Reminiscing Whytock & Reid: Revisiting The Famous Cabinetmakers of Edinburgh
We hope you are all having a nice week. We had a lovely day yesterday, as we had a special visitor at our warehouse. Robert Motion, aged 90, was brought here for a surprise visit – all thoughtfully organised by his son, Gordon. The reason for the visit was that Robert worked for Whytock & Reid from 1950 to 1957 (he completed his apprenticeship with them and he still makes furniture to this day!). Whytock & Reid pieces have always caught our eye and we now stock the most Whytock & Reid items under one roof in the UK. We didn’t stop there, as in in 2022 we bought the name with the aim of promoting and preserving this fantastic Edinburgh furniture makers’ legacy.
Whytock & Reid was founded in 1807, and until doors closed in 2004 they were the leading high-quality cabinetmakers of Scottish furniture. They were renowned for their distinctive style and quality craftsmanship. Alongside furnishing the great palaces, castles and houses of Scotland, they also furnished the liners of the Clyde and the board rooms of St Andrew’s Square.
Notably, they had a long and fruitful working partnership with architect and designer Sir Robert Lorimer, and were one of only two companies in the world to hold a Royal Warrant continuously for over 150 years.
We at Georgian Antiques are proud to have 3 staff members who previously worked for Whytock & Reid. So, having Robert visit was a joy, as alongside viewing the furniture he was able to visit our workshops and talk with our cabinetmakers and polisher who were part of the same legacy.
Pictured here is John and Robert, and they were able to have a good chat about the company during the afternoon spent here. Robert mentioned how he had never seen so many quality Whytock & Reid pieces in one place, and was delighted that we were doing something to preserve the long-standing history.
Today, Whytock & Reid furniture is highly sought after and is increasing in rarity value. By owning the Whytock & Reid name we aim to honour the craftsmanship of the pieces made by cabinetmakers like Robert and our staff by ensuring the name remains highly valued for years to come.
We have some cracking pieces for you to browse, so click here to view our ‘Whytock & Reid’ category to view our current listings. If anything catches your eye please get in touch, we will be glad to assist.
Kind Regards,
Georgian Antiques