Maple & Co.
Established in 1841 on the Tottenhan Court Road in London by a 26 year old John Maple, Maple & Co. was a designer, decorator, builder, manufacturer and, most of all, a retailer of fine furnishings to the English carriage trade. At its peak in Edwardian London, Maple & Co was known as “The largest and most convenient,” not just in the West End of London or London as a whole or even Britain, but in the World!
The Maple & Co. client list was extensive and impressive, including members of the British Royal Family, the last czar and czarina of Russia – for whom they designed the English Suite, a guest room at the Alexander Palace in Tsarsko Selo, Winston Churchill and the Cunard Line, for whom they designed much of the furnishings for the Queen Mary.
Maple’s retailed pottery, porcelains, silver and other metal work and clocks from the finest makers in the Empire, often bearing the Maple’s stamped mark. Today, however, it is their bench-made furniture most often sought by collectors. Maple’s maintained a staff of seasoned craftsmen who had acquired their skills during long apprenticeships. Each of these craftsmen prided themselves on being able to craft a complete piece of furniture of high quality with one pair of hands. The resulting pieces, designed in all the great stylistic themes of Britain and the Continent, compare favorably with the originals at a fraction of their cost.