Fine Apothecary/ Medical Cabinet – c1850- Godfrey & Cooke London [Established 1680]

Product Categories

Fine Apothecary/ Medical Cabinet – c1850- Godfrey & Cooke London [Established 1680]

Short Description

Really special fine polished solid mahogany medical cabinet retailed by Godfrey & Cooke, London in the Victorian era. Campaign style brass handle and recess, working lock with original key [not to be lost]. Lovely red velvet padded interior, with two finely crafted lift out stacking trays. Individual compartments around the inside of the cabinet contain eleven glass medical bottles all with ground glass stoppers. The top tray contains period apothecary scales and a good set of weights [2,1 and ½ Drams; 2,1 Scruples and 6,5,4,3,2,1 and ½ Grains]. The lower larger tray contains a glass pestle and mortar, two lidded jars and three small ground glass stoppered bottles. Below this tray is a void containing a minute measuring cylinder [measure in “drops”] in a shagreen case and an old dropper.

The cabinet is unmarked, 26.5cm by 15cm by 14cm high; weighs approx. 3.5 kgs. The internal items are in as good a condition as you will get, one stopper with a chip the rest undamaged. Three stoppers fused in place – we are not going to force them.

The back story of this cabinet is worth a movie.

Ambrose Godfrey-Hanckwutz (1660-1741) was born in Kothen, Germany. At the age of nineteen, already married, he moved to London where he worked as an assistant to Robert Boyle founding member of The Royal Society, often described as the first chemist. He reduced his name to Ambrose Godfrey to assimilate. His primary task with Boyle was to discover the method of making phosphorous – which involves an intriguing story [too long for here]. He was eventually successful, and much money was made which allowed him to set up his own chemist’s business at the Sign of the Phoenix, Covent Garden. On his death in 1741 his sons took over the business and then in turn a nephew of the same name. On his death in 1797 the business was bought by Charles Gorman Cooke and became Godfrey & Cooke with activities on Conduit Street and then later The Royal Arcade, Bond Street. The name continued until 1910.

Fine 19thC London apothecary/ medical cabinet

Updating...