Ashford Marble

Ashford Black Marble is a dark limestone quarried from an area near Ashford-in-the-Water in Derbyshire, England. It is not a true marble but a very fine-grained limestone which can be turned and polished to give a highly decorative black shiny surface. Using a technique known as pietra dura, it can be cut and...

Asprey

A name synonymous with the height of luxury, started life as as silk printing business set up by William Asprey, a huguenot refugee in 1781. It soon became a luxury emporium and Asprey’s son Charles moved the shop to London’s Bond Street in 1841 where it remains to this day. It’s watchwords are ‘articles of...

Atkin Brothers – Henry & Harry

The Atkin Brothers firm were Sheffield based silversmiths, producing flatware, hollowware and cutlery. It started life as the business of Thomas Law, a silversmith active in Sheffield between 1750 to 1775. This business was continued by the Law sons. They were joined in 1824 by Henry Atkin and they started trading...

Atmos clock

Is the brand name for a torsion pendulum clock made in Switzerland by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Its’ claim to fame is that it doesn’t need to be manually wound as it gets the energy it needs from atmospheric changes in temperature and air pressure. The mainspring is continuously wound by the compression and...

Auguste Moreau

Auguste Moreau 1834 – 1917 was a French sculptor born in Dijon in 1834 into a well-known sculptor ‘clan’. The family comprising the father (Jean Baptiste) his three sons (Mathurin, Hyppolyte-Francois and Auguste) and continued by Auguste’s two sons – Louis Auguste and Hyppolyte were considered to be in the...

Austin Reed

Was founded by tailor Austin Leonard Reed in 1900, and became the first menswear retailer to make ready-to-wear clothes with the same level of skill as made-to-measure. Austin Reed’s first store was on Fenchurch Street in London with a larger flagship shop opening on Regent Street in London in 1911. It grew to...

Bacchanalia

Were Roman festivals in honour of the Bacchus, the god of wine, intoxication, freedom and ecstasy. They were part of the rites for a mystery cult based on the Greek cult of Dionysus and as they were held in secret, with the initiates sworn to secrecy, very little is known about them, but came to […]

Barnett Henry Abrahams

Barnett Henry Abrahams (1839-1902) was a musical box maker and dealer. In 1857 he emigrated to Switzerland and founded a business manufacturing musical boxes.He later moved to Sainte-Croix in 1895 and started making cylinder and disc musical boxes. Many of his boxes are named ‘Britannia’. His sons continued the...

Benetfink & Co

Described themselves as ‘furnishing ironmongers’ and had large premises on Cheapside in London from 1845 to 1907. They sold a very large range of metalware items for the home and claimed in an advert in 1852 that they would furnish an eight-roomed house for £5. They also sold optical lanterns, chandeliers and...

Benjamin Laver

Benjamin Laver was a silversmith active during the 18th Century. He is first recorded as an apprentice to Thomas Heming in 1751 completing his apprenticeship in 1764. His son William was apprenticed to him in 1774 and he is recorded as a ‘largeplate worker’ in New Bond Street. It appears he operated from here...

Makers, Periods & Styles Library

Ashford Marble

Asprey

Atkin Brothers – Henry & Harry

Atmos clock

Auguste Moreau

Austin Reed

Bacchanalia

Barnett Henry Abrahams

Benetfink & Co

Benjamin Laver

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