Thomas Chippendale

Thomas Chippendale (ca June 5, 1718 - November 1779) was a cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. He went to London in 1749 where, in 1754, he became the first cabinet-maker to publish a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director.

As a folk hero of English craftsmanship, he is enshrined as a full-size sculpted figure standing among other notables adorning the facade of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Nostell Priory is home to one of the largest and most diverse collections of Chippendale furniture in the world, all of which was made especially for the house.