HEAL’S

Lumpy straw mattresses were still by and large the norm for beds in early 19th-century Britain (for more on this see p40). It was into this imperfect domestic landscape that John Harris Heal launched a new business in 1810, selling the feather-filled mattresses that were popular on the continent. His shop opened at 33 Rathbone Place, London, and before long expanded into the manufacture of bedsteads and other furniture too, adopting new premises on Tottenham Court Road in 1818.

After John’s death in 1833 his widow took over, renaming the business Fanny Heal & Son. A dynamic and driven woman, she and her son (also called John Harris) made a formidable team and continued