Summary:
• Item: Revolving desk armchair
• Circa: 1910
• Period: Edwardian
• Provenance: England, UK
• Wood: Solid beech and oak
• Cabinetmaker: Simpoles of Manchester
• Shaped back
• Wraparound arms
• Elegant fan splat back
• Newly upholstered crimson red leather seat
• Hand tacked brass stud seat
• Cleaned & serviced mechanism
• Splayed beech legs
• Brass castors
• Height adjustable
• Rotates 360 degrees
• Very comfortable
• Very sturdy
• Excellent quality
• Good 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 Edwardian beech and oak swivel office desk arm chair by Simpoles of Manchester, circa 1910, which has a newly upholstered crimson red leather seat, in good working condition. Beech was common choice of wood for constructing chairs, due its natural strength. The chair features a curved bar back, secured by wraparound arms, on shaped vertical supports. A central fan splat unites the shaped bar back to the beech seat frame. The chair seat has been newly upholstered in top quality full grain crimson red leather, which has been finished with hand-tacked studs to the seat perimeter. The chair rotates 360 degrees and the seat height can be adjusted by turning a ribbed metal screw on the underside of the chair, to the rear of the mechanism. The chair also features a reclining action. The tension of the reclining action can be adjusted by turning the small wheel to the front of the mechanism. The chair mechanism has been cleaned and serviced and is in good working order. The chair stands on splayed beech legs with brass castors. This swivel desk chair is very comfortable to sit on, has a fantastic colour and is in good condition.
Provenance – Simpoles of Manchester:
Simpoles of Manchester was a specialist office furniture cabinet maker, who was established in the late 19th Century.
Charles Simpole, the son of a pork butcher, was born around 1817 and started to operate as a furniture dealer & cabinet maker from his home at 13 Bradford Street and a workshop at 5 Victoria Terrace, Victoria Street, in Manchester from around 1850. The terrace at the end of Victoria Street contained various traders including an ironmonger, artist, architect & tea dealer together with residential homes. By 1863, he is still listed at Victoria Terrace, with the furniture broker & auctioneer side of the business operating from Cathedral Yard (later to be called Cathedral Steps). The business remained at Cathedral Steps until the end of the 1800’s.
Charles Simpole died around 1888 and the company is listed in the directory issued covering this time as: Furniture dealer & Valuer, Simpole Charles (Exor’s of).
By 1903, the company had re-organised & expanded. It was listed in 1903 as Simpoles, office furnishers and cabinet makers (late of Cathedral steps), 38 Deansgate; 11 Victoria Bridge, and 45 Chapel St. in Manchester
Simpoles were in good company, as the furniture makers Gillows of Lancaster, (later to become Waring & Gillows) also had their showroom further along Deansgate, which in the 1900’s was a busy retail metropolis with many well-known brands and trams operating along this main road in Manchester.
Between 1936 & 1938 “Messrs Simpoles Ltd of Manchester, contractors to the British Government” were responsible for providing all of the wood and furnishings inside the Padiham Civic Centre (the town hall in Padiham, Burnley) which was designed by architects Bradshaw, Gass & Hope and opened with much fanfare by the London Council Chairman in March 1938. According to an article published in the local press about the opening ceremony, the council chamber featured Australian walnut panelling, with walnut and leather armchairs and tables, while three French windows opened on to balconies overlooking the street to provide facilities for public announcements. The assembly hall, complete with stage, offered seating for 450, and was panelled in bronze chequered Gaboon veneered plywood and had a sprung maple floor for dancing.
Simpoles Limited continued to trade from Manchester, with a Liverpool branch added sometime after the 1940’s. After over a hundred years of trading, the company eventually ran into difficulties and was dissolved at the end of the 1990s.
This Edwardian swivel desk chair features a rich brown 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 swivel office chair 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.
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 crimson red leather, which incorporates traditional brass studwork tacks to the seat perimeter. The revolving 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, in line with the age of the chair, and will be found in all office chairs of this age. The chair stands on solid beech legs with brass castors. This swivel desk 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 = 100cm or 39⅜” or 3ft 3⅜”
Lowered External Height = 89.8cm or 35⅜” or 2ft 11⅜”
External Width (feet) = 65.8cm or 26” or 2ft 2”
External Depth (feet / back) = 67.8cm or 26¾” or 2ft 2¾”
Raised Seat Height = 57.5cm or 22⅝” or 1ft 10⅝”
Lowered Seat Height = 46cm or 18⅛” or 1ft 6⅛”
Seat Width (inside arms) = 47.8cm or 18⅞” or 1ft 6⅞”
Seat Width (whole of seat) = 51cm or 20” or 1ft 8”
Seat Depth = 44cm or 17⅜” or 1ft 5⅜”
Raised Arm Height = 77.7cm or 30⅝” or 2ft 6⅝”
Lowered Arm Height = 67cm or 26⅜” or 2ft 2⅜”
Back Height = 46.3cm or 18¼” or 1ft 6¼”
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. 37921