Ship's Wall Mounted Desk

A mahogany Wall Mounted Desk by Albert Barker Ltd.

A push button to the top on either side of the desk releases the fall, and the top half of the two silver plated support columns slide inside their bottom halves to hold the desk in the horizontal position. As the fall opens, the sprung desk tidy to the back of the writing area pops forward. The desk tidy has a number of dividers etc. The thin compartments to the outside edges were probably made to take inkwells, inside those to each side is a small, plain compartment and then a lidded compartment hinged to the back and a long pen tray to the centre. Under the removable pen tray is a long central compartment with a shorter one on either side. The interior of the back is fitted with a grained, green leather with seventeen pockets to take stationery and a central window for calendar cards.

An ivorine inset plaque gives the name of Albert Barker Ltd, 5 New Bond Street, London. The evidence to the top of a now missing gallery suggests that this space saving desk was aimed at use on board ship although it would of course also work well in a flat. We have had a similar piece of furniture by Walter Thornhill, who Barker was previously associated with. It retained its gallery and was also wall mounted but the back was made to reach the floor.

With the desk is a roughly engraved metal disk noting 'Brig. Tobin R.A.O.C.' to one side and 'Skipper' to the other. This is likely to refer Brigadier Cornelius Joseph Tobin CBE (1910-1998) who was in the Royal Army Ordnance Corp for part of his career and also spent part of his life at sea. He was unlikely to be original purchaser of the desk but Tobin's career ties in with this desk being made for use at sea.

As his address would imply, Albert Barker's goods, like that of Thornhill, were aimed at the luxury market. A Desk such as this would have appealed to the owner of a private yacht etc. but also someone with a smart London flat. Circa 1900.

Size open is given.