Antiques & Collectibles

Antiques & Collectibles Whatever you do, don’t Google ‘gimp’

By Miranda Robertson and ordered a book called The Upholstery Bible – simple! An enterprising 76-year-old has Then I removed the springs, been teaching herself new skills horsehair, wadding and fabric –after deciding to tackle that too was fairly easy.” upholstery during lockdown. When Lockdown 2 was Peg Browning, who is originally announced, Peg threw herself from Blandford and has now into the project, stripping the settled in Turnerspuddle, decided chair to expose the maker’s on a whim to rescue an old name, “which I googled and nursing chair as her sister moved found that it was a Parisian house. “No, I have absolutely no workshop between 1824 and use for a nursing chair being 76 1930 and was quite well-known, years old but I did need a supplying bespoke furniture to project,” she said. Louis-Philippe and Napoleon She added: “I have no III.” She added: “The annoying experience of upholstery beyond thing was that if I was to covering the odd removable seat reupholster the chair the maker’s pad. The chair looked very sad name would be hidden again. with springs hanging down and That night, during my usual all fabric rotting. I went online failure to sleep time, I hatched a plan and in the morning, two days before lockdown started, I searched the internet Free valuations & home visits for a House clearances arranged company Probate & Insurance valuations able to digitally print the maker’s name onto a piece of plain fabric that I could put on the back of the chair back. “After several false starts I eventually found Mark at Big Print Little Print and he A French Belle Epoque display table, agreed to of bombe form, sold for £4800 help. I set off for his www.busby.co.uk premises in the Contact Verwood info@busby.co.uk 01308 420 100 area and The Old Hemp Store North Mills, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3BE eventually located Mark –48

WEB WE WEAVE: The chair before, inset, and after. Also inset, Peg Browning impressive place with technology galore. “Mark was extremely helpful and I would highly recommend him. After half an hour and with a spend of only £12, I left with the maker’s name expertly printed on a cotton tote bag that I was then able to cut to fit. Next I ordered tacks, webbing, hessian and a webbing stretcher and lockdown began.” Peg toiled away, removing hundreds of nails used over the many years and changes of fabric. She said: “Every time I broke a nail or tack head I very nearly abandoned the whole thing. The air was definitely blue!” The next job was to sort out the seat. Daunted by the instructions on sewing in springs, Peg plumped for foam, then tacked webbing to the underside. She said: “I’ve never done webbing before but once I mastered the stretcher it became quite pleasurable. I have decided that hammering is definitely therapeutic – especially whilst thinking of unpleasant people.” Peg covered the lot with hessian followed by foam, fire-retardant covering and then her fabric. She said: “All this went well and so I ordered gimp for the finishing touch to cover the tack heads. One of my daughters messaged to ask what I was doing and I replied that I was searching online for gimp. Her reply was a shocked, ‘Mother, whatever are you up to now?’ I had no idea what she meant and when I enquired she told me to Google it. My advice to all is, please DON’T!” Peg is now looking for another project in case there is Lockdown number 3....

We Buy RECORDS, COLLECTIONS LARGE and SMALL. Call BILL 01747 811000 Email bill@ rebornrecords.co.uk

Antiques & Collectibles 1,500 lots on offer at two-day auction

Clarke’s Auctions is holding a two-day sale on Wednesday and Thursday, December 30 and 31. With over 1,500 lots of antiques and collectables on offer, there’s something for everyone. They will be selling over 200 lots of silver and jewellery, with one of the most striking lots a Persian high carat gold coin bracelet, estimate £1,800 to £2,200, and plenty of gold and precious stone dress rings, necklaces and costume jewellery with estimates from £20 to £200. Silver highlights include a Victorian four-piece tea and coffee set with chased and embossed decoration by makers Martin Hall & Co. London, estimate £800£1,200 and a 1930s silver oval two-handled tray with makers marks for Roberts & Doré. Thomas Roberts was a respected figure in London at the beginning of the 20th century, who was unable to source silverware with the quality he wanted so established himself as a manufacturing silversmith and took on premises in London’s Hatton Garden –already recognised as being the main area in London for jewellery and diamonds. He gathered together some of the best craftsmen in the country and they soon established themselves as recognised silversmiths and saw their pieces supplying to top London stores and throughout the world. As their November sale of Chinese and Oriental Arts sale was cancelled due to the recent lockdown they are offering over 350 lots of Chinese, Japanese and Asian ceramics, jades, bronzes, ivories and art and know that there will be fierce online bidding for the star lots. These include a collection of jade carvings, one being a Chinese jade carving of a temple lion which has an estimate of £600-£800, which is likely to find its way back to China in the New Year and a Chinese gilded bronze figure of a Buddha with an estimate of £550-£650. Appointments are still being made to appraise items suitable for entry into their 2021 sales so please call the office to make arrangements for a home visit following Government guidelines and they are open by appointment for free verbal valuations Monday to Friday at their salerooms behind the Kingsettle Antique Centre on Station Road, Semley. All enquiries should be directed to either Richard Clarke or Karen Marshall on 01747 855109.

UNDER THE HAMMER: Above left, a Chinese jade carving of a temple lion and centre, Chinese gilded bronze figure of a Buddha. Right, a Victorian fourpiece tea & coffee set by Martin Hall & Co

n Clarke’s Auctions’ first Classic Cars, Bikes and Automobilia sale proved to be a success, with enthusiasts and saw bidders registering from far and wide. The automobilia section, with almost two hundred lots, had an

The Persian high carat gold coin bracelet

eclectic mix of items, with two collections of diecast models and Austin 7 spares performing very well. Both collections, from a deceased estate near Poole, found buyers from as far away as Suffolk and the Midlands – proving the power of the internet. Their next Classic Vehicles & Automobilia sale will be held on Sunday, March 14 2021 and please contact Matt Whitney on 01747 855109 for all enquiries regarding this sale.

CLARKE’S AUCTIONS Auctioneers & Valuers

A Chinese Ducai shallow bowl decorated with foliate scrolls. Estimate £12,000 - £15,000

Clarke's Auctions would like to wish their customers a very Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you again at our 2021 sales Please contact Richard Clarke or Karen Marshall on 01747 855109

Station Road, Semley,

Shaftesbury, SP7 9BU enquiries@clarkesauctions.co.uk clarkesauctions.co.uk