Restored Portfolio

• Adam
• Art Deco/Modern
• Continental
• Georgian
• Lanterns
• Lustres and lamps
• Regency
• Restored
• Saint-Louis
• Victorian
• Wall Lights

Over the last 80 years Wilkinson have restored chandeliers in a vast range of styles and sizes with a huge variety of restoration requirements from replacement glass parts to rewiring and cleaning.  These are just a few examples of the works that we have had the opportunity to work on.

Please contact us for more details on any of the work or if you have your own restoration requirements for a free quotation.

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  Osler chandelier from St George's Hall

  This F & C Osler chandelier was manufactured in 1856 for St George’s Hall, Liverpool. Situated in the Concert Room, which was used regularly for elaborate social events in it prime, the chandelier suffered what was thought to be ‘severe damage’ over the years. Restoration work was undertaken by Wilkinson’s in 2005 and took over a year to complete as many of the pieces were damaged and needed repair or even replacing with items from our own Osler collection, this ensured that the chandelier remained as authentic as possible. After a thorough cleaning, the wiring was inspected and replaced then reinstalled in the Concert Room.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier, Large Chandelier

• 

  Bronze and gilt lantern

  The metalwork on this hexagonal lantern was completed refinished in dark bronze and gilt after the old colouring has become faded and tarnished. New feet were cast in solid brass to replace the missing ones. Finally a new 3 way lamp holder was fitted and wired for electricity.

  Style: Lanterns

• 

  Messenger chandelier

  Hanging in the Drawing room at Chillington Hall a Grade I listed Georgian country house, home of the Giffard family for more than 800 years, the present owner is the 29th Giffard to live at the Hall. Tarnish was removed to bring back the beautiful gilding underneath. The Messenger chandelier was also rewired and frosted globe shades added to restore the piece to its former glory.

• 

  Antique Perry chandelier

  There were many elements that required restoration on this antique Perry chandelier including 7 broken arms, a broken bottom canopy, crystal dressings missing and some that were incorrectly pinned as well as the whole fitting requiring rewiring and the metalwork required attention as the silver plate had tarnished.

  This appears to be one of Perry & Company’s most successful designs and we have restored several models of this chandelier for the National Trust, City Livery Companies, London Clubs and private owners throughout the UK. By coincidence we also restored an almost identical chandelier for Chillington Hall at the same we were restoring this one.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier, Large Chandelier

• 

  Dumfries House Venetian Chandelier

  In 2011 we were delighted to be asked to restore an 18th Century Venetian chandelier from the Pink Drawing Room of Scotland’s Dumfries House. As well as performing repairs to damaged items of glass and replacing missing pieces, we also had to soak the glue off old repairs and rebond them as the glue had become discoloured over the years and in some cases was even beginning to fail. While found in a box at the property, following its restoration it now hangs proudly in the Drawing Room.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier

• 

  Flemish chandelier

  The chandelier needed to be wired for electricity before it could be hung in a Kent based church. Wiring for electricity is a common modification that is required and in this case and many others, the central shaft is required to be changed to a hollow one so that the electrical wires can pass internally rather than being visible externally.

  Style: Metal Chandelier

• 

  Antique Victorian chandelier

  A fine example of a mid Victorian chandelier most likely made by the company of F&C Osler of Birmingham. It required quite extensive restoration, including replacing 4 drip pans, 2 rope twist arms and a number of antique buttons. Rearranging all the stem pieces that had been assembled in an historically incorrect order, replacing deteriorating plaster and metal pins to avoid further potential damage. Finally it was rewired, cleaned and fitted with LED bulbs.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier

• 

  Hexagonal Lantern

  A customer found a lantern in their basement that had not been unused for many years, but it needed a lot of work. A new 3-way central pendant wired with lamp holders was made, as the original had been lost, as well as manufacturing four missing leaf scrolls and one turned finial from the base. Any unbroken panes of glass were removed so that we could chemically clean the metalwork to remove all old paint, dirt and putty. Then apply two coats of red oxide paint inside and gild exterior of lantern in pure gold leaf. Replacement flat and curved glass was sourced and fitted and original glass cleaned.

