Four Decades of Expertise in English Antiques
Freshfords Fine Antiques is a family business with a legacy rooted in the history of the trade. My interest in pieces from the past began in my young teenage years in the city of Bath, where I spent my time trawling vintage antique shops, buying mainly clothes for my own unique fashion style. At the tender age of 14 or 15, I was already intrigued with history and pieces from the past. When I left school in 1987, I moved to Australia to pursue my rugby aspirations, hoping to play at a high level. By this time, my father, Alan, was already established as a professional antique dealer in the city, which had provided me with an early, informal education in the trade.
Upon returning to the UK, I followed a professional career as an antique runner. It was a demanding, adventurous, and essential education. I spent my days traveling the English countryside, sourcing pieces to sell to established dealers. Often, they would inspect the back of my van, pointing out the fakes, marriages of mismatched parts, and clever reproductions I had unknowingly purchased, lessons no classroom could ever teach.
While I built a client base among top London and provincial dealers, the 1989 financial recession forced me to pause my career as an antique runner. Over the next eight years, I channeled my energy into corporate sales, working for a national lighting company, then as a key account manager for Gillette (Oral B and Braun), and a national soft drinks company, all while continuing to play competitive rugby for clubs including Wasps, Bath, Bristol, and Clifton. Despite this, my connection to the trade remained; three times a year, I assisted my father at the London Olympia Fine Art and Antique Fair, continuing to buy and sell under his guidance.
In 1997, a year in which I married the love of my life, I officially joined my father in the business. He had relocated his original 1987 founded firm, Beau Nash Antiques, to the village of Freshford, Somerset. We rebranded as Freshfords Fine Art to reflect our partnership and our focus on both antique furniture and works of art. When my father retired in 2005, I took the helm and rebranded to Freshfords Fine Antiques. This allowed me to pivot the business toward my own true passion: high quality English furniture and 18th and 19th century carved giltwood wall mirrors.
My focus remains firmly on discovering pieces defined by their colour, proportion, integrity, material, and scale. I have never been one to worry about the day to day utility of a piece; to me, the character and design of an object hold far more value. I seek out items that represent the pinnacle of English work. When you choose a piece from us, we provide the provenance and background you need to understand exactly what you are buying, so you can make your decision with complete confidence.
Our reputation is built on this commitment. We are proud to have supplied pieces to esteemed institutions, including the Herschel Museum of Astronomy in Bath, Leighton House in Kensington, and The Royal Castle of Warsaw Museum in Poland. We are also proud members of the British Antique Dealers Association (BADA), an organisation that demands the highest standards of integrity. Between my father’s career and my own decades of sourcing and vetting, our team brings a wealth of hands on experience to every piece in our collection. You can be certain that every item we sell is exactly as described, a genuine, vetted article of the highest calibre.
Simon Powell, Proprietor
