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Collections - Gillows of Lancaster

The Gillow story begins in 1728 when Robert Gillow I opened his cabinet making business in Lancaster.  He married Agnes Fell in 1730 and they had two sons Richard and Robert II.  Richard trained as an architect and became a partner in the firm in 1769, based in Lancaster.  Robert II was also made a partner in the firm in 1769 but he was based in London. 

The rise of the Port of Lancaster and it’s role in the West Indies slave trade brought vast fortunes to the Gillow family firm.  From the 1740s small consignments of goods were being shipped to London by Gillows but it was the decision to open a branch in London that proved to be the start of a very lucrative time for the Gillows firm.

If you wish to find out more about the Judges’ Lodgings Gillow collection or the Rawlinson family, go to our Museums collection search.

Example Gillows items on display at Judges' Lodgings:

Gillow billiard table

Library table
Of serpentine form, with original leather-lined top, the canted corners carved with a 'truss' beneath oval paterae, one side with a central through drawer above the recess flanked by two sets of four graduated drawers.

Gillow billiard table

Billiard table
This full-size Regency billiard table originally had an oak bed, but in the late 1820s, when new innovations were being introduced to improve the game, it was converted to slate.