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The
Squatter's Favourite
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Sketch from
Alcock catalogue, 1888
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These tables
were manufactured from the 1860s to approximately 1890. The cushion
rails were in strongly figured blackwood. The framework was made
of Australian cedar or blackwood, with very vivid figured blackwood
veneers.
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Squatter's
Favourite tables were installed in the Victorian Houses of Parliament,
several prestigious clubs and hotels, as well as in a number of private
homes and country properties.
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The
Duke Of Edinburgh
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Sketch from
Alcock catalogue, 1878
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Duke of Edinburgh
Table at Werribee Park Mansion, Victoria.
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For
many years this table has been a collector's item.
In 1867 the Victorian Government commissioned Alcock's to manufacture
a special table for Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh (second son
of Queen Victoria) for presentation upon his arrival in Melbourne
as part of a tour of the Colonies of Australasia.
From this time onward Alcock's was able to claim patronage from the
Duke. A limited number of these tables were made until about 1900. |
Beautifully
proportioned, the Duke of Edinburgh table was usually made from cedar
and blackwood: the cushion rails of strongly figured blackwood, and
the framework of Australian cedar with figured blackwood veneer on
the fascias and embellishments.
The original Duke of Edinburgh table was, in turn, presented by the
Duke to the Melbourne Club. Duke of Edinburgh tables are still found
in a number of prominent clubs and are owned by some of our leading
citizens and billiards enthusiasts. |
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The
Hopetoun
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Sketch from
Alcock catalogue, 1908
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The
Earl of Hopetoun was a popular Governor of Victoria during the late
1880s– early 1890s. In 1901 he became the first Governor-General
of the Commonwealth of Australia. Alcock's designed a new table in
his honour.
Few tables of this design were produced because the Earl cut short
his term of office and returned to England some 18 months later.
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A
distinctive design, the show timbers of the Hopetoun table were also
usually made from blackwood: cushion rails in strongly figured blackwood
and frame of cedar or Queensland maple with figured blackwood veneer
on the fascias and embellishments.
Again, the Hopetoun table is featured at several major Australian
clubs and in a number of private homes.
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