£525
Auction: Design Since 1860
oak, with two open shelves
Provenance: Edwin and Maud Scott-Nicholson, Barn Close, near Carlisle and by descent to the present owner
Literature: Whittaker, Esmé On the Border: Barn Close and the evolution of the Arts & Crafts interior, 1902-1931 The Decorative Arts Society, Journal 42, 2018, pp.90-108
Note: Barn Close was designed by Norman Evill (1873-1958) in 1902 for Edwin and Maud Scott-Nicholson. Edwin Scott-Nicholson was an architect turned industrialist. Born Edwin Nicholson, he had trained in the Arts and Crafts tradition, working as an assistant to Robert Weir Schultz in London, but gave up his architectural practice when he married the daughter of Sir Benjamin Scott and joined the rapidly expanding firm, Hudson Scott and Sons Ltd. The house evolved to reflect the multi-layered taste of its owners, with their allegiance to the Design and Industries Association (D.I.A.), founded in 1915 and of which Edwin was an active supporter. He was encouraged to join by his neighbour James Morton and friend and fellow member Sir Robert Lorimer, who had been an important member from the start. Barn Close was built according to Arts and Crafts principles, using local materials and with decorative details by leading craftsmen such as William De Morgan and George Percy Bankart. Furniture in the house included work by Ambrose Heal, Gordon Russell and Ernest Gimson as well as furniture designed by Edwin himself.