G W FORD & SON LTD

DEALERS IN ANTIQUES & WORKS OF ART

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Member LAPADA       Antique Dealers         Inc 1945

 

 

ABOUT US

G W Ford & Son Ltd

Dealers in Antiques & Works of Art

G W Ford & Son Ltd are long established Antique Dealers 

specializing in 18th,19th & Early 20thC Mahogany and Country 

Furniture, Sculpture, Paintings, Silver, Treen, Metal-ware, 

Old Sheffield Plate, Decorative and Collectors Items and Works of Art. 

The firm is run by Ian Thomson  who is happy to 

discuss your requirements for furnishing or collecting  

either regarding individual pieces or room schemes. Although not  

incorporated until 1945 the firm was originally founded by George Weber Ford in 1882

 and we are proud to continue his tradition for fair dealing in quality pieces. 

 

We are LAPADA Members and operate from Bakewell Antiques & Works of Art, 

a quality antique shop which is located close to the centre of

  Bakewell, Derbyshire, England. We  are easy to find with

long stay parking nearby. Items purchased at the shop can be 

collected by parking to the rear of the shop. Please click here  

for more details. There are a good variety of shops in Bakewell including

other Antique shops and a variety of Tea and Coffee Shops .There are also  good restaurants

and hotels in the area.

 

Bakewell Antiques & Works of Art is located in the heart of the beautiful  

Derbyshire Peak District in Bakewell, Derbyshire. Bakewell is also 

close to the historic houses of Chatsworth & Haddon Hall, the Blue 

John mines around Castleton are a short drive away, and the 

spectacular Peak District scenery is all around. The area offers a 

wonderful setting for  Walking, Climbing , and Cycling, or Touring 

and with the Cafes, Restaurants and Shops of Bakewell and surrounding

 countryside there is always plenty to see and do.

 

You can view some  of our current stock on this site by clicking here  

or on the Stock Page buttons on this page. . We welcome enquiries and 

are happy to discuss items you may be searching for or alternatively are  

wanting to sell.

A Short History

 Andrew Ford moved his carriage business from Exeter to Newark probably in the third quarter of the 19thC. The founder of the Antique business was his son George Webber Ford who quickly established the firm as dealers in quality English Antique Furniture.  In 1908 the firm expanded into the Sheffield area and opened shops in Glossop Rd, Sheffield. After the Second World War it was left to the two Miss Fords to run this business until Geoffrey Thomson, their nephew came into the business and in time took over from them. The firm was incorporated and became G W Ford & Son Ltd in 1945.The Newark end of the business was closed down around the late 1940's due to a lack of family members able to be involved. Ian Thomson, the current managing director is Geoffrey's son and joined the business in 1981,having graduated from St Catherine's College, Oxford University with a PPE degree in 1977. The Sheffield shops were eventually closed in the late 1980's but the firm continued trading first from Woburn Antique Centre in Bedfordshire and then from its opening in 1992   in Chappells Antiques Centre,  Bakewell, Derbyshire, until it closed in 2007. The firm now has space in a quality shop on the same site -   Bakewell Antiques & Works of Art.

For many years the firm exhibited at the prestigious Northern Antiques Fair in Harrogate and Midlands Antiques Fair in Solihull and more recently at the NEC Fairs. 

Our firm has always had a strong interest in English Furniture from the 17th through to the early 20th Centuries, as well as Paintings, Works of Art & General Collectors & Decorative Items. It has also always  had a special interest in Old Sheffield Plate and the firm is mentioned as a contributor in Bradbury's famous book on the subject. We also stock examples of silver and good quality electro-plate by firms such as Elkington & Walker & Hall etc.

Ian Thomson

Ian is the Managing Director of this long established and well known firm of Antique Dealers.  Ian has been working for the company G W Ford & Son Ltd since 1981 and in sole charge since the end of 1983. After completing his degree in PPE at Oxford University Ian gained a Diploma in Social Work at Leicester University and went on to work as a Probation Officer in Nottingham before joining the Family business in 1981. It had always been a long term ambition of Ian's to join the family business, and so this was a career change he was happy to make.  Ian has continued trading in the quality Antique Furniture the firm has long been known for and has further developed the variety of stock to reflect his knowledge and  interests. A keen squash player Ian is also currently President of Abbeydale Park Rackets & Fitness Club, Abbeydale Park, Sheffield.