About Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Independent British Fine Art & Antiques Dealers | Historic Paintings, Portraiture, Sporting Art & Decorative Arts
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® is an independent, family-run British fine art and antiques dealership and online gallery, incorporated in England and Wales on 22 April 2024 under company registration number 15666518.
Led by directors Michael and Victoria, the company specialises in carefully selected British and European paintings, sculpture and decorative arts, serving private collectors, galleries, interior designers, art consultants and institutional buyers throughout the United Kingdom and internationally.
With our registered office in Covent Garden, London, and trading operations based in Cheshire, we combine historical research, considered attribution, detailed condition reporting and professional customer service.
Our approach emphasises artistic quality, historical significance, transparency and the preservation of original works of art.
Professional Memberships, Industry Affiliations & Recognition
Fine Art Trade Guild – Elected Member
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® is an elected member of the Fine Art Trade Guild, a recognised professional organisation supporting standards, integrity and responsible practice within the fine art and framing industries.
Our membership reflects our commitment to professional conduct, ethical trading and the accurate presentation of original works of art.
The House Directory – Select Member
We are a Select Member of The House Directory, a specialist British directory connecting interior designers, architects, private clients and design professionals with established suppliers and specialist businesses.
Our published profile highlights our expertise in British and European fine art, historic portraiture, sporting paintings, sculpture and decorative antiques.
https://www.thehousedirectory.com/company/cheshire-antiques-consultant-ltd/
HMRC – Registered Art Market Participant
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® is registered with HM Revenue & Customs as an Art Market Participant under registration number XRML00000211615.
We maintain appropriate anti-money laundering and financial sanctions compliance procedures in accordance with applicable United Kingdom legislation.
Registered United Kingdom Trade Mark
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® is a registered United Kingdom trade mark under registration number UK00004303420.
Private Online Gallery
Private Virtual Viewings by Appointment
We operate exclusively online and do not maintain a public showroom.
Private one-to-one virtual viewings are available by appointment, allowing prospective purchasers to examine artworks remotely and discuss condition, dimensions, attribution, provenance and historical context.
High-resolution photographs, additional images and detailed condition information are available upon request.
We aim to provide collectors with the information necessary to make informed purchasing decisions.
Areas of Specialisation
Fine Art & Works of Art | 17th–21st Century
Our principal specialisms include:
- British and European oil paintings, watercolours and mixed-media works
- Historic portraiture and figurative paintings
- Marine, naval and maritime subjects
- Equestrian, hunting and sporting paintings
- Animal paintings and rural subjects
- Landscapes, coastal views and cityscapes
- Still life, interiors and genre compositions
- Military and historical subjects
- Sculpture and three-dimensional works
Our catalogue includes works by identified artists, attributed paintings, historical schools and carefully researched unsigned compositions.
Each artwork is selected with consideration for artistic quality, condition, historical interest, provenance where established, and decorative merit.
Antiques & Decorative Arts
Our wider collection may include:
- Bronze and other sculpture
- Hallmarked silver and decorative metalwork
- Antique carved objects
- Porcelain, glassware and ceramics
- Decorative wall art
- Garden and architectural antiques
- Collectible decorative objects dating principally from the 18th to 20th century
Our inventory is continually evolving, with pieces selected for their craftsmanship, individuality and suitability for traditional and contemporary interiors.
Sustainability & Enduring Craftsmanship
We actively support sustainability within the fine art and antiques trade through the preservation, continued appreciation and responsible reuse of historic works of art and decorative objects.
By extending the useful life of existing pieces, the antiques trade can help reduce demand for newly manufactured decorative goods while preserving traditional craftsmanship and cultural heritage.
Historic paintings, sculpture and period furnishings bring individuality, character and enduring aesthetic value to both traditional and contemporary interiors.
Payments & Purchasing
Purchases are arranged in accordance with the applicable LoveAntiques purchasing arrangements and our company Terms & Conditions.
We accept secure online card payments, PayPal, Klarna, Apple Pay and Google Pay, where available, for transactions up to £5,000.
Transactions exceeding £5,000 are payable by bank transfer.
Proforma invoices containing our company payment details are available upon request.
Cash on collection may be accepted by prior written arrangement, subject to a maximum of £8,000 and applicable legal and anti-money laundering requirements.
All transactions remain subject to availability, applicable payment requirements and relevant consumer protection legislation.
Shipping & Delivery
UK and worldwide shipping is available.
Delivery quotations are provided upon request, taking into account the artwork's dimensions, value, destination and specialist handling requirements.
Artworks are carefully and professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials.
We use established tracked courier services, including DHL, FedEx, DPD and Parcelforce, together with specialist fine art transport providers where appropriate.
Insured delivery services are arranged where available, subject to the applicable insurance terms, exclusions and coverage.
