Garton King, About Us

Company History

Garton King Appliances Ltd is one of the South West's oldest companies.

The business was originally started in the 17th Century by John Atken, it quickly became a flourishing ironmongery shop. After selling selections of wares in wrought iron, brass and copper, the business went from strength to strength until 1826, when a disastrous fire destroyed the foundry and smithy. Undeterred, the company was relocated to a new site and in 1849, Messrs Garton & Jarvis took over other premises, continuing to improve the outstanding reputation of the firm.

With high-class stove making (the company won two bronze medals for one of their stoves at the Great Exhibition of 1851) and ironmongery skills, many fine examples of the firm's work were to be seen around the City of Exeter, including the gates of the old Exeter Bank (subsequently part of the Royal Clarence Hotel), railings around various prominent buildings, as well as producing one of the earliest pipe coil radiators. Unfortunately, many examples of their railings were salvaged for scrap during the war. However there are still thousands of gullies, gratings, manhole covers and some lamp standards to be found all over the city! After Garton's partner died in 1865, John Gould King became a partner with the firm, which was subsequently renamed "Garton & King".

In 1973 Garton & King split into two independent companies, Garton & King remaining the Foundry side of the business and Garton King Appliances being created to deal with the increasingly high profile side of the business as distributors for AGA-Rayburn. In 1979 Garton & King and the Foundry in Tan Lane finally closed.

Today, however, the sign of the Golden Hammer still hangs in Exeter, now outside the offices and showrooms of Garton King Appliances at 19 North Street, but the firm that John Atken started selling candlesticks, harness fittings and carriage metalwork, now deals with the most premier range of cookers in the country - AGA Rangemaster - with accompanying cookware, thus still maintaining the tradition of service at a high standard to the local community and beyond.

For further information on the long and illustrious history of Garton King Appliances Ltd (including when the company was awarded two bronze medals for revolutionary stove design at the Great Exhibition in 1851 with a commendation from Prince Albert!), please click here for a full and comprehensive look into our history.

We have local service & repair engineers covering Devon & the surrounding area so that we can supply a fast and efficient service that has been highly praised by our many satisfied customers.

Not only do we sell, we service too!

• AGA, Rayburn, Rangemaster, Falcon & Mercury Appliances
• The AGA Shop - Kitchen Shop with extensive range of cookware - AGA, Rayburn & many other brands
• OFTEC & GAS SAFE registered
• Free AGA Site Surveys
• Friendly Advice
• AGA & Rayburn Servicing
• New and Reconditioned AGA cookers
• Trade Ins
• Installation, Conversion 
• Reconditioning and Rebuilding
• AAUP – AGA Authentic Upgrade – AIMS Programmer for Electric & Gas AGA cookers

All of our AGA installers & service engineers are GAS SAFE and OFTEC registered, we also have fully qualified HETAS engineers for the servicing of solid fuel appliances.