Huge Howard Chair

Howard and Sons armchair, this chair is the huge and very comfortable Titchfield model which is almost as big as a chaise longue or a day bed! This one is in remarkably good condition still in its original H&S ticking which means that it still has its wonderful down cushions and original springs in place.
This Howard chair was made in October 1966 by George Webb, at one time the director of Howard Chairs. From such illustrious beginnings it must have lead a very charmed life to have survived in such good condition. We found this chair in Ireland and we would love to know the story of where it has been and who owned it for the last fifty eight years.
This might be the actual largest and is definitely the equal largest Howard chair that we have had in stock.

English 1966

04 19 03

120cm / 47" deep max
94cm / 37" deep at frame
82cm / 32" wide at frame
84cm / 33" wide arms
87cm / 34" high
46cm / 18" high seat
 

Howard and Sons Ivor chair

Very rare Berners Street era Ivor model upholstered easy armchair made by Howard and Sons around 1910

02 18 01

Howard and Sons Grafton Chair Standing On Ball And Claw Feet

Swipe through these ten photos to see how badly an upholsterer ruined this lovely one hundred year old ball and claw foot Grafton chair made by Howard and Sons of Berners Street in London. JT will be turning in his grave! Luckily this chair will now be lovingly restored by the experts - but in the meantime, ten minutes with the scissors removing the foam made so much difference! More photos available, let us know if you want to add a chair like this to your collection at hares@hares-antiques.com

English circa 1900

40" deep
32" deep base of frame
30½" wide
29½" wide base of frame
17" high seat
34" high max

Pair of Howard and Sons Easy Armchairs

Pair of antique upholstered library chairs made by Howard and Sons. These chairs stand on tall turned legs with the ring turns and cups specific to Howard. This pair are extremely comfortable standing slightly higher that the Bridgewater model they are easy to get in and out while retaining the comfort of the siège de duvet system patented by Howard & Sons.

English circa 1910

30½" wide max
27" wide at frame
26" deep at frame
36" deep max
36" high max
18" high seat

Howard Chairs "Dutton" Chair

Lenygon and Morant, makers of Howard Chairs, "Dutton" chair. Siège de duvet cushions and square taper legs. This chair was made in the first decade after the second world war.

English circa 1950

ZP 002

33" high
33" deep
29" wide
16" high to seat

Howard and Sons Bridgewater Chair

Howard and Sons Bridgewater armchair in remarkably good original condition. This chair is one of the last ones sold through the Old Burlington Street show room before the building was bombed in the war. Also unusual is that the label is dated for 1940, as the numbers on the leg are not chronological the pre war chairs cannot be dated to a specific year using this method.

English 1940 £5,800

Stamped, labelled and dated.

Howard and Sons Stool

Tiny footstool by Howard and Sons, this stool has a concave front which may have been intended to fit up to a chair with convex front. This one has the unusual addition of the kite date mark stamped on the castor cup, which dates it to 1880.

Howard Library Chair

Howard and Sons Library Chair. This chair is almost identical to those we have had before and as usual they do vary a little with the overall dimensions. This one unusually does not have the address stamp on the back leg, but the casters are stamped and the frame is planed with chamfer edges as is typical. This is a good large scale and very comfortable chair.

English circa 1910 

Unusual Howard And Sons Chair

Very unusual antique upholstered easy armchair made by Howard and Sons of London. This chair is something like a small version of a Baring sofa. So far we have not looked inside to see if there is a model name on the cushions. A great fun chair and from the Berners St period too.

English circa 1910

25" deep
25" high
36" wide

Harley

Pair of antique "Harley" model easy armchairs made by Howard and Sons of London. This pair were sold by us and have been upholstered ready for delivery. Just thought it was interesting to see how clean the lines are and how generous the shape of the chair is when upholstered in contemporary fabric.

English circa 1890

Howard and Son upholstery

Howard and Son upholstery is so sought after that we rarely have time to photograph the finished peices before delivery. Seeing as there is no chance to restore them before they are sold it follows that we have very few photographs of any of the thousands of Howard pieces we have after they are restored.
 
