[2] He manifests the same surprising variations of quality that are noticed in the work of nearly all the English cabinet-makers of the second half of the 18th century, and while his best had an undeniable elegance, his worst was terrible: squat, ill-proportioned and confusing.
Some of his chairbacks are so nearly identical with Chippendale's that it is difficult to suppose that the one did not copy from the other, and most of the designs of the greater man enjoyed priority of date.
During a portion of his career, Manwaring was a devotee of the Chinese taste; he likewise practised in the Gothic manner.
He appears to have introduced the small bracket between the front rail of the seat and the top of the chair leg, or at all events to have made such constant use of it, that it has come to be regarded as characteristic of his work.
Among Manwaring's writings were The Cabinet and Chair Makers' Real Friend and Companion, or the Whole System of Chairmaking Made Plain and Easy (1765);[3] The Carpenters' Compleat Guide to Gothic Railing (1765); and The Chair-makers' Guide (1766).