An excellent quality Victorian oak desk of large proportions. It is a Partner's desk, so called because it is double sided allowing for two people to work at the desk. There are drawers on one side and cupboards on the other, however the pedestals can be turned around to give each side drawers and a cupboard.
The sides of the desk and even the inner sides of the kneehole are panelled and the top drawers have raised moulding to match. The cupboard doors are cleverly made to look like dummy drawers complete with mouldings and handles. The top of the desk has an enormous tooled leather surface which could quite possibly be original. Both pedestals sit on castors which does allow the desk to be wheeled and it does split into its three components for moving.
Each drawer is oak lined, constructed with hand cut dovetails and has ornate brass plate handles. The locks are stamped "Chance & Malins. Royal Lever Patent"
with the company seeming to date to the 1880s. One cupboard has an internal shelf and the other is empty. We have the original working key to both cupboard door locks.
The desk is in very good condition for its age and has been well looked after. It has a lovely rich patina and the drawers open well. The inside of the drawers are generally clean and tidy with just some minor ink stains. There are some normal signs of age and use, some surface marks and knocks around the base and there has been a repair to the wood by one door hinge but nothing detrimental and no major damages.
The leather writing surface has a wonderful aged patina with lots of old marks and stains but no major damages. At some point a small hole has been cut in the rear of the top surface and through the middle top drawer to allow for computer cables to go through the desk. These holes have been filled and a leather patch used to closely match the existing leather (see photo).
