Arts & Crafts fireplace front by Waring &Gillow

Arts & Crafts fireplace front by WARING & GILLOW; England, circa 1905.
Oak wood.
With maker's plaque.
Measurements: 219 x 238,5 x 60 cm.
Large fireplace front conceived as a complete piece of furniture, with an architecturally inspired structure that includes two façade bodies. In the lower one, centred around the fireplace opening, we see two angled seats, highlighted by the floral upholstery, typically Arts & Crafts. This lower section is crowned by an entablature, consisting of a frieze and cornice, with a floor plan based on projections and protrusions that introduce movement into the design. In the upper section, the structure is divided into three lanes, with a mirror in the centre, above the chimney-piece, and two floral relief plaques on either side.
Waring & Gillow was a leading English furniture manufacturer, founded in 1897 by the merger of the firms of Gillows of Lancaster and London and Waring of Liverpool. Very active during the Arts & Crafts period, under the name Waring & Gillow from 1903, the company changed its name in 1980 when a third partner, Maple (Maple, Waring & Gillow) joined. The firm was mainly dedicated to the manufacture of high quality furniture, and also made luxury pieces for large ships such as the steamship HMY Victoria & Albert, the ocean liner RMS Lusitania or the Queen Mary (1936), among others.