Sean and Simon Clarke, of Christopher Clarke Antiques in Stow-on-the-Wold, talk toJenny Oldakerabout military-campaign and travel furniture, and the thrill of discovery
Talking Shop
The business was founded by our parents, Christopher and Ida Clarke, in 1961. We both worked for other dealers before we came together to take over the shop in 1998, and made the decision to specialise in campaign furniture and travel items after a successful exhibition in this field. As far as we know, we’re the only shop worldwide with this specialism.
The business’s first premises was in the Square in Stow-on-the-Wold, but we’ve been at our current site on a busy crossroads on the other side of town since the early 1980s. Lots of people come in because they’ve seen the signage or windows and are interested in campaign furniture, or simply curious as to what exactly we sell. Our logo of a chair on the back of a camel also intrigues people!
Portable furniture was made to be practical, versatile and often fashionable. It’s fascinating to see the evolution from Georgian portable furniture, which looked like its domestic equivalent, to Victorian pieces that had developed their own look. The practicality of folding furniture even inspired early and mid 20th-century designers and was adopted for use at home.
All antiques dealers enjoy the thrill of the hunt and we’re no different. Finding pieces of campaign furniture we’ve never seen before, by an interesting maker or with a named owner, drives us. But there’s an equal thrill in piecing together a