Here then are some photos of a pair of Howard and Sons "Bridgewater" armchairs. These have been fully stripped and reupholstered in fabric supplied by the customer. The interiors are full of the finest horsehair and down and they are really comfortable. They are now awaiting loose covers in beautiful Bennisons linen ready for delivery.

Button back antique armchair

Good early button back antique armchair made by Howard and Sons of Berners Street, London.
This chair is much larger than it looks in the photographs and the proportions work very well. The back is high enough to rest the head and the arms are far enough back to wedge elbows. We like the classic Howard turned leg and elegant proportions.

English circa 1880 £3,200

34" deep max
22" deep inside seat
32" wide max
36" high overall

Howard and Sons armchair

Early upholstered armchair by Howard and Sons, this elegant model dates from before the company was incorporated but still has an elongated version of their trademark leg design.

Onion leg Howard and Sons chair

Rare onion leg Howard and Sons chair. Unusually for Howard this one has a sprung front edge.

Bridgewater

Howard and Sons Bridgewater in original monogrammed ticking. Very unusual for Howard to use a sprung front on a siege de duvet chair. Berners Street period.

Howard and Sons library chairs

Pair of Howard and Sons library chairs in the Regency style standing on tall legs with stamps to casters and inside back legs, Berners St period circa 1890-1910

Grafton

Howard and Sons Grafton chair standing on square taper legs with the original casters bearing the makers name. The frame is stamped Berners St, it is the address at which Howard and Sons had been since 1848, this chair probably dates from around 1900-1920.

Howard and Sons button back armchairs

Good large pair of Howard and Sons button back armchairs. These are upholstered using sprung horse hair seats with two stage horsehair backs with no feathers. These are large supportive chairs, much larger than they look in the pictures. English circa 1860

Howard and Sons chair

Howard and Sons chair in original fabric with original fustian seat cushion. The writing is very feint, but we think this is an Egerton model. English circa 1950

Howard and Sons library chair

Howard and Sons library chair, this shape comes along in various sizes and this is the largest we have seen. Good and deep for comfort, the back is high enough to rest your head on. This chair is high off the ground so is easy to get in and out of. Stamped Berners Street, probably made around 1910

32" wide (at arms)
29" deep (measured at top of legs)
38" deep (max)
39" high (max)

Howard and Sons armchair

Good early model turned leg armchair made by Howard and Sons of London circa 1860-1880

Grafton

Single Howard and Sons Grafton Chair on turned legs. Restored by Howard Chairs around 15 years ago.
English circa 1880

Ivor

Large pair of upholstered "Ivor" model armchairs made by Howard and Sons around 1950. These chairs were sent back to Howard in 1974 for total refurbishment in the company's famous "H & S" fabric. They are now supremely comfortable having been only just run in. Take them as they are, with the loose covers they came with, have new loose covers made, or reupholster in any fabric. The world is your Ivor.

Grafton

Pair of Howard and Son Grafton model armchairs standing on square taper legs. These chairs were sold by us around 15 years ago and are now good and soft. They are upholstered in a copy of the original fabric and are finished with loose covers made of Charles Voisey design linen fabric made by Watts of Westminster. They are English circa 1910

Bridgewater

Good comfortable small Bridgewater made by Howard and Sons circa 1950

Howard and Sons chairs

Unusual Howard and Sons chairs with sprung front edge and siege de duvet back. The cushion in addition to the the sprung front edge makes these very comfortable chairs. They are the same shape as a Bridgewater, except for that front and the leg height. Might be called a Bailey model. Interesting that the sprung section is larger than normal with the necessary reduction in the length of the leg to enable this while the seat remains normal height. Howard and Sons of Berners St. circa 1910

Ramsden

Howard and Sons "Ramsden" model! This special order suite of two chairs and a sofa came all the way from Spain, it returned home to England having been bought new in London from Berners St by its original Spanish diplomatic owner. It is very unusual to find a three piece suite surviving together and rarer still to find a Bridgewater sofa from this period. Ostentatious as well as comfortable - who could ask for more!

Special Bridgewater

Howard Special order chair, known as a Special Bridgewater or Ramsden model this chair is the same size as a normal Bridgewater.  This one has carved legs to the back as well as the front and the strip of show wood around the base shows off the profile of the chair to good effect (compare to the other one on this page).
One of these available.

