Antique French Kingwood, Rosewood & Tulipwood Ormolu Secretaire Chest c.1890

A fine late 19th century French secretaire chest, dating to circa 1890, veneered in kingwood, rosewood and tulipwood, with ormolu mounts and oak-lined drawers. Includes 2 original keys and locks work. The chest is decorated with rosewood crossbanding to the drawer fronts and sides, contrasting with the tulipwood veneers and kingwood detailing throughout. An ormolu gallery runs around the top, while each drawer is fitted with ormolu handles. The upper three apparent drawer fronts are in fact dummy drawers forming the fall-front secretaire. When opened, the fall reveals a fitted writing interior with a leather writing surface, gilt-embossed borders and a decorative wreath to the centre. The interior is fitted with three small inlaid drawers and retains its engraved lock. Below the secretaire are four conventional drawers, all finely constructed and oak lined, with decorative inlay to each drawer front. The secretaire is accompanied by two original keys, and the locks are in working order. A well-made and practical piece of French writing furniture, combining a fitted secretaire interior with substantial drawer storage and decorative ormolu-mounted cabinetmaking. Provenance: Ogston Hall, Derbyshire Collection of the late Mr Gladwyn Turbutt (1927–2025) Mr Gladwyn Turbutt & Ogston Hall: Gladwyn Turbutt was born on 8th October 1927, the son of Colonel Richard Babington Turbutt and Christine, née Dunn. His family had lived at Ogston Hall since 1717, following the marriage of Richard Turbutt to Mary Ann Revell. Mary Ann’s family had resided at Ogston from at least the 15th century. During the Second World War, Gladwyn was a pupil at Lydgate House in Norfolk but was brought back to Ogston due to concerns over bombing. The entire school accompanied him, and Gladwyn would conduct midnight walks through the house, having discovered how to leave without being heard. He went on to Charterhouse, followed by New College, Oxford, where he read History, a subject for which he had a lifelong passion. He left Oxford to undertake his National Service with the Royal Artillery, and in 1952 joined the Civil Service as Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Fuel and Power. He was subsequently seconded to serve as Private Secretary to Lord Hailes, the first Governor-General of the Federation of the West Indies in 1957. Ill health obliged him to return to England and, following the death of his father in 1964, Gladwyn took over the running of the Ogston estate, which extended to several thousand acres. Part of the estate was flooded in 1957 for the creation of Ogston Reservoir after Severn Trent compulsorily acquired the land to supply Birmingham. Gladwyn made the difficult decision to sell his ancestral home in 1973, largely because of the considerable cost of its upkeep. Many of the fine items he chose to retain from Ogston Hall were stored in his new home and in his own gallery, including family portraits. In his obituary, Gladwyn’s close friend, Adrian Woodhouse, aptly described him as the “last of the scholar squires”, a fitting tribute to a man whose life combined a deep passion for history and scholarship with a lifelong connection to his family and estate. He began with A History of Ogston Hall, followed by A History of Shirland and Higham. Working without access to the internet, Gladwyn undertook an extraordinary programme of historical research, culminating in his four-volume A County History of Derbyshire, for which he was awarded the 2000 Country Life Book of the Year award. His scholarship was meticulous and wide-ranging, reflecting the deep passion for history that had defined him since his days at Oxford. Gladwyn took an active role in the affairs of his beloved Derbyshire. He served on Chesterfield Rural District Council, sat on the Agricultural Land Tribunal from 1981 to 1996, and was President of the Country Landowners’ Association. Following in the footsteps of many of his ancestors, he was appointed High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1998. Gladwyn moved to School Farm in Brackenfield and soon filled the house with paintings and objects. Such was his passion for collecting that he had to create a special gallery for the paintings.