From The Archives

Child’s Play: Ambrose Heal at the V&A

The latest addition to the V&A’s collection, the Joan Chair is an invaluable piece of Ambrose Heal’s Arts & Crafts design. Dating from 1901, this one-off chair was commissioned by leather tycoon Joseph Angus for his youngest child Joan, and is just one of a number of pieces made by Heal & Son especially for […]

Great minds think alight: Joseph Swan

All this month we’re celebrating the life of pioneering inventor Joseph Swan – the man responsible for the incandescent bulb and modern lighting as we know it. The story begins as early as 1850 when Swan first began work on his infamous bulb. It would, however, be another ten years before he created a working […]

Festival of Britain

Described by the Labour deputy leader, Herbert Morrison, as a “tonic for the nation”, the Festival of Britain set out to convey a sense of recovery and progress after the Second World War. The 1951 festival was a landmark for British design, and – due to the vision and energy of its employess together with […]

Modigliani: A Unique Artistic Voice

Like so many creative catalysts, Amedeo Modigliani set the art world ablaze for all too short a period. To celebrate such a fleeting, yet prolific talent, a new exhibition at London’s leafy Estorick Collection is giving visitors a rare chance to view his distinctive style within an intimate setting. Bringing together a selection of works […]

The Mansard Gallery

Ambrose Heal had a keen interest in fine art and his involvement with painting and drawing paralleled his development as a designer, manufacturer and retailer. That’s why it’s hardly surprising, given his interest in the relationship between art, design and commerce, he should set up a gallery at Heal’s to show the most innovative art […]

Art Into Industry – The Bauhaus at Heal’s

  It’s not hard to see the effect the Bauhaus continues to have on contemporary design. Just take a look at the tubular style furniture within our showrooms. Yet the link between the influential German design school and Heal’s goes far beyond that of recent memory. Founded in 1919, the Bauhaus spearheaded a wave of […]

Heal’s Home Guard

Today (10th May) in 1941, our shop was hit by an oil bomb & incendiary bombs. The Heal’s Home Guard and workers who were staying in our basement bomb shelter managed to subdue the fires. Sadly several adjoining buildings were razed to the ground. This photo is of the Heal’s Home Guard on Alfred Mews. […]

The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett

Following the passing of much-loved British author Terry Pratchett, we were pleased to learn that the writer’s first book was launched within our very own showrooms. Having started his career writing children’s stories for his local newspaper, Pratchett developed a number of the characters that would feature in his first novel The Carpet People (1971). […]

Cappers Farm

Capper’s Farm was a 17th-century farmhouse behind Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road where some of the Heal’s employees lived. The farmhouse was known as Capper’s Farm from Christopher Capper who was farming the surrounding property as early as 1693. His widow died in 1739, and his daughters, Esther Capper, and Mary Booth were in occupation […]

A Touch of Vintage

Providing that finishing touch to an interior scheme, vintage decorative pieces help bring a room to life. So to celebrate the diverse range of 20th century designs, we have put together a hand-picked selection of quality-made antique ceramics and glassware for display in our Tottenham Court Road antiques showroom. Many of the ceramics on show […]