The Bridehead Furniture Suite

The history of Bridehead and its furnishing is long and varied, however both underwent significant changes throughout the 19th century. The estate was acquired by Robert Williams (1735–1814) and he and his son, another Robert (1767-1847), conducted the reinvigoration of the estate. Robert Senior was a cabinet-maker and businessman by trade with renowned taste and is known to have supplied the likes of Pierre Langlois (Sanders, pg.157). The architects Peter Frederick Robinson and then Benjamin Ferrey were those chosen to transform the property into the now standing Gothic revival masterpiece. Over this period significant psychological changes resulted in a distinct revolution of taste; the deposition of the exiled Emperor Napoleon, the accession of King George IV, the move away from wartime austerity to the freedom of peace and the resulting growth of the middle class (Musgrave, pg.76). It was in this atmosphere that Bridehead was fashioned.

The interior furnishings of Bridehead were designed to be synonymous with the architecture of the mansion. The revival of the Gothic taste was flourishing and was spearheaded by the release of Augustus Charles Pugin’s 1829 'Gothic Furniture'. The ‘playful gaiety’ of gothic design and the ‘richness in its details’ was finding favour in the new world of the 19th century (Musgrave, pg.88). Benjamin Ferrey is known as a chief exponent of the gothic style; he was a pupil of A. C. Pugin and close friend of his son, Augustus Pugin. Ferrey’s work on Bridehead follows the influence of both renowned designers. It is probably Augustus who comments on George Smith’s library designs in 'Household Furniture': ‘No style can be better adapted for its decoration (the library) than that of the middle ages, which possesses a sedate and grave character, that invites the mind to study and reflection. The rays passing through its variegated casements cast a religious light upon the valuable tomes’ (Musgrave, pg.86). The library of Bridehead, and the writing and library tables in this suite, reflect this ambition. A mention can be found to Ferrey’s interior work at Bridehead in the New Pevsner: ‘Around 1840 Ferrey with A. D. H. Acland made internal changes, including the furnishing of the library, with Gothic bookcases, a powerful chimney piece and other Perp fittings.’ (Pevsner, pp.356-7). A former Sotheby’s valuation of the contents of Bridehead even goes as far as to attribute this entire suite to Benjamin Ferrey, however no furniture designs by Ferrey can be found.

The workmanship of this suite is of such high quality it is sure to have been produced and designed by one of the most prominent names of this period working in the gothic style. We know from lots 23 and 105, the library desk and dining table, that furnishings were acquired from the workshop of George Bullock. The table situated in Bridehead’s library (lot 156), with chamfered oak trestle base, could be compared to figure fourteen in Wainwright’s catalogue supplied for Battle Abbey (Wainwright, London, no.14), however it lacks the intricacies of the carved frieze. Bullock is known to have worked closely with the designer Richard Bridgens during furnishing schemes, as discussed in Virginia Glenn’s article, which may have resulted in Bridgens’ introduction to the Bridehead estate. Glenn comments of Bridgen’s work that he ‘combines the ponderous and the fantastic in a manner that is inimitable’ (Glenn, pg.61). You can see in lot 153 the formal ‘square’ Jacobean order and in the trailing relief carved rails of the seat furniture the adventurous motifs of a designer at the height of his craft. A former valuation of the contents of Bridehead suggests that this suite is in fact all attributable to Richard Bridgens. The combination of gothic flattened arches, pierced tracery to the chairs, and upholstery in the fashionable leather of the time, suggests the designs of George Smith. In Smith’s 'Household Furniture' numerous designs for gothic chairs and library bookcases can be found. A pair of parlour chairs closely comparable to lot 154 can be found in Blairman’s catalogue of Regency Furniture and Works of Art for TEFAF, Maastricht, 2020. Described as ‘After a Design by George Smith’ the oak chairs have similar block front legs and restrained corner brackets.

The popularity of the Gothic style, culminating in the works designed by Pugin to furnish the State Apartments of Windsor Castle, emanated across the country. The Repository comments in 1827: ‘We have now so many skilful workers in Gothic’ and many, as recorded, were proven to work together. The suite at Bridehead without doubt shows the rarity of skill and style that is unique to this esteemed group of designers. It is listed in 'The Inventory of the Contents of The Mansion Bridehead' by Messrs Phillips Son & Neale and appears variously as ‘A gothic oak table with 2 drawers and leather top’, ‘6 gothic chairs seats in leather’ and various similar. Collectively, in the situation of this sale, offered in its original context with conforming architectural scheme, the suite exhibits a rare opportunity to acquire a legacy of design from the early 19th century.

Literature:
Glenn, Virginia, Furniture History, Vol. 15, 1979, pp.54-67.
Musgrave, Clifford. Regency Furniture 1800-1830. London, 1961.
Pevsner, 2018.
Sanders, Steven, ‘The Evolution of Eighteenth-Century Upholders in London’, Oxford Brookes University, November 2021.