A pair of ebonised, walnut and gilt metal mounted pier cabinets, 19th Century, the rectangular marble tops with a pierced gilt metal three quarter gallery above a frieze of scrolling olive leaves and a pair of glazed panelled doors on a plinth base, each with paper labels to the reverse Hampton and Sons, The Pantechnicon, Belgrave Square and dated 3-11-61, L Lee Esq., height 105cm x width 121cm x depth 43cm. Provenance: Bonhams Knightsbridge Sale 8th March 2005 - lot 190 and then Private London Collection Footnotes: The Pantechnicon building was a large building located Between Motcomb, Lowndes, and Kinnerton Streets, all of which are on the western side of the square, used for storing furniture, carriages, works of art, &c. It was originally built about the year 1834, as a bazaar, and was established principally for the sale of carriages and household furniture. In 1830 William Hampton opened a shop for the sale of general household furniture in Cranbourn Street. He was subsequently joined by his two sons George and William Powell (the sons of George Hampton; Harold, Fred and Clarence also later entered the business). In 1869 the business expanded with new premises on the corner site comprising 8 Pall Mall East and 1-3 Dorset Place (now Whitcomb Street). Throughout its history the firm suffered a number of serious fires, the first of which occurred in 1890. As the firm continued to expand it took over control of a number of other firms, beginning with James Coulson and Co of Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1898, and in the early 1950's Goodall, Lamb and Highway of King Street, Manchester and Robson and Sons Ltd of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In 1926 the firm opened a factory at Ingate Place, Battersea close to the firm's existing depository. Amongst the firm's noteable contracts were the Royal Yacht Britannia, the liners the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the Duke of York Theatre, the Dorchester and the Mayfair Hotels and the palaces of two Indian princes, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Maharajah of Kashmir. On the night of 16th November 1940 an incendiary bomb hit the Pall Mall premises and the greater part of the building was destroyed. Temporary one-storeyed buildings were erected on the site but these were eventually demolished in 1957 following the sale of the site to the Canadian Government. In October 1940 the firm had acquired a controlling interest in the firm of Storey & Co Ltd of Kensington High Street and it was there that the firm established its new headquarters.