  Style: Lanterns

• 

  Assembly Rooms Bath

  Manufactured by William Parker of Fleet Street in 1771, we were honoured to carry out the total restoration and conservation of 2 suites of chandeliers from the Ballroom and Tearoom of Bath Assembly Rooms between 1989 and 1991. These chandeliers are recognised as one of the most important collections of Georgian chandeliers in the world today. There was a huge number of repairs that need to be performed, replacement parts to be blown and cut, metalwork to be replated and rewiring.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier, Large Chandelier

• 

  Georgian Candelabra

  Following an unfortunate accident to one of a pair of antique Georgian candelabra, there were a great number of broken pieces, infact the only completely undamaged item was the central serpet arm. Using the undamaged candelabra of the pair we were able to blow and cut replacement arms, nozzles and pans. Fortunately some pieces only had chips in or were clean breaks so we were able to repair these pieces to obtain as many of the originals as possible.

  Style: Candelabra / Lustres

• 

  Antique Regency chandelier

  Fortunately this antique chandelier, which was almost certainly made by Hancock, didn’t have too many missing parts but just required some attention to rectify a few small issues. The metal framework required straightening, as it had become distorted and the top canopy had been put on upside down, so this needed to be repositioned to be historically correct. The original central solid iron rod was replaced with a new hollow steel barrel, this allows the wiring to pass through unseen internally rather than visibly attached on the outside. It was just the interior of the chandelier that was rewired as the client wanted to retain the use of wax candles on the exterior nozzles, of which only a couple needed repairing with high viscosity adhesive. The strands of buttons were held together with very brittle metal pins that would almost certainly snap in the future, so about 1500 of these pins were replaced and the buttons themselves re-ordered to create a consistent graduation.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier, Large Chandelier

• 

  Warwick Castle Chandelier

  The chandelier has hung in the State Dining Room of Warwick Castle since 1786 and still used (for display purposes only) wax candles until we restored it in 2016.

  To restore the chandelier it was sympathetically wired with 42 electric candles and fitted with LED bulbs, all the crystal was removed and given a deep clean, then we repaired any weak or broken wires and bent metal arms were straightened. We carefully cleaned all the metalwork ensuring the original patina was not damaged, applying a coat of wax to protect the finish.

  Thankfully, most of the crystal pendants on the chandelier were original rock crystal pieces, but there were a few lead crystal replacements and some missing pieces, for which we were able to supply suitable rock crystal replacements from our antique stock.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier, Large Chandelier

• 

  Burghley House chandelier

  From "England’s Greatest Elizabethan House" Burghley House this very fine quality 6 branch Georgian chandelier required restoration of some existing pieces and replacement of others that were missing.
  New glass pieces were blown in grey crystal to emulate the naturally smoked colour of original Georgian glass and replacement crystal drops sourced from our library of antique pieces. Metalwork was sympathetically altered to allow it’s use with modern electric wiring and to retain as many original elements as possible, crack or chipped pieces were bonded or ground down.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier

• 

  Chatsworth House Perry & Co chandelier

  This stunning chandelier manufactured by Perry & Co, had been in storage at Chatsworth House until we were asked to restore the 1840’s chandelier. Sadly there were quite a number of original pieces missing – 2 large leaf arms, 3 rings, 8 collars, 4 savalls, 4 nozzles, 6 leaf pans, 2 leaf upturned pan bases, 2 arm finials, 3 wedge finial sconces and 5 threaded candle holders. Our UK based glass blower was able to produce blank lead crystal pieces for our skilled glass workers to cut to replicate the originals.

  
  When company owner David Wilkinson saw images of the chandelier pre-restoration, he knew that the fitting did not look quite right, this was due to the fact there were a number of the main stem pieces missing, meaning the chandelier was too short, using his knowledge and research into other antique Perry chandeliers from the period he was able to have new pieces manufactured so that the chandelier was again historically correct and in proportion.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier

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  Victorian gilt and bronze candelabra

  We were asked to restore this pair of large early Victorian gilt-lacquered and patinated-bronze seven light candelabra ready to be auctioned. They had been in storage for many years and the  metalwork had become very tired and the candelabra had unfortunately lost a couple of its metal castings. By making moulds of the remaining metal pieces we were able to cast new brass pieces and colour them to match. They were re-gilded and bronzed before selling at Christie’s auction – Works of Art from the Collection of H.R.H. The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon in 2006.

  Style: Candelabra / Lustres

  Dimensions: Height 115cm

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  Georgian style chandelier

  Before being restored this Georgian style "Williamsburg" chandelier was shattered into many pieces after falling from the ceiling at a customers house after their builders had incorrectly installed a ceiling hook. New lead crystal pieces were blown and then hand cut in our Kent workshops, it required 6 new arms and pans, 3 stem pieces, one central bowl and over 60 new cut pears.

  Style: Crystal Chandelier