English Victorian Maple & Co. Olive Wood Wardrobe (Circa 1880)

This is an exhibition quality antique English large Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe, constructed from olive wood, inspired by the aesthetic movement, comprising a bow-front centre, flanked by two full-length mirrored doors, decorated with stunning carved detail, circa 1880, in excellent original condition.

Summary:
• Item: Victorian Maple & Co. Wardrobe
• Circa: 1880
• Period: Victorian
• Style: Aesthetic Movement
• Provenance: England, UK
• Wood: Olive Wood
• Classic Aesthetic movement styling
• Ornate shaped / floral carved detachable pelmet
• Elaborate moulded & carved door panels
• Central bow-front linen press & chest of drawers
• Three internal bow-fronted linen trays
• Five bow-fronted & chamfered drawers
• Two full-length bevel mirror doors
• Full-length hanging rails / hooks
• Internal wardrobe shelves
• Solid mahogany hand-dovetail drawer linings
• Original brass lever locks and latches, with working key
• Original top quality brass drawer handles
• Working locks & keys to door and drawer
• Moulded frame and plinth
• Original backboards
• Original plinth
• Exhibition quality - fantastic superior materials & construction
• Original polish & patination
• Dismantles into 5 sections – easy access into rooms
• Free delivery to England, Wales & southern Scotland*
• 14-day free UK returns policy

Description:
This is an exhibition quality antique English large Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe, constructed from olive wood, inspired by the aesthetic movement, comprising a bow-front centre, flanked by two full-length mirrored doors, decorated with stunning carved detail, circa 1880, in excellent original condition.

The Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe, comprises an elaborate floral carved detachable pelmet, comprising an ornate central urn, flanked by scroll & feather ends and aesthetic geometric mouldings. The carved pelmet rail runs the full length of the wardrobe. Please note, the pelmet is detachable and can be removed, if the ceiling height in the room is too restrictive.

The central section of the Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe is constructed with two small bow-front doors, decorated with four fine floral carved panels, on a punch work background, set within a moulded frame. The doors open to reveal three sliding mahogany-linen linen trays. Below, is a bank of five graduated drawers, finished with chamfered drawer fronts which are constructed with solid mahogany hand-dovetail drawer linings. The doors and drawer fronts retain the original top-quality solid brass handles, bass lever locks and a working key.

The central bow front section is flanked by two full length arch bevel mirror doors, which open to reveal a full-length hanging space. The doors retain the original brass lockable stays on the inside. The interior comprises a single storage shelf above a brass hanging rail, fitted with the original sliding brass hooks, with additional hanging hooks on the back wall.

The Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe is raised on its original moulded plinth and retains its original backboards. The wardrobe dismantles into five sections (cornice, top, door and base), allowing easy access up the staircase into the bedroom.

This Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe boasts exquisite grain configuration to the olive wood. The quality of the carvings is first class and the general construction of this armoire reflects the finest examples of Victorian craftmanship. It is also very rate to find such large items made from olive wood (it was usually small tables or boxes) as this was a very expensive material. This truly is an exhibition piece, used to demonstrate the finest quality of Maple & Co. furniture.

As the olive wood wardrobe retains its original patination, it boasts a lovely warm mellow colour. This can only be achieved through age and the years of care and cleaning it has received.

This Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe is an excellent investment but also very practical for storage and would look superb in a variety of rooms, in either a traditional or contemporary setting. This large wardrobe would certainly grace any home. So don’t miss out on your chance to own a lovely piece of furniture.

History of Maple & Co. London:
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’s 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: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_%26_Co.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allders
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/makhist10_prog13b.shtml

External Dimensions:
Height (Including Pelmet) = 258cm / 10⅝” / 8ft 5⅝”
Height (Excluding Pelmet) = 217cm / 85⅜” / 7ft 1⅜”
Width (Cornice) = 233.6cm / 92”/ 7ft 8”
Width (Plinth) = 226.5cm / 88⅜” / 7ft 4⅜”
Depth = 76.5cm / 30⅛” / 2ft 6⅛”

Internal Dimensions - Hanging Cupboard:
Max Height = 149.5cm / 58⅞” / 4ft 10⅞”
Height (from top of metal rail) = 146.5cm / 57⅝” / 4ft 9⅝”
Width = 60cm / 23⅝” / 1ft 11⅝”
Depth = 49.5cm / 19½” / 1ft 7½”

Internal Dimension – Shelf Above Hanging Rails:
Height = 30.5cm / 12” / 1ft
Width = 60cm / 23⅝” / 1ft 11⅝”
Depth = 47cm / 18½” / 1ft 6½”

The above internal dimensions relate to the internal space of the internal shelf and the brass hanging rails. This may be useful if you have clothes of a certain length or coat hangers of a certain width.

Condition Report:
This is an exhibition quality antique English large Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe, constructed from olive wood, inspired by the aesthetic movement, comprising a bow-front centre, flanked by two full-length mirrored doors, decorated with stunning carved detail, circa 1880, in excellent original condition. Nominal old use marks to the leading edges of the frame, but nothing significant considering its age. The wardrobe has been cleaned and wax-polished by hand in our workshop to a professional standard. The doors and drawers all close comfortably. All the original drawer and door locks are present (including a working key) with the original brass handles and escutcheons. The wardrobe doors retain the original bevel glass, which show minor signs of foxing is certain places. All internal drawers and linen slides are present. The drawer runs smoothly and closes flush to the frame. The wardrobe is raised on its original moulded plinth and retains its original pelmet. The wardrobe also features the original backboards. This olive wood wardrobe is solid in joint and ready to use.

