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W. Thomas Restorations was formed in the late 1920’s by William Thomas Oatway and became a limited company in 1958. Working almost exclusively for the thriving antiques trade the company became a leading authority on the restoration of carved wood and gilded furniture and ornaments.
In 1986 the company was taken over by Partridge Fine Arts, who were at the time the world’s foremost antique dealers. William (Bill) Thomas remained with the business as a consultant until his death in 1992. This new period led to the company taking on a more varied client list and some large projects. Restoration and re-gilding at Althorp was followed by contracts to restore suites of giltwood furniture from the Mansion House, Alnwick Castle and Downing Street. The catastrophic fires at both Uppark House and Windsor Castle saw us restore and meticulously replace many lost decorations. The work at Windsor was so successful that the Queen and the Queen Mother both made private visits to our workshops to see the restoration in progress. We continued to restore further rooms at Windsor undamaged by the fire and in 2003 were awarded the Royal Warrant from Her Majesty the Queen. We continue to carry out work for the Royal Collection. Ray Dudman joined W. Thomas Restorations as an apprentice woodcarver in 1974. Ten years later he was appointed a director and after thirty six years with the company he became the new owner in 2010. Three of our team of craftsmen and women joined as apprentices at sixteen years of age and have served more than 30 years each with the company. In April 2016 with the help of funding from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), we have been able to take on our first apprentice woodcarver this century. Although specialising in woodcarving and gilding the company has expanded its repertoire with the addition of a cabinet maker, polisher and paint specialist all working in-house and upholsterers and metal workers as sub-contractors. We are now able to take on almost every kind of restoration work and have the ability to assemble a highly skilled team to tackle most contracts. Gilding and Woodcarving Restoration & Conservation Specialists: - The company has been involved in many important restoration projects, including work at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Uppark, Mansion House, The Wallace Collection and with leading antique dealers in England and America. - W Thomas Restorations Ltd also make reproductions to the same exacting standards as their 18th century counterparts and carry out commissions to copy or design giltwood mirrors and ornaments. |
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