Antiques: Spotlight - The House 1860-1925 (From Free Press Series)

Antiques: Spotlight - The House 1860-1925

By late 19th century standards, Monmouthshire must have seemed far removed from the centre of fashionable society.

Yet the legacy of one of Britain's most influential artistic movements, Arts and Crafts, has a significant place here even today.

The Arts and Crafts movement was founded by a group of Romantics who resisted the aesthetic effects of industrialisation, favouring instead the craftsmanship of earlier times. It resulted in the creation of hand industry in a machine age, producing furniture, textiles and other goods with a particularly distinctive appearance.

Mounton House, Chepstow, was designed in an Arts and Crafts style by local architect Eric Francis, who was also responsible for High Glanau, at Cwmcarvan. There are other houses in the county, bearing the Arts and Crafts 'stamp'.

And now in Monmouth there is a shop dedicated to typical furniture - The House 1860-1925, which opened in St James' Street just over two years ago. "I love the simplicity of the British Arts and Crafts movement," said Nick Wheatley, the shop's owner.

"The furniture was avant-garde in its day and is all about craftsmanship and good quality materials." Tables, chairs, wardrobes, bookcases... Among them are many 'named' pieces - those which can be attributed to particular designers or makers.

Nothing is reproduction, all original. Nick sources furniture from across the UK, hunting for items bearing the Arts and Crafts hallmark.

"It's increasing in value and popularity all the time," he says.

And this, he believes, reflects the Arts and Crafts' founders' philosophy that you should have nothing in your home unless it is beautiful or practical...