Hidden Gem
Hidden Gem
Every so often you uncover a wonderful surprise!
Every so often you uncover a wonderful surprise!
This is a true story of how a client missing out on one thing led to something so much better!
The Challenge
The Challenge
It was May of 2018 when we received a call from a distressed client regarding a table and pair of chairs that were on sale at Brownes Garden Centre just outside Wells in Somerset. The lady explained that she had admired them on a previous visit but was dismayed to find upon her return to purchase them that they had been sold. She therefore asked us if we had anything similar as she absolutely loved the quality and weight of the set. We checked our stock and found that indeed we had a set ready for renovation but it would be a few weeks to bring them up to standard.
We forwarded her pictures of the pieces and she agreed that if we could renovate them to the same standard that she would be happy to purchase them... Oh... and could we change the colour?
The discovery
So we set about the renovation and soon discovered that the table would require a lot more work than we originally thought. As we began to peel back the layers of paint (actually 3 layers!) we noticed a lot more intricate detail and some writing.
It would turn out that the table has a story all of its own and was in fact an English Cast Iron "Abolitionist" Pub Table from the mid-19th century! With frieze mounted lion masks and leg supports displaying the figure of Britannia holding a shield bearing the inscription "Slavery Abolished". We had unwittingly uncovered a true antique for our client!
As a result we commited to a much more detailed renovation and we feel that we have done our client proud.