Notes from the gallery
Quiet reading on living with antiques, the near-lost craft of restoration, and how to buy with a genuinely trained eye — gathered from fifty years on Piper Street.
Slow reading for slow collecting
A gallery is more than the objects in it — it's the knowing that comes with fifty years of collecting, restoring and travelling. These are a few of the things we find ourselves explaining most often, set down here to read at your leisure.
Living with Antiques: Caring for Old Timber, Velvet & Gilt
Dusting, light, humidity and the small daily habits that keep an old piece honest — without ever stripping its patina away.
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What Is French Polishing? A Vanishing Craft, Explained
Why a hand-rubbed shellac finish glows the way no spray can — and why so few hands still know how to lay it down.
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How to Buy Antiques with Confidence: Provenance, Patina & Proportion
The three things a seasoned eye checks first — and how to tell honest age from a piece that's been made over.
Read →Come and look slowly
The best pieces reveal themselves in person. Call in to Piper Street, browse the collection, or ask Mathew about a piece — you're genuinely welcome to wander.