The Four Original Grades
When the Wooton Desk Manufacturing Company released its patented secretary desk in the 1870s, it offered customers a choice of four distinct grades — each reflecting a different level of detail, finish, and craftsmanship.
While the core design was the same — a grand cabinet that opened into a self-contained office — the level of ornamentation, veneer quality, and hardware defined the final price.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| Ordinary Grade | The simplest model, made for general office or clerical use. It was plain in design but retained the essential Wooton functionality — double doors, interior pigeonholes, and a solid writing surface. |
| Standard Grade | Featured finer wood selection and modest decorative carvings. Often used in professional offices and smaller institutions. |
| Extra Grade | Added intricate carved panels, burled walnut veneers, and ornamental moldings. This version was favored by lawyers, bankers, and publishers. |
| Superior Grade | The most elaborate and expensive version. Richly decorated with carved galleries, finials, and inlays, featuring the finest veneers and solid brass hardware. Considered the ultimate status symbol of 19th-century business success. |
Sizes and Variations
Wooton Desks were produced in three general sizes for each grade:
- Small Secretary
- Medium Secretary
- Large Secretary
Each size contained similar compartments and drawers, with proportions adjusted to the user’s workspace.
The Large Secretary Superior Grade, measuring over seven feet tall and nearly six feet wide, remains one of the most impressive pieces of Victorian office furniture ever made.
Specialized Models
In addition to the four main grades, Wooton produced several specialized designs:
- Ladies’ Cabinet Desks – smaller, more delicately proportioned versions designed for private use or correspondence.
- Roll-Top and Slant-Front Models – experimental designs incorporating Wooton’s compartmental logic into other desk forms.
- Custom Commissions – Wooton’s factory occasionally fulfilled bespoke requests for unique dimensions or ornamentation for institutions and private estates.
Function Meets Elegance
Each Wooton desk, regardless of grade, was engineered for one goal — maximum organization.
With dozens of drawers, shelves, and pigeonholes, the desk was both practical and ornamental, embodying the ideal of the self-sufficient executive of the Victorian age.
The closing doors secured everything neatly inside, transforming a busy workspace into a piece of sculptural furniture in moments.
Legacy and Influence
The tiered grading system became a model for furniture makers worldwide, setting a precedent for modular office furniture.
Today, collectors and historians use these grades to identify surviving examples. Many Superior Grade desks are now held in museums and private collections, while Glenn Furniture reproduces each style faithfully — offering both authentic replicas and modernized interpretations made in Jepara, Indonesia.
“Each grade told a story — from modest ambition to extraordinary achievement.”