Robert Gillow of Lancashire was an apprentice joiner and cabinet maker. He joined the Sattersthwaite family on a journey to the west indies as a ship carpenter. Whilst in Jamaica he developed a strong interest in Mahogany and returned, with samples of the wood, to Lancaster 1720. This may have been the first time Mahogany was imported to England. In 1730 he founded the luxury furniture and furnishings firm ‘Gillow of Lancashire’. The firm soon gained a reputation for supplying the highest quality furniture and furnishings to the wealthiest families in the country.