Arts & Crafts Designers of the period
AMBROSE HEAL. Heals started in 1810 & later became "Heal & Son" long before Ambrose was born.
After studying at Marlborough College & Slade School of Art he began a two year apprenticeship as a cabinet maker training with Plunknett of Warwick, he then spent a further six months at Graham and Biddle of Oxford St before joining the family business in Tottenham Court Road in 1893 & his 1st pieces appeared in Heals shop windows in 1896. He was inspirational of building Heals reputation for over 50 years until he retired in 1953. He was fanatical about his work & designed many pieces over a long period always with an economical approach but with incredible attention to detail, he became involved with the Art Worker's Guild and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society & was inspired to create furniture designs which were initially made for him by Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts. In 1898 his factory was moved to its position at the end of Alfred Mews where he produced his own furniture in the true Arts & Crafts tradition.
Sir Ambrose Heal's was awarded in 1954 by The Royal Society of Arts of the Albert Gold Medal for services to Industrial Design. He died on 15th November 1959 age 87.
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