The Gurr Johns Valuers team recently had the privilege of an exclusive tour of Hatfields Restoration in South West London, part of the Gurr Johns Group.
Evolving from its origins as a manufacturer of fine bronze and ormolu furniture mounts when it was founded in 1834, it is now considered one of the world’s most respected restoration houses. The reception is lined with historic royal warrants, International Exhibition awards, and prestigious letters from Buckingham Palace. Their clientele are just as impressive – Louvre, Paris; Wallace Collection, London; Palace of Westminster; and Windsor Castle to name just a few.
Along our tour of this cavernous workshop (it really did feel like Dr Who’s Tardis!) our first stop was the Polishing Room where Gerry, a second generation restorer, was working on a Regency rosewood library table and a mid 20th century side cabinet. The library table top had arrived in terrible condition (see photo), and after many repeated processes of stripping back, polishing off, using wood sealer and heat resistance polish, the patina was being reinstated through multiple processes to recreate a mature look. Magic before our eyes!
After leaving the heady aroma of the polish we entered the 2nd room, full of the gorgeous smell of freshly cut wood – the Timber Cutting Room, centered by a behemoth of a machine which was making light work of long timber planks. Through its extensive history, Hatfields have built up a massive collection of fine woods from around the world, from 16th century oaks to 18th and 19th Century exotics, ensuring every repair is historically sympathetic. Walking along connecting corridors lined with huge cabinets full of essential restoration/conservation equipment with curiously scribbled labels (“Garnet Paper”, “Jubilee Clips”, “Domes of Silence”) we realised it was a whole other world!
The next area was the Lacquering Room. Lacquering is the process of using multiple layers to produce a hard, durable, high gloss finish. Lacquered furniture entered Europe through trading routes with the Far East from the 16th Century, and it became so desirable that European craftsmen imitated it from 17th Century. Here an 18th century green lacquer bureau bookcase had benefited from a highly skilled sympathetic treatment using only traditional methods. 99% of their work uses traditional animal or fish glues. No short-cuts, just pure craft.
We were introduced to an extremely talented craftswoman conserving a beautiful Italian commode on the next level. Here the walls were solidly lined with 17th Century to modern picture frames, partly stock and partly items pre or post restoration. In fact, Hatfields also make reproduction gilt frames, the quality being so good that we had difficulty ascertaining their age when viewed from the front.
Their skills don’t end there, from metalwork and lighting restoration, to upholstery, fine lapidiary work and picture hanging – if they can’t do it in-house, they have an unfathomable team of consultant experts. It’s extremely rare to find such a concentrated hub of traditional expertise.
A huge thank you to the Hatfields team for sharing their “magic” with us!
Discover more at https://www.hatfieldsrestoration.com/