs in the west drawing room, thirteen in the east drawing room and the remaining twelve in the saloon. The chairs were originally covered in crimson cloth which was also supplied by Rachel Edmundson & Sons.
The architect Joseph Gandy was a former student of James Wyatt. He had also worked in partnership with the sculptor, cabinet-maker and designer George Bullock, whose influence can be seen in the design of the chairs.
Today thirty-three chairs from the original set remain at the town hall.
Provenance
Commissioned for Liverpool town hall.Literature
Illustrated:
Margaret Jourdain, Regency Furniture, London 1949, p. 91, Fig. 62, one of the chairs.
June Dean, ‘Furniture in Liverpool Town Hall’, Furniture History, vol. 25 (1989), p. 139; one of the chairs.