Wing chair

Extremely elegant wing chair in the manner of those produced during the reign of Queen Anne in 1710, this chair has vertical scroll arms, a very generous sweep to the outstretched back legs and full length cabriole front legs made of walnut like the 18th century version. It is an interesting aspect of social history when we find we are offering for sale an antique chair made 100 years ago that was manufactured as an authentic reproduction of a design that was popular three hundred years ago.
English circa 1910 SOLD

Howard and Sons had the Royal Warrant for upholstery at the time this chair was made and are widely known for being the most important upholstery company in England during the first quarter of the 20th century.

height: 36.5 in. (93 cm)
depth: 30 in. (76 cm)
width/length: 32 in. (81 cm)

Bridgewater

Single Howard Bridgewater seeks warm adult companion for lazy nights in front of the fire. Soft exterior hides a strong reliable character for long term commitment.

Bridgewater

Good pair of library chairs made by Howard and Sons of London, Bridgewater model, the interiors fully restored by us using correct materials and techniques, the outside covered in an exact copy of the original fabric, very comfortable chairs, English circa 1920
Now sold, others of this model are in stock

Harley

Two Howard and Sons large comfortable armchairs, "Harley" model with lovely deep seat, these two stand on square taper legs and are both stamped Berners St. These two are sold.

Bridgewater

Great condition small Bridgewater armchair with matching footstool, both stamped on the leg Howard Chairs Ltd and dating from 1996, these are in great condition complete with their original stickers with serial numbers for each, wonderful and comfortable these are shown here with skirts removed to show the tall taper legs and brass casters, or have them recovered in our workshops in a fabric of your choice

Now sold

Chair
28" wide
35" deep (max)
29" high
22" deep inside seat
18" wide inside seat

Stool
22" deep
28" wide

Harley

Extremely comfortable pair of nineteenth century upholstered easy armchairs, made by Howard and Sons of London, Harley model, standing on the elegant turned front legs that are instantly distinctive as being made by Howard and Sons. These chairs are stamped with the makers name on the back leg and casters and have been upholstered in a copy of the original manufacturer's own underticking, without piping, ready to take a loose cover in any choice of fabric.
These chairs are pictured here as they came in, in the original fabric, and (main picture) having been restored in our workshops.

Width 28 inches
Depth 42 inches overall to take account of the rake of the back, 35 inches deep at the bottom
Height 31 inches   

These chairs are now sold. Please enquire for a list of our current stock

Button back armchair

Very pretty little Howard button back armchair standing on elegant turned legs with gilded cup casters on the front bearing the makers name, English circa 1860-1880 SOLD

34" high overall
24" wide at top of legs
28" wide at arms
28" deep

Bridgewater

Wonderful quality and supremely comfortable Bridgewater model armchair by Howard and Sons, this specific chair has the original H & S ticking, these are getting very rare indeed.

One in stock with the original fabric at the moment.
We do have currently in stock three Bridgewaters that are not in their original fabric from different ages.

Measurements vary, approximate sizes are as follows:

Width 27 inches
Depth 36 inches overall to account for the rake of the back, 28 inches deep at bottom
Height 34 inches

Grafton

Great pair of very nice antique upholstered Grafton model armchairs made by Howard and Sons, these are very deep and comfortable and stand on very pretty turned legs for which the company was famous. English circa 1880

Width 30 inches
Depth 41 inches overall to take account of the rake of the back, 31 inches deep at the bottom
Height 35 inches

These chairs are now sold. Please enquire for a list of our current stock

Woodstock

Lovely small Woodstock model chair by Howard and Sons with its original seat cushion (old fabric beyond repair though sadly). These are available with both the turned and square taper front legs

Width 29 inches
Depth 28 inches
Height 30 inches

Antique armchair

Wonderful comfortable antique armchair made by Howard and Sons of London, this chair has very rare special order barley twist stretchers between the legs and retains its huge soft down feather cushions to seat and back. English circa 1880.

