China’s antique collectors are best known for the astronomical prices they pay to see Chinese porcelain and other Imperial relics returned to their homeland. But recently there has been a sudden switch in interest towards British “brown” furniture such as Victorian oak partners desks.

Lancashire auctioneers have seen a distinct reticence among Chinese buyers to pay over the odds for Imperial artefacts in recent months. Instead, the interest has shifted towards the Victorian dining chairs and antique marquetry furniture gathering dust in their warehouses. Their keenness is reflected in the number prepared to make the journey to bid in person; since the start of 2012 there has been a 20-fold increase in the number of Chinese travellers flying to the UK specifically to bid at auction. Not for Qianlong vases, but for Victorian dining chairs and other English furniture which is being shipped to the Far East by the crate load for up to 30 times the auctioneer’s estimate.

UK antique furniture sales are still recovering from a 10-year slump, caused largely by a loss of interest from the American market. This sudden interest from the Far East is just the boost antique dealers in hard-pressed areas like the Ribble Valley have been looking for. The message is clear – buy that antique dining table before prices rise to match those of London.

Antiques TV has become big business on both sides of the Atlantic, with the US following our lead on successful programmes like Antiques Roadshow and Dickinson’s Real Deal by developing their own versions. The result is that both British and American TV schedules are inundated with shows depicting “real” auction trading taking place. However, anyone in Lancashire with an antique desk to sell should be aware that the reality can be different to that shown on screen.

The New York Times article first describes a typical US show – The Great Big American Auction – which sounds as flashy and hyped up as you’d imagine. It’s hard to imagine an antique chest in Cumbria being auctioned off for more than the buyer paid for it – unless it’s because the price was “haggled” down to an acceptable value, in exchange for some free advertising for the dealer.

The Times also turns the spotlight on Real Deal which, like the British show, involves dealers making offers on objects brought in for evaluation. Much is made of the fanning out of notes on a poker table – nothing about basic industry practices such as auction room premiums.

If you want to sell an antique desk in Lancashire, forget what you see on TV and go by what a local antique dealer tells you instead.

Ed McKay has spent many years accumulating his collection of antique collectibles. However, the cups and plates which once graced his antique dining table are being auctioned off for a cause that’s close to his heart. 14 years ago, his new-born grandson Spencer almost died. But thanks to the stalwart efforts of the staff at the IWK Health Centre, Halifax, he is now a robust teenager, with a fund named after him for the families of children undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Now, to swell the coffers a little more, Ed is auctioning off his beloved antique collection lock, stock and barrel. A local newspaper is helping by urging readers to empty out their antique cabinets and donate or sell unwanted items to further boost the fund.

Antiques are regularly sold at auction to raise money for good causes. A recent museum exhibition hosted by Sotheby’s was followed by an auction of antique furniture and fine arts, raising tens of thousands for charity, while an upcoming episode of Cash in the Attic features a couple who want to sell off their valuables in the name of a good cause.

Sadly, many antique desks and Victorian dining chairs in Lancashire homes are only inherited after the owners have died, often ending up unloved in the garage. A better idea would be to sell them through an antique dealer – the Ribble Valley has a few to choose from – and donate the proceeds to the loved one’s favourite charity.

Reflecting the tastes of the British monarchy over 500 years, 100 of the finest treasures in the Royal Collection are to be exhibited at the Queen’s Gallery, Holyrood House, between March and September. Around ¼ of the display will be devoted to furniture – such as two gilded mahogany antique dining chairs, circa 1828, from a suite of 56 commissioned for the King’s private apartments at Windsor. In gilded mahogany and silk damask, the chairs were made by Morel & Seddon with the help of F.H.G. Jacob-Desmalter, a Parisian cabinetmaker who designed much of the furniture at Windsor.

For the average antique collector in Cumbria, Victorian dining chairs in the Chippendale style are as close as they will get to owning the real thing. However, Holyrood has three gilded beechwood armchairs made by Thomas Chippendale himself. Made in 1773, they are part of a much larger set of sofas, armchairs and dining chairs, comprising Chippendale’s only known commission for the Royal Family.

The exhibition also features two chairs in the gothic style, part of a large suite made for the Speaker’s House in the Palace of Westminster. Reflecting the “regothicising” of Windsor going on at the time, the chairs were japanned and highly polished to give them the appearance of ebony. Cheaply made Victorian dining chairs, however, were often japanned to disguise poor quality wood. A Preston antique dealer will help you find the best pieces.

The Royal Collection represents 500 years of collecting by the British monarchy, comprising paintings, ceramics, jewellery, silverware, furniture and other priceless works. The entire collection numbers many thousands of items. Now, Royal Treasures: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration is to showcase 100 of the finest pieces, collected from eight royal palaces including Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Westminster and Holyrood itself.

Running from 16 March to 16 September 2012 at the Queen’s Gallery, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see 100 of the nation’s finest treasures, and well worth the journey from Cumbria. Antique marquetry furniture, early Victorian dining chairs, Louis XVI cabinets and three Chippendale armchairs are just some of the furniture highlights, in an exhibition that’s an Aladdin’s Cave of Rococo, gilt and Baroque masterpieces. Expect security to be tight, as the exhibition also features priceless artworks by Leonardo, Michelangelo; Rembrandt; Raphael; Holbein, Canaletto and Monet – as well as Imperial Easter Eggs and other works by Fabergé. Timepieces, sculptures, jewellery, and gold and silverware will also be on display.

