- Also known as
-
Sir Ambrose Heal
-
primary name: Heal, Ambrose
-
other name: Heal & Son
- Details
- individual; merchant/tradesman; collector; British; Male
- Life dates
- 1872-1959
- Address
- Nos. 195-198, Tottenham Court Road, London (business)
- Biography
- Chairman of Heal's furniture shop in Tottenham Court Road. Authority on London shops and trades on which he published many articles and books. His collection, formed as part of his research materials, was bequeathed to the BM. The main part of the collection is a series of about 9,000 trade-cards which are arranged according to the categories devised by Heal (a separate series of trade-cards, chiefly from the Banks collection but also including cards from the Franks, Fielden and other collections, is arranged in the same way). Heal was also an authority on writing masters, and that part of his collection was bequeathed to the V&A.
In 1913, his father, also Ambrose Heal, gave a collection of material connected with the parish of St Pancras, including maps, books, documents, illustrations, newscuttings and playbills to what became Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre (housed in 2013 at Holborn Library, 32-38 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8PA; telephone 020 7974 6342)
Trade card in Heal Collection (Heal,61.9) advertises "Heal & Son, Bedding Manufacturers, Upholsterers, Cabinet Makers & Carpet Warehousemen..." Heal's annotation on card: "1890". Bill-head in Heal Collection (Heal,61.10) and photograph of the same bill-head (Heal,61.10.a) state "Bought of F.Heal & Son, Feather Bed & Mattrass [sic] Manufacturers, Bed Tick, Blanket & Counterpane Warehouse... Old & mothy bedding effectually cured & re-made." The bill is dated "London July 20, 1840."
- Bibliography
- Lugt 4224 (applied in BM) and 4225
Oliver S Heal, 'Sir Ambrose Heal and the Heal Cabinet Factory 1897-1939' (2014)
Correspondence with Popham, December 1944
Reports to BM Trustees dated 21 October 1952 and 9 December 1959.