Sold

Low wing chair by Howard and Sons

Unusual and practical low wing chair by Howard and Sons, this chair may well have been intended for use in a hall or perhaps a low ceiling snug or small office or library. Whichever the case we will never know, what we do know is that this chair is a wonderful and comfortable low seated wing chair that is easy to get in and out of. Not that you will want to get out in a hurry

English circa 1880 £1,850 SOLD

Harleys

Wonderfully comfortable pair of Howard Special Harleys with excellent crisp carved ball and claw feet, siege de duvet upholstery, and the makers name stamp to the back leg, English circa 1890

Bridgewater

Wonderful button back armchair Bridgewater model made by Howard and Sons of Berners St in London, this is the classic original shape that started the legend.

Easy arm chairs

Wonderfully small and comfortable pair of antique easy arm chairs made by Howard and Sons of Berners Street in London. This pair stand on the highly sought after turned leg and have the makers name stamped on the casters.

Ivor

Wonderful and huge pair of Howard Ivor model armchairs unusually with original gilded legs! These are very large and very comfortable indeed. SOLD

Footstool

Increasingly rare footstool made by Howard and Sons of London. This Howard stool is at the right height for feet but is also useful for perching on at a drinks do. The upholstery is sprung horsehair with the siege de duvet system and with the edges stitched horsehair very much like a Georgian piece just like the chairs and sofas! These are available but very rare with turned or 'special' legs and sometimes with concave front for use with a Howard Club.

Bridgewater

Very fine comfortable Howard Bridgewater with Ramsden leg carving. Most of these chairs have slightly different carving as were made to order for a specific room. The carving on the show wood, as with so much furniture of the period, is likely to match other fixtures fittings furniture or ornaments in the same room. This chair is very comfortable at the moment and can be bought as seen to save the restoration costs, or take advantage of our unique restoration service and the chair will last for generations to come. English c. 1880
SOLD

Duke

George III style wing chair made by Howard and Sons. This is the Duke model, available with or without seat cushion, it is a very comfortable chair and very well drawn with good proportions, nice tall legs, thin sections and stitched first stage horsehair in the 18th century manner. English 1860-1900

Width 32 inches max.
Width 27 inches at front.
Depth 33 inches overall to account for the rake of the back.
25 inches deep at the base.
Height 42 inches.

Ivor

Very rare and large Howard "Ivor" armchair dating from around 1890

This chair measures:

31" wide at the front above the legs
21" wide between the arms
30" deep inside the seat
34" deep at the base of the frame
43" deep outside from a wall to the front of the front legs
8" from top of seat cushion to the top of the arm
23" from top of seat cushion to top of back
15" from floor to top of seat cushion
34" high overall to top of back

Another Ivor measured slightly differently at:

Width 33 inches
Depth 44 inches overall to account for the rake of the back, 35 inches at bottom
Height 34 inches

This chair is now sold. Please enquire for a list of our current stock

Howard and Sons antique armchairs

Howard and Sons of Berners Street in London were the foremost upholstery maker of the nineteenth century, regarded in the same way as Gillow were for cabinet furniture. Howard and Sons were such an important company that they collaborated with Gillow on several important projects and may have even manufactured pieces of upholstered furniture for Gillow as well as other important makers such as Maple and Co.

Howard and Sons exhibited at all the large exhibitions of the nineteenth century including the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the subsequent shows at Crystal Palace, as well as exhibitions in America and France. Howard and Sons had the Royal Warrant and supplied several Royal residences with many items of antique furniture, most frequently of course with upholstery.

Although Howard and Sons supplied almost any item for the nineteenth century house and were renowned for their excellent build quality and superb finishing in all areas of chattels and interior decorating, it is their upholstered furniture for which the company is now so famous.

Howard and Sons really lead the way with the design and manufacture of upholstered furniture in the nineteenth century. The upholstered easy armchairs, sofas, wing chairs, library chairs, stools, pouffes, chaise longues and day beds made by Howard and Sons were better than normal pieces of the same period in many ways. Details such as the "siege de duvet" upholstery system for comfort, pocketed cushions, quad lashed springs and so on are all key features that other makers were simply not using, whether through lack of competence or because of cost.
More interesting, perhaps, is that while leading the way as far as innovation and engineering is concerned, Howard and Sons held onto many decidedly traditional upholstering techniques long after other manufacturers had modernised. Some of these methods were decidedly eighteenth century and must have made Howard and Son's upholstery much more expensive than that of other contempory makers.
Features such as tenon jointed frames, a hard stitched front edge (instead of a sprung front) and beautifully smooth and chamfured birchwood frames mean that sofas and chairs made by Howard and Sons are not just comfortable, but also extremely hard wearing.

