Arighi Bianchi

Arighi Bianchi

Arighi Bianchi
Location Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Coordinates 53°15′39″N 2°07′18″W / 53.2608°N 2.1218°W / 53.2608; -2.1218Coordinates: 53°15′39″N 2°07′18″W / 53.2608°N 2.1218°W / 53.2608; -2.1218
OS grid reference SJ 920 738
Founded 1854
Built for Antonio Arighi, Antonio Bianchi
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name: Showroom premises of Messrs Arighi Bianchi
Designated 18 September 1973
Reference no. 1291854
Location in Cheshire

Arighi Bianchi is a furniture shop in the town of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. It was founded in 1854 by Italian immigrants Antonio Arighi and Antonio Bianchi who originated from the village of Casnate on the shores of Lake Como.

The shop is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[1] It has a cast iron and glass frontage, and stands close to Macclesfield Station and Tesco. The four-storey shop front was inspired by Paxton’s Crystal Palace of 1851. It was the work of a local builder George Roylance. The building has much in common with the steel frame buildings of Lower Manhattan. It was saved from demolition in 1973 after a campaign supported by the Victorian Society, the Architectural Review magazine and Sir John Betjeman.[2]

History

Arighi Bianchi (pronounced a-ree-ghee bee-an-key) has been part of the furniture in Britain for over 150 years. It was in 1854 that Antonio Arighi set off from the tiny silk-weaving town of Casnate near Lake Como to escape the ravages of the Italian civil war. After crossing the Alps by toboggan of all things, Antonio A eventually pitched up in Macclesfield, Cheshire. Antonio was soon joined in the town by his nephew Antonio Bianchi and the two men swiftly set up in business as cabinet makers.

The 19th century progressed not without incident, with Arighi’s intervention helping to save the town from flooding in 1872 and the decision to move to the current site in 1883. In the early 20th century, the store supplied furniture to Marlborough House and Sandringham House, by royal appointment of Edward VII, Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Historic England, "Showroom premises of Messrs Arighi Bianchi, Macclesfield (1291854)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 22 March 2015
  2. ↑ Arighi Bianchi (480), Centre for the Urban Built Environment, retrieved 27 February 2011

External links

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