A Philip Webb Pillar Grate

This imposing pillar grate of the Queen Square type was designed by Philip Webb (1831-1915), the founder of the Arts and Crafts Architectural Movement in the 1860’s. Original drawings of this grate are archived at the V & A Collections and shown here. The grate has a curved front and pillar-style legs. The finish is in black-iron with polished brass ball finials, collar feet and dolly detail. Curved shoulders sit above hob-fronts decorated with finely cast ornate flower detail. The rear legs in wrought-iron below a cast-iron fire back. A fire grate of this type still exists at Kelmscott House (William Morris’s last residence) in Chiswick and a smaller version in the Drawing Room at Nether Hall in Suffolk. Another pillar grate also existed at No 1 Palace Green, London. Restored.

Height of burning area: 31 1/2″

Circa 1860