The comfortable armchairs and sofas made by Howard and Sons in the nineteenth century are now a very good investment for the modern collector. For the 20 years that Hares Antiques has been specialising in armchairs and settees made by Howard and Sons they have become rarer and more sought after, increasing in value every year.

If there are any further details required relating to Howard and Sons furniture, please do not hesitate to contact one of us at hares@hares-antiques.com

Howard and Sons Club armchair

The Howard and Sons Club armchair has an elongated seat, and are most comfortable to sit in with ones feet up on.

Howard and Sons antique library armchair

A small Howard and Sons library armchair, English circa 1910.

19th century Howard and Sons wing chair

C19th Howard and Sons wing chair, with vertical scroll to the arms, and on
square taper legs.

Bridgewater

A Pair of Restored and Re-Upholstered 19th Century Antique Armchairs, by Howard and Son. The "Bridgewater" Model.  These armchairs have been completely restored and re-upholstered into a copy of Howard and Son's original under-ticking.

This pair is shown in a square tapering leg.

English circa 1890

Titchfield

A walnut and upholstered, stamped Howard & Sons "Titchfield" armchair, circa 1880, on baluster turned tapering legs at the fron

Ivors

A pair of square taper leg Howard "Ivors".

Bridgewater

Pair of very rare Howard armchairs, "Bridgewater" model.

Harley

Pair of rare Howard armchairs, "Harley" model.

Bridgewater

Typical Howard Bridgewater, prior to restoration.

Clayton

Small Howard chair, Clayton model. None in stock.

Two seat Howard sofa

Two seat Howard sofa, en suite with the chair shown above.

Clayton

Unusual Howard armchair, Clayton model, with special order show-wood, en suite with the sofa below. SOLD

Harley

Circa 19th Antique Armchair, by Howard and Son, "Harley" model - of similar depth compared to the Grafton but with higher arms and a wider seat. This armchair has been completely restored and re-upholstered into a damask fabric.
Turned and square leg versions are available.
English circa 1900

Measurements can vary, inside seat measurements are often as follows:
The Harley is 27" deep by 20" wide between the arms and 28" wide at the front of the cushion.

Grafton

Late C19th Howard Grafton, shown in our classic "tight-loose cover". One in stock.

Grafton

Circa 19th Antique Armchair, by Howard and Son, "Grafton" model - of larger depth (4 inches or so) compared to the Bridgewater example. This armchair has been completely restored and re-upholstered into a copy of Howard and Son's original under-ticking.
Turned and square leg versions are available - one in stock.
English circa 1900

Howard & Son Footstool

Circa 19th Antique Footstool, by Howard and Son, with a fixed cushion in the siege de duvet manner. These are of an age comparable to the armchairs, and have the same seat height - a variety of widths are available to match the chairs.
Turned and square leg versions are also available.
English circa 1900

Bridgewater

A Pair of Restored and Re-Upholstered 19th Century Antique Armchairs, by Howard and Son. The "Bridgewater" Model.  These armchairs have been completely restored and re-upholstered into a copy of Howard and Son's original under-ticking.
Turned and square leg versions are available.

English circa 1890

Bridgewater

Circa 19th Antique Armchair, by Howard and Son, "Bridgewater" model - with horse hair upholstery instead of the siege de duvet feather version, resulting in a firmer seat yet still a perfectly proportioned armchair.  Turned and square leg versions are available. Curiously the turned leg variety is slightly shorter in the seat than the square leg variety. This model is also found with the duvet covering, pictured above in blue fabric.
English circa 1880

Five in stock with square legs, one with horsehair and four in duvet.

Width 27-28 inches
Depth 34-38 inches overall to account for the rake of the back, 27-29 inches at bottom
Height 30-34 inches

Bridgewater

Circa 19th Antique Armchair, by Howard and Son, "Bridgewater" model - of slightly larger depth compared to the above example, in an old - possibly original leather.
English circa 1890