ABSTRACT
A special Curio Department was opened, where the connoisseur of the curious could browse amongst oriental armour, bronzes, and ‘antique metalwork suitable for the decoration of halls, etc.’ ‘A narrow and winding stair led to the upper floors, where were the studios, and above these were the polisher's shop and various store rooms. Telephones were then almost unknown, excepting a very crude system between the two houses, consisting of a single wire attached to a drum-like receiving box at each end, which you tapped to draw the attention of the person at the other end, and then you spoke your message. The outdoor representative of the Contracts Department for nearly forty years was Guy Bentley, an expert on interior decoration of all periods and styles. A classical scholar with literary leanings, he sometimes helped Arthur Liberty prepare the various papers he gave to learned societies.
