Homes & Gardens UK – September 2019

W

illFisher,founderofJamb,

believesthathewillalways

bea ‘manwitha van’atheart:

‘I’mstillanantiquesdealer,

addictedtothethrillofthechase,’hesays.Thismodest

assessmentbelieshistalentforspottingrareantique

mantelpieces,firegrates,lightingandfurniture,and

hisroleinhelpingtorevivetheEnglishcountry house

aestheticbyunearthingforgottentreasures.

Willsetupthebusinessnearly 20 yearsagoandtoday,

alongsideoriginalfinds,exquisitereproductionsarehis

stock-in-trade.Hiswife,CharlotteFreemantle,hassteered

thecompany’smarketingandexpansionwhilemanyof

itsdesigns,suchastheHangingGlobes,havebecome

synonymouswithtimeless,modern-countryinteriors.

ManyofthepiecesthatWillscoutsoutweredesigned

byBritishluminariessuchasWilliamKent,IsaacWare,

RobertAdamandSirJohnSoane,butendedupsecreted

inbuildingsacrossEuropeandtheUS.Will’sloveofthese

antiques,andunwillingnesstopartwiththem,prompted

himtoinvestigatethepossibilityofreproduction.‘We

wantedtohangontoa littleoftheDNAofthesespecial

finds,’hesays.Overtime,thecouplehaveharnessedthe

skillsofartisanswhoreplicatethepieceswithintegrity.

Recently,Jamb’sworkshophasmovedtoa formertank

factoryinMitcham.Itis notthemostgracefulbuilding,

Willconcedes,buthehasa softspotfor‘uglyducklings’.

Thespacehousesthemarbleandmetaloperations,an

extensivefireplaceandlightingarchive,andWill’soffice

• a perfectexampleofhismagpieeye.‘Theflooris made
  fromDutchcheesemakers’boardsandthechairsare
  fromtheoldReadingRoomattheBritishMuseum.’
  Today,thePimlicoRoadshowroomandsouthLondon
  warehouseshowcaseantiquesandreproductions,while
  Jambhasexpandedfurtherintofurnitureandlighting
  aswellasintotheUSmarket.Itis alsotheUKsource of
  fabricsbyAmericandesignerMichaelS Smith.
  Butit’sstillthefrissonofthe‘find’thatmotivatesWill.
  ‘We’vejustcomeacrossa WilliamKenttableoriginally
  sourcedbyJohnFowlerfortheClermontClubinBerkeley
  Square.Onitstravels,it endedupinHughHefner’s
  mansion. If only these pieces could speak,’ he says.

■Jamb,95-97PimlicoRoad,London SW1W 8PH,

020 7730 2122, jamb.co.uk.

Abolectionmantel

beingcarvedinItalian

marble;oneofJamb’s

reproductionkick

lights (below)

60 HOMESANDGARDENS.COM