A funny thing happened on the way to the antiques fair...

Smith, a furniture dealer from Newcastle, decided to expand the line of furniture in his store, so he decided to go to Paris to see what he could find.

After arriving in Paris, he visited with some manufacturers and selected a line that he thought would sell well back home.  To celebrate the new acquisition, he decided to visit a small bistro and have a glass of wine.

As he sat enjoying his wine, he noticed that the small place was quite crowded, and that the other chair at his table was the only vacant seat in the house.

Before long, a very beautiful young Parisian girl came to his table; asked him something in French (which Smith couldn't understand); so he motioned to the vacant chair and invited her to sit down.  He tried to speak to her in English, but she did not speak his language. After a couple of minutes of trying to communicate with her, he took a napkin and drew a picture of a wine glass and showed it to her.  She nodded, so he ordered a glass of wine for her.

After sitting together at the table for a while, he took another napkin, and drew a picture of a plate with food on it, and she nodded.
 
They left the bistro and found a quiet cafe that featured a small group playing romantic music.  They ordered dinner, after which he took another napkin and drew a picture of a couple dancing.  She nodded, and they got up to dance. They danced until the cafe closed and the band was packing up.

Back at their table, the young lady took a napkin and drew a picture of a four-poster bed.  To this day, Smith has no idea how she figured out he was in the furniture business.

On a serious note, the above photograph shows the four poster bed at Graham Smith Antiques which is currently reserved.  For further information please visit our website, Facebook or Twitter.  Our new website will be online in February 2012.

Fine and Practical Victorian Sideboard

New to Graham Smith Antiques is a generously proportioned and decorative sideboard consisting of multiple storage spaces and a rectangular mirror.

Circa 1880, this piece is in remarkably good condition with the oak framework gleaming with warmth and the design optimising the functionality. The two lower doors are wonderfully decorated with inlay depicting symbolic snakes and griffins surrounding an urn.

The use of serpents suggests a wide variety of meanings but in this case it is logical to interpret the snake as a symbol of poison due to the placement of the creature next to the urn and it's venomous bite. The Griffon on the other side of the urn therefore offers the snake's counterpart, representing strength and intelligence in Greek mythology.  The purposefulness of the design is underlined further by the contents of the cupboards with its tastefully discrete drinks cabinet, including a "lazy Susan", as shown below.

For further details, photographs and dimensions, follow the website link or alternatively call us on 01912 815 065.

Unusual Egyptian Style Victorian Clock

New to Graham Smith Antiques is a rather unusual and bold Victorian mantel clock. Made from rouge and black marble, the beautifully engraved organic motifs make this piece very distinctive indeed.


As you can see from the photograph below, this clock has been made in an Egyptian style, a very unusual design for Victorians, and one that still appeals today. Bronze sphinxes rest on either side of the clock’s temple-like case giving balance through symmetry as well as adding to the sense of “strength” in the overall design.

Mounted on the top is a bronze bust of a Pharaoh that has been wonderfully carved to match the exquisite quality of the hieroglyphics which are mapped out equally across the clock's surface, as seen below. 

The clock is in full working condition with a year’s guarantee. It has an eight- day movement complete with a clear bell strike for the hours. 

Further details, photographs and dimensions can be found on the website or alternatively you can call our Jesmond shop on: 01912 815 065

Sopwith & Co. Partners Chippendale-style Desk

New to Graham Smith Antiques is a huge, Chippendale-style partners desk, measuring 183cm wide! The desk in our collection is of special local interest having been made in Newcastle in the Chippendale style by one of the leading cabinetmakers of the early 18th century. The Chippendale style used to describe the desk refers to Thomas Chippendale, a popular 18th century, London cabinetmaker who set the trend of using mid-Georgian, English Rococo and Neoclassical styles to make his unique mark. Chippendale was so influential that in 1754 he published a book of his designs which other cabinetmakers of his time followed enthusiastically. Many top class cabinet makers working today use his designs in their own work, such as this desk.

Apart from the good quality mahogany and excellent storage space design (including eighteen drawers), this partners desk stands out because of it's manufacturers, Sopwith & Co. Ltd of Newcastle upon Tyne. The Sopwith business was founded early 19th century, contuing until early 20th century was set up by Jacob Sopwith, (1770-1829) who was the first cabinet maker in the family.

Thomas Sopwith, son of Jacob, was born on Pilgrim Street (in central Newcastle) in 1803 and served an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker. The Sopwith name was so well known, The Newcastle Journal, a local newspaper still in print today, published an article on May 11th, 1833 with headlines reading: "Destructive Fire". It goes on to say: "On the evening of Saturday last, the cabinet workshop of Thomas Sopwith, situated in the Painter Hough, in this town, was consumed with fire." It was shortly after this event that Thomas became a civil engineer and went on to design aircraft for the First World War. Thomas's other accomplishments included designing a prison for Newcastle and being a surveyor, mainly of mines, which may have led to his appointment as Chief Agent of Blacketts, Allendale & Weardale Lead Mines in 1848. He also surveyed railways such as Newcastle and Carlisle, County Durham, and he was the surveyor of the roadway from Newcastle to Otterburn.

We would like to say a special thank you to the ancestry.com for their helpful website which provided some of the research of this week's blog post.

A new star is born!

At Graham Smith Antiques we now have a celebrity in our midst! We are delighted to be able to support Green Twig Films, based in Middlesex, who have hired our Victorian babies’ cradle to feature in their new film adaptation of "Anna Karenina", based on the novel written by the 19th century Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Our cradle is in excellent condition and will add genuine authenticity with it's beautiful colouring and eye-catching detailed construction.


This is not the first time Graham Smith Antiques has seen film and television cameras filming our collection and the store. Last year our Jesmond shop was used as a location for a number of BBC productions, Antique Road Trip being among them, we look forward to seeing the finished programmes and films!

New for 2012

We will be launching our brand new website in 2012, details available shortly. In the meantime you can browse our current stock via our temporary homepage.  

We wish all our customers and website visitors a very Happy New Year from all at Graham Smith Antiques!