Chairman Antiques

16/06/2026

Strawberry Hill House is Horace Walpole’s Georgian Gothic masterpiece (restored). A few years ago I sold a chair to a private collector, which came with Houghton Hall provenance and in its original upholstery. Although the link to Walpole was only passing, as a character he had a sharp with and had intrigued me. Walpoles primary residence was Strawberry Hill House, built in stages between 1749 and 1776 which is longer than it takes me to get out of bed in the morning. Walpole was a fierce critic of Dashwood’s so called “Hellfire Club” which was actually known as the Knight’s of St Francis (amongst other names) but I’m wandering off subject again! Simply put, Strawberry Hill is a wonderful house to visit either on the most grotty day of the year or the hottest when it’s empty! To have the place pretty much to yourself is quite extraordinary too. So in that vein, here are a few images of its masterpiece restoration.

15/06/2026

Nowadays it’s all WhatsApp and texting, but back the 1820’s this was the only way to stay in touch.. the writing box.. this one is Ottoman and came from a large property on the Wiltshire/Berkshire border. I loved the lining, which is original, as well as the nail work. It’s for sale too!

15/06/2026

Such a lovely place to while away an afternoon! Dog friendly, nice cafe and a great collection of follies pepper the gardens. Just north of Taunton, it’s a great distraction from the world.

13/06/2026

Chiltern Open Air Museum near Chalfont St Giles and s well worth a wander! It’s a collection of buildings all saved from demolition, dismantled and reconstructed on site, from residential to agricultural and industrial and a corrugated metal church, plus a cafe and even historic loos!

10/06/2026

Hermits? “Mad Lucas” was a 19th Century celebrity hermit who slept on bags of soot. Strange to imagine his eccentricities would foster a trade in tea sets, but they did! Lucas also caught the eye of Charles Dickens who immortalised him as.. well you’ll have to read the article to find out!

02/06/2026

Cerne Abbas, Dorset. There’s an er****on on top of the hill.. apparently to help rechalk the giant..

01/06/2026

This weeks article is all about our own inimitable style, from and Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers cult Tav series to Adi enthusing about Le Mans! Meanwhile .a.l.w_reflections talks Wellington chests!

28/05/2026

26/05/2026

Sometimes as a dealer it’s good to bite the bullet and put some of your stock into auction. It frees up your storage space and affords you the opportunity to roll a van load into new stock too! It also helps you curate your best stock and up your standards!

26/05/2026

.rec Karl talks Punk, Paul talks nudity and Jennifer .a.l.w_reflections talks beer glasses! It all sounds like a late 1970s barbecue! Tip of the day: don’t leave antique furniture and polished items outside in this weather or they will melt!