Large Vintage London Bridgewater 5 Seat Corner Sofa in Floral Fabric from Howard & Sons

Rare, highly collectable Howard & Son's / Howard Chairs LTD London, corner sofa which was commissioned by Lord Palumbo, Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain. Well.. where to begin, what a sofa! This piece is simply put amazing, anything made by Howard is the finest hand made in England quality, this piece is especially good, the upholstery to the main frame is floral, it has a silky feel to it, I'm not 100% sure of the composition but it is luxurious This is the only Howard Bridgewater model corner sofa I have ever seen, I actually bought it to reupholster and keep for myself but alas, my home renovations are taking rather a bit longer than expected The sofa comes in three pieces as you can see in the pictures, the base cushions are all removable feather filled whilst the back is upholstered, I think they are also feather filled or perhaps fibre so they retain their shape better Condition wise, the sofa is usable as it is however I would reupholster and restore it from top to bottom, the legs have some age related knocks and scrapes but they are exactly as they should look, the upholstery at the front and top level is all good, the underside has some odd rips, the back of the sofa isn't upholstered and one part of the frame at the back needs straightening up as its sitting lower, none of this really matters as everyone that buys these pieces has them reupholstered in their own fabric or leather I can have the piece fully restored to the finest standard should the new owner wish, I am happy to take you through the process and work with the upholsterer and French polisher, if you wanted it restoring in leather that is fine as well Complete sofa dimensions Height:- 81cm Width:- 360cm as you look at the sofa from outside edge to outside edge Depth:- 194cm from the middle to the back Left section dimensions Width:- 185.5cm Depth:- 101cm Right section dimensions Width:- 169cm Depth:- 101cm Middle section Width:- 102cm Depth:- 81.5cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask A History of Howard and Sons The name of Howard and Sons is probably one of the best known and highly sought-after names in Upholstered furniture. Over the next few paragraphs, I will do my best to give you a brief history of the company. The company was started by John Howard in 1820 trading from 24 Leman St, London as a Cabinet Maker. Over the next 25 years they would make several changes of premises within the Whitechapel area. First to 27 Great Alie St (Now just Alie St) before moving a short distance to 34 Great Alie St. In 1844 the company made its first venture into upholstered furniture by opening a showroom/workshop at 36 Red lion St. This was also to be a big move towards what would be their next and most famous location. In 1848 they moved to a new address much more accustomed with the name; Berners St. London as “Cabinet Maker, Upholsterer and Decorator” under the name John Howard and Sons. The business seemed to boom at this location with workshops opening up at Tottenham St, Charlotte Mews and Fitzroy Sq and an expansion to a second Berners St building in 1853. In 1869 the company consolidated its many workshops into the one building on Cleveland St. By 1872 the company was occupying 25, 26 and 27 Berners St. These adresses would remain unchanged until 1935. During this period they became a limited company in 1899 and won the first of their Royal warrants in 1901. In 1935 the the well-established decorators Lenygon and Morant appear to take over the name with the business address being given as 31 Old Burlington St (Lenygon and Morants premesis since 1909). Lenygon and Morant later moved to South Audley St where from 1954 they advertised as 'Makers of Howard Chairs and Sofas'. In 1967 the owners of Lenygon and Morant open Howard Chairs Limited, the company operating from Lyme St continue to make high quality sofas and armchairs. Exhibitions and Important Houses: At the 1862 International Exhibition (The 3rd World Expo) Howard and Sons entered a suite of library furniture for which they won a prize. They also went on to exhibit at the Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle twice; once in 1878 and again in 1900. Also at the Exposition Internationale d'Anvers 1894 (International Exposition/World Fair Antwerp). Winning Prizes at them all including 1 silver and 2 golds. They also employed their eclectic styles working for many important clients providing furniture for important houses such as Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire, Elton Hall, Huntingdonshire and Stokesay Court, Shropshire. Any questions please feel free to ask before you bid Condition Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the around condition Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of cracking creasing and wear, we recommend regular waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade.