Oak comes of age as it goes under hammer

An auction house, based within Swinton Park Estate in Masham, the ancestral home of the Earl of Swinton, has been taking in fine examples of aged chairs, chests and tables ahead of its inaugural sale of early English oak furniture later this month.

Caroline Forster, senior director, with the National Centre for Early Furniture and Art (NCEFA) said yesterday: “The NCEFA specialises in what is broadly considered to be the earliest available English furniture.”

The NCEFA main site is based within Swinton Park Estate with the main offices and the first working gallery opening this July to accept consignments and valuations for 2013-2014 sales.

Restoration of the building is continuing and those behind the project say the saleroom will be fully open to the public for sales in 2016.

Later this month, there will be a public preview of the first sale, entitled The Age of Oak, at the NCEFA main site at Swinton between October 10-13. The actual sale will take place on October 23 at Gorringes, the NCEFA associate auctioneers in East Sussex.

The inaugural sale includes a rare example of an English oak canopied press cupboard documented by the late Victor Chinnery, made in West Yorkshire during the end of the 17th century with an estimate of £20-25,000, two Charles II period dressers, and interesting rare examples of simple country furniture from the Shetland islands.

The centre is dedicated to oak, walnut, and japanned furniture made between the dates of 1500-1900.