John Allen were in existence for nearly 100 years with their earliest known date 1831. They are last recorded in 1913 and their demise can perhaps be put down to the lower demand for campaign furniture in the 20th century and the emergence of the motor car. Although acknowledged as makers of good barrack room furniture they also made very good quality portmanteaus, trunks and other leather goods. This advert from the1884 Army List Advertiser, like the Millard one, when compared with that from 1867, shows that they sold some of the items over along period of time. In fact if you compare the adverts of some of these makers such as Allen, Millard, Army & Navy Store and W. Day, they all seemed to offer very similar items with the Douro chair, metal framed bed and washstand being particularly popular. They all describe themselves as manufacturers of barrack room furniture but either they were all making very similar goods or they bought some items in wholesale. This Allen advert offers 'A Large Stock Of Portable Drawers (Allen's Manufacture) At Greatly Reduced Prices'. The fact that they note the ones reduced are of their own make suggests they also sold goods produced elsewhere. The Army and Navy Store certainly sold items manufactured elsewhere alongside those they made. Such was J.W. Allen's standing in the market that he was by appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales. The campaign chest also shown here is an example of Allen's work and is probably the model shown in this advert. The former property of Watkyn Lloyd Downes of the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment it is rare for retaining its original packing cases which of course doubled in use as a cupboard. Although many of these cupboards were originally sold with chests, the majority were destroyed by later generations. Often made of painted pine or deal, regrettably they were not considered of value. May 1884. This item is on the website for information and is not for sale. |