The Royal Family have always been trendsetters. Today, it’s their fashion sense we seek, but in the 18th and 19th centuries people were flocking to emulate their taste in interior décor. Visit antique dealers in Preston and you’ll see Victorian dining chairs very similar to the Morel and Seddon side chairs made for George IV’s private apartments, two of which will be displayed at Holyrood.

Hidden among the Victorian dining chairs and antique chests, a Lancashire buyer might easily have overlooked the stout little 2ft 5” stool, which looked like a Spanish or Italian piece which had been deliberately reduced in height. However, three eagle-eyed bidders recognised the lacquered piece as a rare 16th century low chair, originating from the Bay of Bengal, which was settled by the Portuguese in the 1500s. Combining vernacular Indian styling with motifs inspired by the European Renaissance, the style was copied by British cabinetmakers for European export, which may explain the low estimate.

Representing an important period in his country’s history, the Portuguese buyer was no doubt delighted with his find. All the same, the whopping 25% commission – which netted Bonham’s an extra £3375 on top of the hammer price paid – would make a lot of British dealers think twice about having it in their shop window, especially given the restoration work required (only traces of the original gilding remained.)

When people in Lancashire see Victorian mahogany pedestal desks and similar furniture at auction, they might feel they’re getting a bargain. However, the commission can often wipe out any savings they make over buying the item from a Lancashire antique dealer – and they have to do the restoration themselves.

The Royal Collection combines the individual tastes of our monarchy over more than 500 years. While the paintings, furniture, tapestries, jewellery, armour, ceramics and other artworks remain the property of the sovereign, no single monarch owns the collection. Instead, it is held in trust for the nation and future successors, managed by the Royal Collection Trust – a department of the Royal household.

Distributed between various royal residences – including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Holyrood House – as well as various museums and art galleries, all buildings housing the Royal Collection are open to the public. Worth in excess of £10 billion, the collection is immense, with around 47,000 paintings, drawings and watercolours alone. However, a much larger proportion is given over to the decorative arts. At royal palaces like Holyrood, visitors making the trip from Cumbria will see antique marquetry furniture, oriental porcelain, Faberge artworks, Baroque antique desks and other treasures. Naturally, it is only possible to have part of the collection on display at any one time, so exhibits are changed on a regular basis, with touring exhibitions and loans to other institutions to allow maximum public access.

Some venues have particular themes – Osborne House, for example, is dominated by the furniture of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. However, you don’t need a King’s ransom to buy a Victorian balloon back dining chair – as any Preston antique dealer will tell you.

In rural areas like Cumbria and the Ribble Valley, antique desks of this quality don’t often come up at auction – but when they do, they are eagerly snapped up by dealers, who often have a great deal of work to do before they can be sold on to the public. While a 150-year old antique desk may seem like a bargain, it could have been heavily used during its lifetime and suffered damage which will affect its value. One common problem is cracking due to modern central heating – antique furniture actually prefers it a bit damp! In the case of the Sopwith Victorian mahogany pedestal desk, Cumbrian buyers are instructed to contact the auctioneer for details of its condition, which may point to some remedial work which needs to be done.

Buying furniture from a reputable antique dealer, of course, means you can start enjoying the piece straight away. The Sopwith desk is both beautiful and unusual, incorporating a top section with central fall, pigeon holes, and two cabinet doors opening to reveal shelves and compartments. Below, a central drawer is flanked by two pedestals.

Fully restored and displayed at an antique dealers in Cumbria, this antique desk would sell very quickly indeed.

“Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939” is a unique exhibition which will be touring the US between April and August 2012. Although the term has American connotations, World Fairs were (and still are) an international phenomenon, probably more familiar to us in the UK under their title of Expositions. Celebrations of science, design and industry, they originated in France. However, the first recognised “World Expo” was the Great Exhibition of 1851, held at Crystal Palace in London. As Gillows of Lancaster was one of the principal exhibitors, at both this and subsequent World Fair events, this makes Inventing the Modern World of particular significance to visitors from Lancashire. Antique dining tables, yew cabinets and mahogany wine coolers are among the Gillows exhibits listed for the 1851 exhibition, the catalogue for which can be viewed online.

World Fairs were both a marketplace and showcase for Victorian design; waving the flag for modern manufacturing, nothing like them exists today. Inventing the Modern World is the first comprehensive exhibition to cover the decorative side of these shows, from the 1851 Great Exhibition in England, to the World’s Fair in New York, held at the eve of WWII.

Take a tour of the antique dealers in Preston, and you’ll see antique cabinets which, if they’re not actual exposition pieces, are certainly exhibition quality.

March 1st 2012 marks the 200th birthday of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812 – 1852), the Victorian architect whose influence can be seen in everything from railway cottages in Cumbria, to antique desks in the House of Lords. With the benefit of HD television, Pugin’s gilded, painted and richly carved designs were brought back to life in the documentary: “Pugin: God’s Own Architect.” Using stunning visuals and an enigmatic soundtrack of mediaeval and classical English music, presenter Richard Taylor took us on a mediaeval fantasy voyage of Pugin’s most famous works.

The program had a special significance for viewers in the North West, as a large number of buildings in this area were designed by Pugin, including the railway cottages at Windermere, Scarisbrick Hall in Lancashire, and several Lancastrian churches. This reflects in the furniture; it is difficult to visit an antique shop in Cumbria or Lancashire without seeing Victorian dining chairs or cabinets in the Pugin style.

As with the Victorian Arts & Crafts Furniture designers, Pugin believed in honesty of design and quality of workmanship – although he endorsed modern industrial methods. A Pugin antique oak partners desk, by Lancashire manufacturer Gillows, can be seen at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Antique dealers in Preston have Gothic Revival furniture of similar quality.