Furniture restoration in England

Magazine Antiques, June, 2001 by Allison Eckardt Ledes

Edward James (1907-1984), an Englishman, was well ahead of his time. In 1912, at the age of five, he inherited his family's beautiful countryseat, West Dean, in Chichester. He is notable for having established one of the greatest private collections of surrealist art in the world, supporting Salvador Dali for at least two years, and putting up Rene Magritte for an extended period in his London town house, where Magritte executed several paintings. The Edward James Foundation was established in 1964 and subsequently carried out one of James's visionary dreams by establishing a school in West Dean. Called West Dean College, the school offers six postgraduate diplomas in conservation and restoration, tapestry weaving, and making stringed musical instruments.

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In 1978 a number of students at West Dean discovered that they shared an enthusiasm for antique furniture, and they formed a loosely knit group to promote the study and appreciation of furniture and the various cabinetmaking and finishing skills affiliated with it. They were particularly alarmed by the proliferation of unprofessional furniture restorers who worked without any set standards and without much knowledge of what types of treatments were acceptable and what were not. Since then, the organization, now known as the British Antique Furniture Restorers' Association (BAFRA), has flourished. Today, craftsmen and restorers need to meet the following strict requirements to become members of the organization: they must have been in business for at least five years; have achieved a high level of skill in cabinetmaking and finishing work such as gilding, boulle work, pietre dure, and lacquer work, to name but a few; and have a thorough working knowledge of the history of furniture. A representative of BAFRA visits potential members and evaluates their facility, examines their working techniques and business history, and assesses their integrity and reputation.

Today the membership numbers more than one hundred, with the highest concentration in England. However, there are also members in Scandinavia, Germany, France, Australia, and the United States. The organization is committed to educating its membership about the latest findings in conservation and restoration, and to this end conducts seminars and visits to historic sites with important collections of furniture. On June 14, for example, BAFRA has organized a one-day conference on marquetry and boulle, which will be held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. These events are open to the public.

BAFRA maintains an informative Web site (www.bafra.org.uk), which gives advice on how to find restorers and conservators by both location and specialty. The site also has a number of interesting articles about furniture and provides links to related Web sites. Each October the organization publishes a Guide to the Conservation and Restoration of Antique Furniture, which lists the members and their specialties. This is available (for [pounds sterling]3.50 postpaid) by writing to the BAFRA Head Office, The Old Rectory, Warmwell, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8HQ.