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Contact Calvert Regan

A brief description of my approach.

Historic artifacts are very valuable. They contain history of our past. The quality of design and the durability of the material of which they are made has ensured their survival. Some very old pieces are still in remarkable condition. They were made by highly skilled and at the time respected people who spent long apprenticeships leaning their trade. They would apply traditional knowledge passed down by generations of craftsmen. These men would have learned the properties of the materials and design methods which stood the test of time. The design of furniture changed to reflect the contemporary fashions but the principals remained constant.

When we look at an antique artifact its history is often overlooked and its place in our past and present can be undervalued. Whether we like it or not we are just another generation owning or using a utilitarian item that has survived hundreds of years. It is very likely it will outlast us. This being the case we are the temporary custodians in a line of many to come. We therefore have a responsibility which should be taken seriously. To take this responsibility seriously needs education and an awareness of our place in history. Antique restoration and conservation is a specialist field. Allowing unskilled workers, however well intentioned they may be, to repair or restore a piece will be ultimately very costly.
Museums around the word take their responsibility very seriously and will only allow highly trained conservators to care for historic artifacts. Prudent owners of antiques have no less a responsibility.

Having been in this trade all my working life I was fortunate to serve a full apprenticeship before that system became a thing of the past. In the case of antique furniture restoration my teachers were all time served craftsmen. I was tutored in furniture design and construction by John Price an ex pupil of Edward Barnsley of the world famous Cotswold workshops. My training taught me to be visually sympathetic and to pay particular attention to detail. I was fortunate also to learn traditional techniques and their importance in restoring period furniture.

I am very careful to use materials and techniques that would have been used at the time the piece was made. It is very important that repair or conservation treatments can be reversed. This is particularly important in finishing the surface. Surface treatments, other than waxing should only be undertaken if absolutely necessary. They should only be the type of the period. This is vitally important in the case of colouring. All staining must be reversible.