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Item details

Height

83.5 cm

Width

59.0 cm

Depth

59.0 cm

Wear conditions Wear conditions

Good

Wear conditions

Excellent

Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.

Good

May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.

Average

Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.

Apparent Wear and Tear

Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.

Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.

Description

A beautiful, special and very rare flame mahogany Georgian Davenport in wonderful condition. Made by heralded furniture makers Freemans of Norwich, most likely in the 1830s, this fabulous and very much still highly usable Davenport will add superb quality, beautiful colour and bygone sophistication to any interior.

Freemans of Norwich were a family of celebrated furniture makers based in the city around the first half of the 19th Century – father William and sons William Philip and Charles Jeremiah. Renowned artisans, their furniture is on display at Blickling Hall and Felbrigg Hall in Norwich, with other items selling at top auction houses Sotheby’s and Christies. Only one other Davenport by Freemans is recorded in the furniture History Society’s records, making this piece extremely rare indeed.

Beautifully crafted from flame mahogany, this Davenport is extremely solid and reassuringly heavy. It features a sliding locking desktop ideal for storing a laptop and papers, four large locking drawers to the left side with dummy drawers to the right and a pull-out inkwell drawer complete with ink bottle. A beautiful and extremely rare feature are the pair of concealed slide-out candle holder ledges, much-needed for late-night 19th Century letter writing – this is the only Davenport we know of to have these.

The sloping desk is adorned with the original racing green leather centrepiece with gold embellishments and has a bordered flat upper ledge. The front is decorated with four beautiful Corinthian carvings, most likely by William snr, who was renowned for his superb carving work. It has an impressive and imposing, shapely, Romanesque base and is set on attractive gadroon-mounted wheels for ease of movement.

The drawers and dummy drawers have beautiful handles and brass-fronted locks and inside the desk are two opening upper drawers and two lower dummy drawers (where the inkwell slides behind). It has the Freemans stencil to the underside of one the drawers and has pencil marks underneath the base which appears to read “Palmer SC23”, which we haven’t been able to trace but might indicate that it was built for General Charles Palmer, MP for Bath in the early 19th Century, who was married in 1823.

All in all this is a spectacular and extremely rare Davenport of the highest quality by a renowned maker. A highly usable space-saving desk, it will add the finest Georgian quality and grandeur to any setting.

Condition report:

This is in very-good-to-excellent condition, quite remarkable for its age. Beautifully constructed, extremely sturdy and reassuringly heavy, all the mechanisms work well and it shows only minor to-be-expected signs of its considerable age. It has two working keys, all four outer drawers and the desktop are lockable and overall it’s a breath-taking piece, which if well looked after should be just as gorgeous in another couple of centuries or more – please see the photos.

Additional dimensions information:

Height - 83.5cm, Width - 59cm, Depth - 59-77cm, Desk Leg Height - 67cm, Internal Desk Width - 52.5cm, Internal Desk Depth - 35cm, Internal Desk Height - 11-5.5cm, Internal Drawer Width - 40.5cm, Internal Drawer Depth - 47cm, Est Weight - 30-40kg.

Material
Brass, Mahogany
Manufactured
Origin
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Item location
Warwick , United Kingdom
Period
19th Century
Condition
Used

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Returns

We have a 14-day return guarantee for orders from individual sellers, within the UK and European Union. View full policy.

Estimated delivery time

Less than one week

Free collection available

Yes

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Professional
5.0 / 5
Located in Warwick, United Kingdom
  • Selling at Vinterior since 2022
  • 55 sales
  • Ships from Warwick, United Kingdom
At River Spa Vintage, we have a passion for special & unusual finds and wonderful design. We're always on the lookout for the best in vintage, antique and designer furniture and objects, so you’ll always be able to find something you adore.

Seller Reviews

Cancellations and Returns

Last updated: 17th October 2024

Our Terms of sale were designed to treat both Customers and Vendors (including Professional Vendors and Non-Professional Vendors (as defined in the Site Terms)) fairly, in order to make the shopping/selling experience with Vinterior just as exceptional as the items.

To protect our Customers from disappointment or the unexpected, we strongly encourage them to closely inspect item photos, descriptions, and details before purchasing anything on the Site, and then again upon delivery or pickup.

If the Customer is unsure about an item's condition, dimensions, quantity, or description, they can send their questions to the item's Vendor by clicking on Ask the seller on the listing page of the Site.

Customers shall receive the same level of consumer protection on purchases irrespective of whether they are buying from a Professional Vendor or Non-Professional Vendor.

Should you have any questions regarding your transaction, please contact the Vendor in the first instance.

Can I cancel an order?

If a Customer changes their mind or decides for any other reason not to purchase the Goods before they have been dispatched, they can cancel the order on the Site and receive a refund.

The right to cancel does not apply to the following types of goods, which are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke, or made-to-order according to the customer's specific requirements. If in doubt, the Customer can contact the Vendor via the Site.

If the Customer cancels an order after an item has already been marked as dispatched for delivery, the delivery costs are non-refundable.

To cancel the order, the Customer must follow the cancellation procedure on the Site by clicking on Create Cancellation on the order page.

Can I return an item?

At Vinterior, we understand that sometimes a piece may not be the perfect fit once it's in your home. That's why we offer a 14-day return policy, allowing you to return any item within 14 days from the date of delivery for any reason.

In the rare event that an item arrives damaged or defective, you have 30 days from the date of delivery to return it for a full refund or to have the issue fixed when possible.

Please note that certain items are non-refundable, including those that are personalised, bespoke, or made-to-order according to your specific requirements.

Types of returns and responsibilities

Change of mind return

Consumers can return the goods due to a change of mind. Once a return is requested, the buyer is in charge of shipping the goods back to the seller and should organise it as soon as possible. Shipment costs to and from buyers are non-refundable.

Item not fit for purpose

Acting under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, customers may return faulty Goods that are damaged or the listing on the Site is materially inaccurate, misleading, or misrepresents the Goods. In these cases, the Customer must provide photographic evidence to Vinterior and the Vendor or reject the delivery on arrival.

Damage in transit

Vinterior must be informed of any damage in transit. If Proovia delivered the items, Vinterior will then raise an insurance claim on behalf of the Vendor with the delivery company. If the seller organised a delivery, they would be asked to raise a claim with their courier. Once the claim is resolved and any relevant decision regarding the insurance has been made, any applicable refunds will be processed.

How to request a return

To initiate a return the customer needs to log in to their Vinterior account and click Create a return on the order page. In the return request, the reason for the return must be included along with photos of any damage of the Goods, if faulty.

How you will be refunded?

Once the item is returned to the Vendor in the same condition, the Vendor will confirm receipt of the item, and Vinterior will refund the original payment method.

If an item is returned to the seller damaged or in an unsuitable condition, Vinterior will not be able to process the refund, and the seller may have to send it back (and ask you to cover the delivery costs). All items are inspected on return.

What can't be returned?

As with cancellations, the right to return an item does not apply to the following types of Goods, which are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to the Customer's specific requirements.

Please note that vintage items are not sold as new and are likely to show signs of wear and tear. This is not sufficient grounds for a refund.

Vendors may refuse a return of an item if the Customer has altered it in any way.

Neither Vinterior nor the Vendors are liable for any damages or loss sustained in transit via third parties.

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