In Conversation with: Tim Corfield

As part of our In Conversation Series, we’re delighted to spotlight Tim Corfield, antiques expert and advisor. In anticipation of Mountain Meadow: Property from the Collection of Betty and Gordon Moore, Woodside, California, an auction to be held on October 8th, we sat down with Tim to discuss his love for English furniture and antiques, his relationship to the Moore family and their collection, and his personal favorites from their collection. 

Freeman’s | Hindman: Tim, how did you first develop your love and affinity for English furniture and antiques?

Tim Corfield: I am the son of an antiques dealer, so antiques are in my blood! However, I am actually trained as an engineer and did not fully enter the world of antiques until I was about 30 years old.  My father was a brilliant salesman and always had the ability to bring antiques to life always focusing on their history, where in the world the wood came from, and the technology of the time.  

I was fascinated. Hand-cut screws, for example, and how a tree was turned into timber that could be used to make furniture before circular saws were invented! Then, the whole social history of the period in which they were made, and how they were used. However, I was not a born 'dealer;' buying low and selling high did not suit my character. So, I ultimately became an expert advisor for hire, and Gordon and Betty were one of my first clients. 

FH: Can you tell us how your relationship with the Moore family began? What was your connection like over the years?

TC: Strange though it might seem, the internet had not really been invented when I was first introduced to the Moores. I suppose without Gordon, there might never have been an internet! So, I was simply introduced through a mutual friend, an English lady who lived in Woodside. Gordon and Betty were on a business trip to Europe, to explore the possibility of opening a facility in Ireland, as it turned out, and had just bought Mountain Meadow and wanted to furnish it with predominantly English antiques. When I first met them, I had no idea ‘who they were.’ These days, when introduced to a new client, googling them is hard to resist, but to me, at that stage, they were just a charming couple who were friends of a friend! In fact, when they first arrived, they asked me to book them into a modest hotel, and I sent them to a friend of my Mother who ran a B&B as part of the Wolsey Lodge group. They loved it!  From then on, we became firm friends and Betty used to call me almost every day, at supper/kids bedtime, in the UK, which was mid-morning for her, and we would discuss pieces I had seen in my travels and items coming up for auction that they might like. 

FH: Which pieces from their collection are personal favorites of yours, and what do you think gives the collection its enduring appeal?

TC: The pieces I remember acquiring most fondly have to be the Water Clock. I have never seen another of these. Made in Scotland and the dial inscribed The Duke of Gordon, which tickled Gordon, it needs a constant supply of water to run, however, with this it keeps extremely accurate time in that the movement is designed as a ‘regulator’ with very few moving parts, but each precision made. Because Mountain Meadow was being fully modernized, they were able to install the water supply, and it has run ever since. Gordon’s love of engineering also drew him to another long case clock which has a full miniature organ movement enabling it to play tunes on the hour. Getting this restored and fully operational was a memorable task! Betty shared my love of carved Chippendale tripod tables, and the collection includes a number of these. The silver collection was built towards the end of the process, and it contains a very good so-called Beer Jug, and a Paul Storr water cistern.  

FH: Tim, can you tell our readers, as an antiques expert and advisor, what a typical day looks like for you? 

TC: My typical day starts with looking through the latest auction catalogues that hit my email inbox. I am always on the lookout for special pieces which may be at out-of-the-way auctions, and anything that might suit a particular client. Having done that, I will need to plan to view the pieces in person to assess just how good they are prior to contacting the clients to see if they like the look of it too. Then we have to discuss the knotty issue of what it is worth, and how much restoration has been, or will need to be done to it, finally deciding on how much to bid for it.  These days, I seldom attend the actual auction, which is a shame, as they used to be fun; I prefer to bid online or on the phone. The other part of my job involves supervising restoration, which often requires visiting workshops and studios. Finally, we supervise installation/delivery of pieces to our clients' homes, so I am frequently on-site visits to beautiful houses like Mountain Meadow.