ON yet another very pleasant first Tuesday of the month (April 5), 27 members of Crediton Probus Club gathered at Downes Crediton Golf Club’s excellent dining area.

After Brian Healey had said grace, Burford gave the loyal toast and John Clifton, an amusing quotation (found in an old book of birthday quotes).

Keith Beetlestone introduced our speaker, Philip Burrell, a restorer of antique furniture.

Philip owns a one-man business called Higher Living Antiques and is based on a farm (formerly his father’s), in Coleford.

Philip inherited the farm from his father 15 years ago and not having any inclination to continue in agriculture, let the farm and turned to the buying and restoration of brown oak furniture.

Most of the items he buys are from the second half of the 19th century and the first few years of the 20th century. He specialises in Art Nouveau-style items.

He conducts the whole process himself, from bidding for items (either at auction or on line), organising their transport to Coleford, then stripping and sanding them, applying the much more fashionable and easily saleable honeyed oak colouring as a final coat, polishing, then advertising his products and selling them to a variety of dealers and individuals.

He took us through the process of restoration, showing us "before and after" slides of items as bought and then fully restored; these included desks, bookcases, dressers and tables.

He makes some items more saleable by modernising and adapting (for example, creating bookcases from wardrobes). Philip said that desks were always very saleable. He showed us an example of the very distinctive Britisher desk of the turn of the 19th century/20th century which had been carefully stripped (using chemicals not publically available), sanded then polished – he mentioned that modern French polish contains melamine allowing the placing of hot cups on any surface.

The mark-up he is able to make on most items means that the whole process is very worthwhile.

Tastes in furnishings – as in most other things – are constantly evolving. Glossy magazine images are very important in the formation of taste. These, together with newspaper articles and television programmes and most all, online material, are the principal agents of change.

Ted Staite thanked Philip for his very interesting and informative talk.

The draw was won by our Treasurer, Peter Bryan and the meeting ended with Burford Cupper proposing the toast: “To the next time”.

Keith Barker