Britain Unlimited covers 250 Great British people and what made them famous

Who was Thomas Chippendale? Cabinet maker in the Rococo Style. Date and Place of Birth: 5th June 1718, Otley, Yorkshire, England. Family Background: Son of a carpenter. Education: Early life and education unknown but probably local schools. Chronology: Chippendale gave his name to a school of eighteenth Century furniture making but only those pieces where bills still survive (e,g, Harewood House, Yorkshire) can be specifically attributed to him. He added Chinese, Gothic and Rococo motifs to traditional Georgian designs. He principally made chairs, desks, mirror frames, china cabinets and bookcases and tables with fretted galleries and cluster-column legs. Most of his works were executed in Mahogany, which had recently been introduced from South America. 1753: Moved to Saint Martin's Lane, London where he maintained his workshops. These were to become his showrooms for the rest of his life. 1754: Published "Gentleman and Cabinet-Makers Director". He made a partnership with the upholsterer James Rannie. and after Rannie's death his assistant Thomas Haig became his business partner. 1759: Elected to the Society of Arts. 1760: Declined re-election to the Society of Arts. Began to be influenced by the neoclassical work of the architect Robert Adam. Chippendale gave his name to a period so successful was he and his style is much copied so it is very difficult to authenticate many actual pieces. Written Works: 1754: "Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director". 1755: "Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director". (Second Edition). 1759-62: "Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director". (Third Edition in weekly parts produced with 200 plates). Marriage: 1748: To Catherine Redshaw (Died 1772) 1775: To Elizabeth Davis. Places of Interest: LONDON: Victoria and Albert Museum contains a bedroom suite originally designed for Badminton House. YORKSHIRE: Harewood House, BERWICKSHIRE, SCOTLAND: Paxton House, (Holds a large collection of Chippendale furniture together with a giant chair copy). Date and Place of Death: November 1779, London, England of tuberculosis. Age at Death: 61. Site of Grave: St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, St. Martin’s Place, London, England.