Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

Mr Geoffrey Chesters was born in Crewe just before the outbreak of World War II and after gaining a good education from the local grammar school, he was able to go on to study History at Birmingham University. Following his studies he became a history teacher, which he did for 15 years after graduating. In later years, from 1975 all the way through to his passing in September 2020, he worked tirelessly as a secondhand book seller, who also sold rare maps and prints.

His passion for collecting treen really began during his late teens. He was fascinated by Early Modern English History, particularly the Tudor period, and the beautifully carved wooden objects that he was able to purchase represented a link to his love of that bygone era.

After he re-located to Warwickshire, he regularly visited the Pinto collection that was on display at the Birmingham Museum and the experience was a leading influence in Geoff’s desire to maintain a substantial collection of his own. The family home was forever in need of new glass cabinets to display his recent acquisitions.

 

Geoff generally didn’t want to sell items from his collection, as he collected for the beauty of the object and not as an investment. Hence, there was only one antiques fair where he experimented selling his treen, at the Antiques for Everyone fair at the NEC in November 2017 where Geoff also had the role of a ‘vetter’. He was known for his expertise and good eye for detail, so the organisers were always greatly appreciative of his help, and they could rely on his decisions. Naturally, his experiences assisted him in ensuring his own collections of treen, books and prints were genuinely of the highest quality.