Antique Silver

Why have Handmade Furniture?

Trends and fashions are ever changing, what is one man’s meat one day can be the same man’s poison the following day; however, quality is quality and that will never change. A handmade piece of furniture that is quality in its design, construction and material will outlast ephemeral fads ten times out of ten and becomes in effect fashion-proof. Add to that the piece will be bespoke to you, your character, your requirements, your wants; all will be incorporated into it, and the piece becomes an individualized artefact that will grace your home for years if not generations to come.

Wheathills actively encourages the client to be involved with the whole process of commissioning a piece of handmade furniture, from the initial ideas, the various aspects of design right through to viewing the progress of the piece in our Cabinet Making workshops. Where it is impossible for the client to physically view the piece being built (eg overseas client) then we keep them informed via emailed images.

One reason for having handmade furniture is for concealment purposes, for example unsightly radiators. These can be covered by handmade radiator cabinets, built to match the contours of the radiators and to match their surroundings; they should not just conceal the radiators but also enhance the room they are in.

At Wheathills all of our handmade furniture is created totally on the premises (not bought in flat pack from some sweat shop in Taiwan and passed off as ‘handmade’), all of our timber originates from renewable and ethical resources.

Wheathills is a restored Georgian Country House in the heart of rural Derbyshire, England. No appointment is necessary, walk in and sample the timeless elegance of the three Period Showrooms, The Morning Room (so called because it has south east facing bay window), The Library and The Ball Room. The Ball Room is truly magnificent, with a barrel-back alcove (where a string quartet used to play for the guests to dance to). Antiques are tastefully displayed throughout the showrooms and corridors.
The antiques on sale are all hand-picked by Nigel Heldreich, the proprietor, whose family has been in the furniture restoration trade for 200 years. The range of antique furniture and silver cover a wide range of styles, ages and periods and there are some magnificent examples of fine English antique furniture. Each antique and piece of silver is fully documented and any faults or later amendments are shown in the “My Story So Far” section on the Sales Ticket.
The items of silver for sale are beautiful, and include some excellent pieces of Antique Victorian Silver ; each one has it date and maker displayed on the associated sales card, and in fact on Wheathills’ website there is a fascinating article on the do’s and don’ts of buying antique silver, explaining hallmarks and their correct groupings.
You can be guaranteed quality and that all of the antiques for sale are as described. Wheathills, and Nigel Heldreich, have featured on several popular BBC Television programmes with Paul Martin from Flog It and with David Dickinson. Nigel has also featured as the restoration expert on BBC radio shows and in the Period Ideas period property magazine.

At the Wheathills website not only can you find over 400 antiques for sale, but there are also informative articles on how we restore antique furniture, the previously mentioned Tips on purchasing Silver and other areas.
Wheathills is well worth a visit, either in person or online.