Rare Victorian Nautilus Fire Basket

Stock No.16676

A late Victorian cast iron 'Nautilus' fire basket with brass finials and front mounts, designed by James Petter for the Nautilus Stove Co. circa 1881, makers plate to verso No.3561.
This lovely grate is cast with Aesthetic Movement motifs and mounted with wheels for ease of movement. The name was based on the internal shape of the Nautilus shell by means of which the fumes and smoke are circulated in a chamber before being drawn out through the flue, thus achieving greater efficiency than more traditional designs.

English, circa 1880.

FROM FIRE BASKETS TO HELICOPTERS, VIA MOUNT EVEREST.

The earliest incarnation of the Nautilus stove company, makers of kitchen ranges and fire grates, was founded by John Petter in 1865, when he bought an ironmonger's business in Yeovil, Somerset as a present for his son James Bazeley Petter, upon his marriage to Charlotte Branscombe. A few years later James expanded the business when he bought Yeovil Foundry and went into partnership with the manager Henry. F. Edger. Around 1881 James founded the Nautilus stove company and in 1882 he exhibited his Nautilus grate in the Smoke Abatement exhibition in Manchester. Queen Victoria had these fire grates installed in both Osborne house and Balmoral castle; after this demand grew substantially.

The Nautilus grate was first manufactured in a building known as the Rink in Hendford, so named as it was formerly a skating rink, later becoming known as the Nautilus grate works, before the company moved to a purpose-built factory in Reckleford.
The company also dabbled with steam and electric road vehicles. Percy Petter took the first car to London in 1896, it was basically a horse drawn carriage with an engine, known as the horseless carriage. The car division however was not a great success financially and after not winning a thousand guinea prize in a national competition in 1897, they closed the car division and concentrated on the production of their oil engines, such as the Petters 'Handy Man'; these were exported all over the world.
Lesser known is the use of some of their larger engines to light Yeovil before the advent of the National Grid.

In 1913 the company bought land to build a new foundry which became one of the largest in the country. After war broke out in 1914 the Petters offered their manufacturing resources to the government and in 1917 they supplied the admiralty with "Short 184" float planes; part of this went on to become the Westland aircraft branch of the business. Two biplanes built by Westland were the first to fly over the summit of mount Everest on the 3rd of April 1933. A modified Westland PV-3 Registration G-ACAZ and a PV-6 prototype Westland Wallace bomber, registration G-ACBR. The Petters continued to make oil engines until 1937 when they were taken over by Associated British Engines Ltd. The Westland part of the business went on to become one of the world's most successful helicopter manufacturers.

View our collection of: Antique fire grates and log baskets.

	Width	Height	Depth
	20 1⁄4" 51.5 cms	28" 71 cms	21 7⁄8" 55.5 cms