Larger paintings, antique furniture and particularly fragile objects may require specialist door-to-door transportation.
Customs & International Orders
International orders are generally supplied on a Delivered at Place (DAP) basis unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Under DAP arrangements, international purchasers are responsible for applicable import duties, import VAT, customs clearance charges and other destination-country taxes or fees.
Following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, EU customers may be subject to additional import procedures and charges.
Purchasers in the European Union, United States and other international destinations are encouraged to consult their local customs authorities before purchasing.
Where a shipment is refused or returned because of unpaid customs charges, any refund and associated shipping costs will be handled in accordance with the agreed sale terms and applicable consumer protection legislation.
Attribution, Provenance & Condition
All artworks, antiques and decorative objects offered by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® are individually selected and catalogued in good faith using the research, documentation and information available at the time of cataloguing.
Artist attributions, dating, provenance, historical interpretations and related catalogue commentary represent our professional dealer opinion unless expressly identified as established facts supported by documentary evidence.
As many works are antique or previously owned, they may exhibit age-related wear, historic restoration, surface irregularities or other characteristics consistent with their age and history.
Known material condition issues are disclosed in the relevant catalogue descriptions or condition reports.
Prospective purchasers are welcome to request additional photographs, condition information, provenance details or a private virtual viewing before completing a purchase.
Our catalogue research and descriptions do not constitute a formal valuation, independent authentication certificate, investment recommendation or professional appraisal service.
Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution
Original artworks are supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
The certificate records the relevant catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated and details of the sale, providing an accompanying document for the artwork's ongoing ownership and provenance record.
The certificate represents our professional dealer attribution and does not constitute independent authentication or a guarantee of future market value.
Returns, Consumer Rights & Important Information
All items remain subject to prior sale and availability.
Purchases are governed by our applicable Terms & Conditions and Returns Policy, together with any applicable LoveAntiques marketplace terms.
Where statutory distance-selling cancellation rights apply, customers are entitled to exercise those rights in accordance with applicable consumer protection legislation.
Nothing in our catalogue descriptions, attribution statements or terms excludes or restricts statutory consumer rights.
Company Information
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Registered Office:
71–75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ
United Kingdom
Trading Operations:
Mickle Trafford
Chester
Cheshire
United Kingdom
Please note: We operate exclusively online. We do not maintain a public showroom or offer customer visits at either address.
Company Registration Number: 15666518
Date of Incorporation: 22 April 2024
Registered in England and Wales
VAT Registration Number: GB 466128775
HMRC Art Market Participant Registration: XRML00000211615
Registered UK Trade Mark: UK00004303420
Professional Membership: Fine Art Trade Guild – Elected Member
Industry Directory: The House Directory – Select Member
Website: https://cheshireantiquesconsultantltd.com/
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® – Independent British Fine Art & Antiques Dealers.

Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
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London
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WC2H 9JQ
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Colonel Sir Edward Massey, Governor of Gloucester 1642 – English Civil War Carved Portrait from Earlier 18th Century Oak - Victorian Gothic Manner of Sir George Gilbert Scott
REF: LA554106
£4,950
€5,934
$6,626
Secure Payments By
LoveAntiques Dealersince Mar 2017Approved item557 sales by dealerFree Delivery
LoveAntiques Dealersince Mar 2017Approved item557 sales by dealerFree Delivery
Description
Fine carved oak and fruitwood wall plaque – Colonel Sir Edward Massey, Governor of Gloucester 1642 – English Civil War Portrait from Earlier 18th Century oak, in the Victorian Gothic Manner Associated with Sir George Gilbert Scott.
A highly decorative and atmospheric carved oak and fruitwood wall plaque depicting Colonel Sir Edward Massey, the distinguished Governor of Gloucester (1642) and later Governor of Sudeley Castle (1644) during the English Civil War.
The plaque is constructed from earlier oak boards (almost certainly 18th century or earlier), which were subsequently carved and assembled in the 19th century in a romantic historic / Gothic Revival idiom. It combines genuinely old timber with a named historical figure and strong sculptural handling, resulting in a piece of impressive presence and character.
Subject & Design:-
At the centre is a bold high-relief profile portrait of Colonel Sir Edward Massey, his gaze slightly raised. He is shown with abundant curling hair and a shaped moustache, his features firmly modelled and his breastplate of armour clearly defined. The head and bust are carved from fruitwood, now a warm honey colour that contrasts beautifully with the darker, richly figured tiger oak surround.
The portrait is framed by an architectural oak structure evoking castle masonry: an arched niche with carved foliage, flanking uprights with geometric ornament, a crenelated upper border and a lower frieze of arcaded openings reminiscent of a fortified gateway.
