Will Fisher’s career in antiques began when he was still at primary school. Encouraged by the legendary collector Warner Dailey, the stepfather of Will’s friend, he would rifle through skips, street markets and jumble sales for pieces that the boys would sell at Greenwich market. After cutting his teeth at Christie’s – and a particularly brief stint at university – Will founded Jamb, a dealership specialising in antique fireplaces, or chimneypieces to use the correct architectural term. His collection has grown to be one of the most extensive in the country and forms a unique archive that Jamb’s workshop draws on for bespoke reproduction chimneypieces that are sold alongside the antique originals.
As Will explains when Inigo pays Jamb a visit, chimneypieces have historically been the most important, and expensive, part of a home’s decoration. In some cases, the artistry and materials required to produce fireplaces could cost more than all other ornamentation in the house put together. By the Regency period – which spans roughly the years between 1811, when George IV was made Regent, and 1820, when he became King – they had become an exciting focus of architectural experimentation. “Some of the greatest sculptors of the day worked on chimneypieces,” Will says, pointing out examples designed by Sir John Soane, William Pocock and George Dance the Younger. “There are some that, to this day, remain breathtakingly modern.”
Below, Will gives Inigo a crash course in the craftsmanship, technological innovation and radical design that defines Regency fireplaces, sharing his expertise on what to look out for, and what to avoid.
