Vintage Geo. D. Pooley Industrial Steel Five-Tier Office Paper Tray /Letter Rack

Vintage Geo. D. Pooley Industrial Steel Five-Tier Office Paper Tray / Letter Rack

Incredibly well made heavy item!!

Displayed with other items illustration only not included

38 cm wide

23 cm depth

33 cm tall

8 cm between shelves

Suggested price: £78.00. I found a comparable five-shelf Geo. D. Pooley steel paper tray currently offered at £75, ( without labels) so I think £78 particularly as the original Pooley labels are still present.

A wonderfully utilitarian piece of vintage British office equipment, this substantial five-tier steel paper rack was supplied by Geo. D. Pooley of 4 Great Queen Street, Kingsway, London W.C.2.

Finished in a dark brown/green bronze metal, enamel style it has five generously sized sloping trays designed for sorting letters, paperwork, invoices and office correspondence. The tiered construction gives it a particularly good industrial look, while the rear incorporates keyhole fixing points allowing it to be wall mounted. It can also be used freestanding on a desk or worktop.

Best of all, the lower tray retains its wonderfully evocative original dealer's labels:

"OFFICE EQUIPMENT BY GEO. D. POOLEY"

"GEO. D. POOLEY – 4 GREAT QUEEN ST – KINGSWAY"

These original labels add considerably to the character of the piece and help place it firmly within London's once-thriving specialist office-furnishing trade.

About Geo. D. Pooley

Geo. D. Pooley was an established London office furnisher and equipment supplier, operating from 4 Great Queen Street, Kingsway, W.C.2. Surviving Pooley-labelled desks, office chairs and other furnishings show that the firm supplied traditional commercial offices during the first half of the 20th century; a circa 1920s/30s office chair is known bearing the same Great Queen Street address.

There is particularly nice documentary evidence for the business: The London Archives holds a 1956 photograph of Nos. 3–4 Great Queen Street which specifically identifies George D. Pooley as the office furnisher occupying the premises.

Pooley-labelled furniture also turns up through established auction houses, including early 20th-century pedestal desks and even older furniture which had subsequently passed through the firm's premises, suggesting Pooley acted as both an office furnisher and supplier rather than necessarily manufacturing every item carrying its label.

On its construction, enamelled steel finish and style, I would describe this particular rack conservatively as circa 1940s–1950s.

Condition

Good vintage condition with plenty of authentic industrial character. There are scratches, small areas of paint loss, surface marks and some age-related spotting/oxidation, particularly to the rear, as you would expect from genuine working office equipment of this age. The trays appear sound and the original Geo. D. Pooley labels remain attached.

We have deliberately left the finish as found rather than attempting to over-restore it.

Material: Painted/enamelled steel

Period: Circa 1940s–1950s

Maker / Supplier: Geo. D. Pooley

Origin: London, England

Configuration: Five sloping document trays

Fixing: Keyhole openings to the rear for wall mounting

Dimensions: [add measurements]

Why we love it

This is exactly the sort of old office equipment that has become unexpectedly decorative. It would look superb in a home office, studio, workshop or shop interior filled with papers, prints and stationery — or repurposed for displaying postcards, ephemera and small collections.

And that little red GEO. D. POOLEY label is the icing on the cake. It gives an otherwise beautifully functional piece of industrial design a very tangible connection with mid-century working London.

Our price: £78.00

As with all vintage and antique items, signs of age and previous use form part of the character. Please study the photographs as these form an important part of the description. Identification and dating are given to the best of our knowledge based upon the surviving label, construction and available historical records.

I think this is a cracking piece of vintage industrial officeware rather than something to undersell simply as an old paper rack. The Pooley provenance is what lifts it.