West of England Antique Dealers' Association

The study of early English silver spoons, focuses on a period of some 400 years, from the beginning of hallmarking in the early 14th century until the introduction of the flatware service in the early 18th century. Spoons are unique in that examples of hallmarks can be found without a break in continuity for that […]

In a van the cold comes up. That is if you are sleeping in the back of a Transit in December. I was covered in blankets but I had woken at 2 am freezing cold. I realised I needed as much bedding below me as above. I settled back down to sleep but it was […]

In many people’s minds the subject of insurance goes “to the bottom of the pile”! After all, you can pay a great deal of money in premium, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of pounds, and all you get is a lot of paper, much of which is difficult to understand. Everyone can experience this euphoria, […]

A desk is a furniture form and a class of table often used in a work or office setting for reading or writing on or using a computer. Desks often have one or more drawers to store office supplies and papers. Unlike a regular table, only one side of a desk is suitable to sit […]

A chest of drawers, also known (especially in North American English) as dresser or bureau, is a piece of furniture which has multiple parallel, horizontal drawers stacked one above each other. A chifforobe (from chiffonier + wardrobe) is a combination of a wardrobe and chest of drawers.
Dressers have traditionally been made and used for storing […]

An antique (Latin: antiquus; old) is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features. It is an object that represents a previous era in human society.
Antiques are usually objects which show some degree of craftsmanship, or a certain attention to design such as […]

by Caro Brewster
Over the last few years a myth seems to have grown up that ‘brown furniture is out of fashion’. My aim in this article is to disprove the theory and expose the myth.
We hear so much about how we must recycle everything to save the planet, and there are so many advertisements for […]

When I was asked to write this article I knew that I was going to be rumbled at last. For over thirty years I have been going over to France for lunch and bringing a few pieces of furniture back as cover. Sadly while the price of lunch has remained extraordinarily modest, the cover charge, […]

Buying Tips and What To Look For
In the current climate, antique furniture at the lower end of the market can still be difficult to sell and the value of middle range pieces has fallen by as much as 50% over the years. This may sound depressing but there are however still pieces that are bucking […]

The origins of the longcase clock are somewhat confused but it seems that they originated from the “lantern clock”. This type of clock had evolved from having a balance wheel escapement to the anchor escapement with a long pendulum and weights hanging underneath. When the anchor escapement was invented it was found to be a […]