The Gillow archives are the commercial records and design books of
Gillows of Lancaster and London
Gillows of Lancaster and London, also known as Gillow & Co., was an English furniture making firm based in Lancaster, Lancashire, and in London. It was founded around in Lancaster in about 1730 by Robert Gillow (1704–1772).
Gillows was owned b ...
; they are one of the largest and longest collection of records of any cabinet-maker to have survived.
They consist of Estimate books, Estimate sketch-books and accounts.
Between 1731 and 1850 about 137 apprentices were bound almost exclusively to the firm in Lancaster.
The record books remained in Lancaster from 1729 to 1961. In 1966 the announcement that the archive was to be sold to a private buyer, and the records were to leave the country caused a storm of protest. PK Thornton, of the Department of furniture at the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, successfully organised an objection to the export licence. They were then purchased by
Westminster City Libraries, and they are divided between the City of Westminster Archives Centre and the Lancashire Archives.
References
Noteslist
Bibliography
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External links
Judges' Lodgings, Lancaster- official site
Archives in the City of Westminster
Archives in Lancashire
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