Around the outer frame runs a deep, crisply cut inscription:
“COLONEL EDWARD MASSEY – GOVERNOUR OF THE CITY OF GLOUCESTER 1642”
Across the top, highlighted in gilt, is a further inscription:
“GOVERNOR OF SUDELEY CASTLE 1644”
Beneath the bust hangs a heraldic shield with chevrons and roundels, echoing the historic arms of Gloucester. Each lower corner is filled with a lively green-man / lion-mask carving, full of expression and exactly the sort of flourish favoured by Gothic Revival carvers.
Historical Interest:-
Edward Massey (c.1619–1674) played a prominent role in the English Civil War. Serving first as deputy governor and then Governor of Gloucester, he became widely known for his vigorous defence of the city in 1643. Later, as Governor of Sudeley Castle, he took part in some of the most dramatic episodes of the war and its aftermath: wounded at Worcester, imprisoned in the Tower of London, escaping confinement and ultimately returning to the Royalist cause.
After the Restoration he was knighted and sat as Member of Parliament for Gloucester. This plaque commemorates his role as defender of Gloucester and commander at Sudeley, making it an appealing acquisition for collectors interested in Civil War history, early English politics, military figures or heraldic portraiture.
Maker & Collecting Context:-
As is typical with carved oak of this type, the individual carver is not recorded. The work belongs stylistically to the 19th-century Gothic Revival and is very much in the spirit of the portrait reliefs associated with architects such as Sir George Gilbert Scott and their sculptors – romanticised historic heads set within architectural niches, enriched with heraldry and inscriptions to evoke a continuity with the “Age of Oak”.
This combination of genuinely old timber, Gothic detail and a specific historical subject has long appealed to serious oak collectors and scholars. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, connoisseurs such as Percy Macquoid (A History of English Furniture) helped define the fashion for early English oak and panelled interiors, publishing carved oak from major country-house collections. In the later 20th century, authorities like Victor Chinnery (Oak Furniture: The British Tradition) further developed the field and advised many leading collections.
On a larger stage, great collectors such as William Randolph Hearst assembled substantial quantities of medieval and Gothic woodwork, architectural fragments and carved panels to create evocative historic interiors. Although this plaque does not come from those collections, it is exactly the sort of dramatic carved panel that would be entirely at home in oak-lined halls, libraries and castle-style rooms.
Today, comparable pieces remain sought after by collectors of early oak, Gothic Revival carving, heraldic work and English Civil War memorabilia, as well as by decorators aiming to achieve an authentic “country-house” atmosphere.
Why You’ll Love It:-
Real age and patina – earlier oak boards with visible old tool marks and deep natural colour, enhanced by later romantic carving.
A named Civil War figure – not a generic portrait, but a specific, documented historical personality whose story can be told.
Strong decorative presence – almost 70 cm high and around 6 kg in weight, with the impact of a small overmantel or architectural fragment.
Full of visual interest – the warm fruitwood bust against tiger oak, the heraldic shield, characterful masks and gilt inscriptions reward close inspection.
Ideal for period interiors – perfect above a fireplace, on a staircase wall, in a hall, library, study or “gentleman’s room”, where it immediately feels at home among panelling and traditional furnishings.
Provenance & Notes:-
From an overseas private collection and a notable Channel Islands auction house; later in the collection of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD.
Offered as an antique decorative carved plaque of Colonel Sir Edward Massey. As with all historic pieces, prospective buyers should study the photographs carefully and rely on their own judgement.
measurements
Height:
68.3 cm
Width:
52 cm
Depth:
4.5 cm
Weight:
6 kg
declaration
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD has clarified that the Colonel Sir Edward Massey, Governor of Gloucester 1642 – English Civil War Carved Portrait from Earlier 18th Century Oak - Victorian Gothic Manner of Sir George Gilbert Scott (LA554106) is genuinely of the period declared with the date/period of manufacture being Carved during the 19th century the wood is earlier 18th century or earlier
condition
A genuine antique decorative panel, showing age and wear consistent with long use, and offered in good, sound, presentable condition.
The surface displays scuffs, grazes and scratches from many years of handling and display. Small chips and minor losses are visible on some carved high points and edges. As expected with old oak, there are age-related splits and slight separations in the boards; these appear stable and are considered part of its character rather than a structural issue.
The colour is attractively varied, with older stains, darker passages and a rich, developed patina that only time can produce. The reverse shows evidence of old repairs and later screws used to secure the panel. A hanging wire is in place; given the weight of the piece, the new owner may wish to check and, if necessary, upgrade the wire and wall fixings to suit their chosen hanging position.
Please examine all photographs closely, as they form an important part of the description.
additional info
Period:
Category:
Date of Manufacture:
Carved during the 19th century the wood is earlier 18th century or earlier
location
This Colonel Sir Edward Massey, Governor of Gloucester 1642 – English Civil War Carved Portrait from Earlier 18th Century Oak - Victorian Gothic Manner of Sir George Gilbert Scott is located in Greater London, United Kingdom
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