Curiosity Corner: The upholsterers sharing their passion for fabrics

The cloth wasn’t original and needed replacing yet it wasn’t until Joe came to strip it back that he found the dowels were broken (the glued wooden pegs that held the joints together) and when last upholstered the back had been bodged with metal corner plates. Some in the trade might call that a home goal but it can be repaired, although the costs will naturally increase and therefore my profit drops.

I don’t want to sound like a filthy capitalist but that’s the bottom line; how much can I make out of something? I have to factor in the restorer or the upholsterer as well as couriers and retail and storage costs and like most dealers I’ve always stock that sits around too long. As a dealer, that’s just how the trade is.

With chairs, however exceptional the quality of the fabric, you’re immediately second guessing someone’s personal taste. So, if something needs reupholstering that you’re going to sell, the easiest thing to do is to get it covered in calico. That’s the cotton covering often used under the top cloth, the fabric you’ve chosen. That way the client can simply get an upholsterer to top cloth it in the fabric of their choice.

Another of my preferred upholsterers are Tim and Theresa Sumbler; taught by the late Bernie Bishop whose upholstering pedigree traced its way back to his ancestors who worked with Thomas Chippendale Junior (1749 - 1822) at Stourhead House in Wiltshire. Thomas was of course the son of master cabinet maker Thomas Chippendale senior whose furniture designs are copied to this day.
I met Bernie Bishop many times, he was a true gentleman and a character who also appeared in the 1967 period drama “Far from the madding crowd” which filmed partly in Devizes, his home town.

Tim’s late father, Brian Sumbler, ran Avebury Antiques for many years, which must rank as the only Antique Shop ever to trade inside a Neolithic stone circle.

Tim and his wife Theresa are perfectionists and work from their workshop in the Wiltshire countryside. Their clients are a real mixture of the well known and titled to clients who live in nearby towns and villages, yet all of them patronise Tim and Theresa for their eye for detail having come across their skills most likely by word of mouth.

Tim’s covering a chair for me and it afforded a great opportunity to have a chat.

Tim’s company Bishop’s Upholstery was established in 1961 by Bernie Bishop and has been renowned for producing the highest quality upholstery and soft furnishings throughout Wiltshire and beyond.

Tim and Theresa Sumbler took over the business in 1993 and pride themselves on the bespoke service they deliver and their exacting attention to detail.

Tim said: “We use traditional techniques to restore and repair individual items of furniture, and also work with designers and kitchen firms to produce prototypes and one off tailor made items.”

Tim and Theresa work in partnership, where they bring together their skills and expertise in all aspects of sewing, woodwork, traditional and modern upholstery.

Theresa alone has over 40 years experience in the soft furnishing industry and can undertake almost any sewing requirements to the highest standards.

Theresa says she “enjoys sharing her knowledge and passion for fabrics and curtain design, spending time in consultation with the client to ensure their desired vision can be achieved.”

Tim’s background in woodwork and passion for antique furniture provided him with the requisite skills to enter into upholstery. Tim learnt under the careful tuition of Mr Bishop prior to taking over the business in 1993, and his work in restoring furniture has led to the excellent reputation and loyal client base Bishop’s Upholstery has achieved over the years.

The layers of craftsmanship that go into every item demonstrate the years of experience that Tim and Theresa have built up over many decades in the trade. “I don’t want to name names but we’ve undertaken work for many rich and famous people and not just in Britain”.

I asked Tim what he liked most about upholstery? Quick as a flash Theresa chuckled “Getting paid!”

We all laughed!

Tim interjected: “The fact that you can keep an item of furniture going for generations instead of throwing it into a landfill ticks all the green boxes!”

Tim and Theresa conserve and restore antique upholstery on a daily basis, it’s what they do and as a dealer they’ve undertaken work for me over many years. They’ve had some strange requests over the years and one came to Tim’s mind immediately, “A cardboard box!” he says chuckling, adding
“We’ve covered absolutely everything (motor yachts, vintage aircraft, classic cars, studded doors, fairground rides etc).”

Andrew Blackall is an English antique dealer with more than 30 years of experience selling period furniture and quirky collector's items to clients across the globe. He has written and produced award-winning film and television productions. He was born in St John’s Wood, London and he grew up in and around London. He currently lives in Avebury, Wiltshire. His love of antiques stems from an early fascination with history and from visiting country homes throughout old England and the British Isles. Many of Andrew’s clients are well known on both sides of the pond, patronising his ability to source antiquities with provenance and appeal. His stock has appeared in a number of films and TV shows. Andrew has two styles of business: one selling high-end decorative antiques at The Blanchard Collective, the other selling affordable collectables at The Malthouse Collective.

His website is chairmanantiques.co.uk/ and Instagram: chairman_antiques