Innovative from the first, John Harris Heal introduced French-style feather-filled mattresses to London’s homeowners.
It was the beginning of the end for straw beds
One of the earliest examples of successful branding, the ‘sign of the four poster’ became such a familiar meeting place for Londoners that, on Heal’s centenary, commemorative stamps were issued bearing the logo.
Ambrose Heal shared his ancestors’ appreciation for innovation; opening the forward-thinking Mansard Gallery in-store was a bold move. A destination in its own right, the gallery was the first in the UK to exhibit the (then shocking) work of Modigliani.
Heal’s mattresses have always been handmade to order and delivered by a dedicated team of experts. The horse and carriage may have been replaced by a fleet of motorised van in 1925, but the quality and service have remained the same.
Described by the Labour deputy leader, Herbet Morrison, as a “tonic for the nation”, the Festival of Britain set out to convey a sense of recovery and progress after the end of the Second World War. The festival was a landmark for British design, and kick-started a new boom period for Heal’s, which continued long into the 1960s.
