Charles Hindley & Sons (London)

The firm of Miles & Edwards began operation in 1822 at 134 Oxford Street, Westminster, London . It specialized in fabric for curtains and furniture, as well as linings, fringes, cords and other fabric notions. They also sold carpets and wallpaper, made curtain rods and draperies to order, and took in furniture to be upholstered. While most of their clientele was in London, they took orders from across the British Isles. Customers in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Wight requested fabric samples and wrote letters with their orders. Though best known for its middle class clientele*, Miles & Edwards attracted customers from the highest levels of society, such as the Duchesses of Bedford and Marlborough.

Charles Hindley & Sons bought out Miles & Edwards in 1844, moving into their Oxford Street premises. Under the new management, the company continued to offer a similar line of products and services, with the addition of furniture sales. Charles Hindley & Sons operated until 1892.

*For information on the clientele of Miles & Edwards and Charles Hindley & Sons, see: Microulis, Laura. "Charles Hindley & Sons, London house furnishers of the nineteenth century: a paradigm of the middle-range market." Studies in the Decorative Arts, v. 5 (Spring/Summer 1998) p. 69-96.

From the guide to the Miles & Edwards and Charles Hindley & Sons correspondence, 1832-1875, (Yale Center for British Art)