About Us

The collection is partly an extension of our early lives and partly an indulgence of all our passions – and they are many. Charlie’s grandfather was a fine art auctioneer in Bond Street and had a fine personal collection of Coalbrookdale porcelain, neo-Gothic furniture and military artefacts. Charlie’s father was in the Navy, and then ran a boat yard, so Charlie is deeply immersed in all things maritime from Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar to Edwardian yacht racing, from ship’s models to cannon and globes. Another string is his ‘gentleman’s study’ with impressive partners desks covered in bibelots and bookcases filled with ‘collectibles’. A third collection centres round the firm of Gillow of Lancaster and London because he so admires the quality of their workmanship and the versatility of their designs, for example jardinieres which are also wine tables or chairs which are library steps. Charlie buys some things just because they appeal to him, like life size figures of Mephistopheles, globes inside walnuts, revolving pagoda display cabinets and Indian state carriages. There is a Royal collection centred round the 75th Jubilee of Queen which includes some show stoppers such as a Pugin designed table made by Morel and Seddon for Windsor Castle, a solid silver sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II trooping the colour on her trusted horse Burmese, a monumental Royal coat of arms by Steele and a silver gilt cup given to the Royal Yacht Squadron by King William IV.

Luckily my enthusiasms chime with Charlie’s. My upbringing, living in Holland, Portugal and Spain with Francophile parents, one of whom was a historian, meant considerable exposure to religious buildings, paintings and architecture. However, from my first experience of the Islamic and Japanese primary galleries of the Victoria & Albert Museum I was drawn to Oriental Art – to such an extent that I studied in the sumptuous city of Isfahan for a year and am a student of the decorative arts in general. For me an added dimension of domestic items is the personal story behind them. We have had a medicine chest from Nelson’s surgeon at Trafalgar, a display cabinet from a Scottish lady who commissioned the first Japanese garden, a silver wedding present to a young officer who went to Harrow school and served in a Scottish regiment and a snuff box from Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch whose husband, the Duke of Monmouth, was executed for treason when he lead a rebellion against James II.

If any of these pieces appeals to you, or you wish to start a collection of your own treasures, please get in touch via the website or by telephoning Charlie on +44 (0) 7768 877 069.