A c.1900 walnut and burr walnut side table by Whytock and Reid ‘with many Sir Robert Lorimer influences’, priced at £1500 by Georgian Antiques.
Whytock & Reid closed in 2004, just shy of a bicentenary, but dealers Padraic and John Dixon hope to “slowly and carefully” rebuild a once great Scottish brand and assimilate it with their business.
Georgian Antiques already holds a significant stock of pieces by Whytock & Reid but John Dixon told ATG he now hopes to double its holdings to perhaps 100 pieces.
The firm founded by Richard Whytock and John Reid in 1807 was, in its 19th and early 20th century glory days, the leading maker of quality furniture in Scotland.
An original Whytock & Reid sign.
Many great Scottish country houses – plus the liners of the Clyde and some ecclesiastic buildings – were furnished by the firm that enjoyed a working partnership with the architect and designer Sir Robert Lorimer. It was one of only two companies in the world to hold a Royal Warrant continuously for over 150 years.
John added: “When we were given the opportunity to acquire the name of possibly the most famous furniture maker in Scotland, we found it hard to resist.”
A Whytock & Reid receipt.
He hopes that, as well as selling pieces by the maker, the firm can revive some of the ‘one stop shop’ services provided by Whytock & Reid when, based in Sunbury House, Belford Mews, Edinburgh, it operated as a ‘Decoration, Upholstery, Furniture and Cabinetworks’ workshop.
Georgian Antiques already offers many of these skills as part of its current portfolio which includes cabinetmakers, restorers and polishers.
