A Fine Pair of Giltwood Overmantel Mirrors with the Emblems of the Royal Naval Club, Portsmouth, Supplied by G. Wendover and Co. in 1869

A Fine Pair of Giltwood Overmantel Mirrors with the Emblems of the Royal Naval Club, Portsmouth, Supplied by G. Wendover and Co. in 1869

The mirrors are of imposing size and clean lines-the decoration being more refined and restrained. The crestings are topped by crown and anchor motifs-the symbols of the club which also appeared in the stonework on the front of the building.

Through research using the British Newspaper Archive we have been able to establish that the mirrors were almost certainly supplied by the firm of G. Wendover and Co of Hanover Street, Portsmouth. An article in The Broad Arrow, dated the 30^th of January 1869, mentions the successful opening of the club. It states that “the building has been furnished by Messrs Wendover, of Hanover Street, and the whole of the details have been carried out in a manner which reflects credit on all who have taken part in them”.

1. Wendover and Co.

According to BIFMO (British and Irish Furniture Makers Online), Wendover seems to have flourished between c.1839 and 1879. The firm occupied successively larger premises in Hanover Street, Portsmouth, and these premises were clearly very impressive indeed. Spread over three buildings and three floors, they incorporated showroom space, offices, cabinetmaking and polishing workshops and were clearly a one stop shop for the wealthy local clientele. The size of the premises is estimated at over 10,000 square feet and there were 40 benches for cabinetwork on the top floor. The polishing and upholstery workshops were located on the first floor. The firm also had its own stocks of wood and veneer kept in its basements.

Clearly Wendover was a flourishing firm and the ideal choice to fit out a club that was designed to impress the most discerning clientele of the day. 

The Royal Naval Club, Portsmouth

The Royal Naval Club in Portsmouth was first proposed in 1868 and one of its first honorary life members was the Duke of Edinburgh. Later members included such luminaries as Sir Robert Scott (Scott of the Antarctic) and Sir Alec Rose, the round-the-world yachtsman. Right from the very start the club was designed as an elite social destination and was patronised by royalty and aristocracy as well as the cream of the sailors of the south of England. In 1971 the club merged with the Royal Albert Club and continued successfully until it was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2021 following a decrease in revenue linked to the pandemic.