Price:
The price for this item is £12,450 which includes free delivery to mainland England, Wales & southern Scotland* and free 14-day returns. The free delivery includes delivery to the ground floor. If the wardrobe needs to be lifted upstairs, we ask that you provide lifting assistance at the point of delivery.

Customer Service:
We offer customer satisfaction through the following services:
• Free delivery to England, Wales & Southern Scotland*
• Free 14 Day Returns
• Full money back assurance
• Worldwide shipping
• Full insurance of items in transit

Further Information:
For more information or photographs please contact us.

Free UK Delivery*:
We offer free delivery to mainland England, Wales, and Southern Scotland (anywhere south of Stirling). *We do not offer free delivery to locations north of Stirling in Scotland, Northern Ireland, or any British Islands off the mainland; for example, the Isle of Man, Isle of White and Channel Islands. If you live in one of the areas where we do not offer free delivery, please contact us for a delivery quote before purchasing the item. Delivery will be made by our specialised antique furniture delivery service, or in some cases we will use a courier service for distant deliveries.

Delivery times are usually 1-4 weeks depending on location; we aim to deliver the majority of items within 2 weeks. All items are professionally packaged and fully insured in transit; therefore, we can assure you, your items will be securely protected in transit and arrive safely with you.

Once you have purchased an item, we will contact you by email and/or telephone and provide you with a provisional delivery date, in order for you to confirm if it is suitable for you. Once you have confirmed you can accept delivery on the provisional delivery date, we will book the delivery in with our shippers and it then becomes a confirmed delivery date.

We will also provide you with our shippers' contact details, in case you need to contact the driver on the day of delivery. It's helpful if you can provide us with both the landline and mobile telephone number, in case the driver cannot reach you on one of the numbers on the day of delivery, they can contact you on your alternative number.

In order to be able to offer you free delivery, it is based on a 1-man delivery only. For any large items that require 2 people to lift the item, we ask that you are available at the time of delivery to be able to give our shipper a lift off the van and into your house with the item. If you are not able to lift items yourself, we ask that you have someone on hand at the time of delivery to assist our shipper with lifting the item.

Free 14 Days UK Returns & Refunds:
A free 14-day “no quibble” returns policy (from the date you receive the item) is available if you are not happy with this item. We will collect the item free of charge from you (we do not charge a return fee / collection fee). You will be given a full refund as long as the item is returned in the same condition. We will collect returns using our own specialist furniture delivery company. We will not accept returns via a courier service (due to experience of damaged items in transit). This refund policy only applies to deliveries to the UK.

UK Buyer Payment:
For UK buyers, we accept cash on collection or delivery; cheque, credit card, BACS (free bank to bank transfer) or PayPal. Payment is requested within 5 days of the sale. Payment must be cleared before the items are collected or delivered.

International Buyers:
If you live outside the UK and you would like to purchase this item, please contact us before purchasing it, so that we can obtain an accurate shipping quote and delivery lead-time. The shipping quote provided is a global estimate only. The actual shipping cost will vary by country and postcode. Due to the distances and costs involved with shipping outside the UK, a returns policy is therefore not available for international buyers. Before placing your order(s) please make sure this is the item for you. We request payment by bank transfer (we do not accept payment via PayPal, credit or debit cards for international purchases). Payment is requested within 10 days of the purchase. Payment must be cleared before the items are collected or delivered to our shippers. The advertised price of the item does not include the shipping cost, sales tax, import duty or custom fees.

Important information regarding PayPal payment:
We only accept payment from fully verified PayPal account holders with confirmed addresses only. Items will only be sent to the confirmed address registered in PayPal. If you purchase an item and your address is not confirmed, your payment will be refunded and the purchase cancelled. It only takes a few moments to verify and confirm your PayPal details.

Delisting & Sale Cancellation:
This item is currently being advertised elsewhere than eBay. If it is sold through another sales channel, it will be removed from sale on eBay at the earliest possible time (even if the eBay listing has not ended). If this item has been purchased through eBay but the item has already been sold via another sales channel prior to the eBay sale, we reserve the right to cancel the sale of this item on eBay.

About the Seller:
This item is being sold by Yola Gray Antiques who is an accredited member of LAPADA (the UK’s largest Trade Association of Professional Art and Antique Dealers) and CINOA. CINOA is the world association of Art & Antique dealer associations. All LAPADA & CINOA members abide by their strict code of practice by adhering to reputable standards of quality, expertise and integrity.

Yola Gray has dealt in fine art and antique furniture for over 45 years. Yola Gray has a special interest in colonial furniture, specifically colonial four poster beds. Yola Gray also provides a variety of fine English antique furniture, art and fabrics to clients in the UK, Europe and further afield.

Please visit the Yola Gray website for further items and information.

Ref. 107726

Condition report:

This is an exhibition quality antique English large Victorian Maple & Co. wardrobe, constructed from olive wood, inspired by the aesthetic movement, comprising a bow-front centre, flanked by two full-length mirrored doors, decorated with stunning carved detail, circa 1880, in excellent original condition. Nominal old use marks to the leading edges of the frame, but nothing significant considering its age. The wardrobe has been cleaned and wax-polished by hand in our workshop to a professional standard. The doors and drawers all close comfortably. All the original drawer and door locks are present (including a working key) with the original brass handles and escutcheons. The wardrobe doors retain the original bevel glass, which show minor signs of foxing is certain places. All internal drawers and linen slides are present. The drawer runs smoothly and closes flush to the frame. The wardrobe is raised on its original moulded plinth and retains its original pelmet. The wardrobe also features the original backboards. This olive wood wardrobe is solid in joint and ready to use.

Additional dimensions information:

Height (Excluding Pelmet) = 217cm / 85⅜” / 7ft 1⅜”