Bevan Funnell - 2 Seater Chesterfield Sofa English Original

Gorgeous two-seat sofa. Chesterfield model, original English. Manufactured by the renowned company Bevan Funnell. The sofa has an authenticity label as shown in the photos. Measurements of the two-seat sofa Width: 170 cm Depth: 92 cm Height 76 cm Shipping arrangements to be agreed upon after the auction has ended History: Bevan Funnel was founded by one of the most famous manufacturers of quality furniture in the United Kingdom. 1945 - Barry Bevan Funnel worked as a purchaser at a retail shop in Hove when he met his future wife Pamela Funnell. Ambitious and frustrated with his job, he suggested that the two of them should start their own business manufacturing furniture. They were confident there would always be a market for high-quality hand-made pieces. October 1945: ‘Bevan Funnell’ was founded as a limited liability company. 1945/‘6 - Barry and Pamela started to buy and sell second hand furniture, using their industrial contacts to open accounts with various resellers. 1946 - Bevan Funnel began exporting furniture to the Netherlands, following some low-volume export to Belgium and South Africa. 1947 - The company moved its headquarters to an industrial estate in Newhaven. They began manufacturing their own range of oak and mahogany furniture, creating a mill, a machine shop, a furniture shop and a polishing department. 1948 - In order to publicise his own pieces, Barry purchased a 60-feet motor yacht and equipped it with most of his collection that it could contain. They then sailed it all over the United Kingdom and finally to Germany, France, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain, entertaining clients on a large scale. 1954 - The company started exporting furniture to Germany. 1959 - Bevan Funnell acquired warehouse space and began exporting and several years later, their own lorries crossed the English Channel to make deliveries. 1965 - The BBC Television invited Bevan Funnel to their ‘Made in Britain’ programme. The BBC sent a journalist, photographer and film crew to one of their yacht sale tours. 1967 - Bevan Funnell became the first furniture manufacturer to win the Queen’s Award for Industry (now the Queen’s Award for Enterprise) . 1969 - Berry Bevan was awarded the OBE. 1970 - The company again won the Queen’s Award for Industry, becoming the first participant to win the award twice. 1976 - Bevan Funnel expanded their operations, taking over a four-storey building next to their factory. They also added to their already ample fleet of vans and articulated lorries. 1995 - Barry and Pamela took a step back in their everyday operations, leaving the sales trips to the next generation. They had already travelled the world for business around 34 times. 2000–2005 - Barry and Pamela were still ‘very active’ in all company decisions until Pamela passed away in the early 2000s, followed by Berry in 2005. They managed to grow Bevan Funnel into one of the most prestigious companies in Great Britain. Furniture manufacturers respected by all. 2007 - Following the death of Mr Funnell, Bevan Funnell became the property of its employees who subsequently sold the company to the Swann Group, a successful privately-owned company. 2008–2013 - The Swann Group helped Bevan Funnel diversify their activities to satisfy the changing conditions of the market.