Conan Doyle, a prolific traveller, designed the portable desk and hired French luxury company Goyard to make it.
The resulting item was roughly the same size and weight as an ordinary travel trunk but was capable of transforming into a writing desk and encompassed a table, bookcase, typewriter and storage space.
Only seven were made and two of these are owned by Goyard. One is in a French museum, three are in private collections (including this from Oulton). The whereabouts of the seventh is unknown.
The portable desk that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's bespoke Goyard trunk converts into.
Furniture and accessories designer Timothy Oulton is a collector of antique and vintage trunks and is offering this item from his own private collection. It has a price tag of £96,000 and is on view at his gallery at the Bluebird Garage in Chelsea, London.
Oulton was originally an antiques dealer when he worked with his father’s business Halo Antiques. He later moved into making luxury furniture and leather goods.
As well as a gallery at the Bluebird Garage, Oulton sells in outlets in the US, France, Germany, Italy and Asia.
