Layers of history
Homes & Antiques|November 2022
A 19th-century farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, provides an atmospheric backdrop to an inspiring mix of antiques
JANET GLEESON
Layers of history

A year and a halfago, an unexpected stroke of good luck brought Atta-U1 Ghaffar to the Breslau farmhouse that is now part holiday home and part showcase for his antiques dealing business. It was during lockdown, in the depths of the Canadian winter, with temperatures of 30°C, when a friend called up out of the blue. He knew Atta, a software engineer, living in Cambridge, Ontario, also dealt in antiques. He was clearing out the estate of an elderly gentleman who was a keen collector. There was a houseful of property to sell: was Atta interested? Antiques dealers get a thrill from house calls, so I went the next day. A lot of good stuff had gone, but still I filled my car up with boxes of ironstone and furniture. We’d been thinking of buying another property, so while I was there asked if the house was for sale, says Atta.

When his friend said it was, Atta looked over the property more thoroughly. There were five buildings on the site: a house, barn, stone building, summer kitchen and smoke room. The main farmhouse was a four-bedroomed dilapidated rubble stone building, dating from the 1840s. There was a building outside, with high cathedral ceilings. I looked at the stone walls and thought, wow! This could be a perfect backdrop for my antiques. My wife was supportive, even though we had no idea what to expect. We had always lived in modern buildings before. Was the ceiling going to fall down?"

Esta historia es de la edición November 2022 de Homes & Antiques.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición November 2022 de Homes & Antiques.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE HOMES & ANTIQUESVer todo
48 hours in FUNCHAL
Homes & Antiques

48 hours in FUNCHAL

Jenny Oldaker discovers Madeira's capital to be an elegant, artistic place with wide open spaces, verdant beauty spots and a picture-perfect sea-facing location...

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 2024
LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms
Homes & Antiques

LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms

On an autumn day in 1783, a sheep, a duck, and a rooster became the first living creatures to fly in a hot air balloon.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2024
Collecting NUTCRACKERS
Homes & Antiques

Collecting NUTCRACKERS

Not just for Christmas, these nostalgic keepsakes come in an abundance of novelty shapes and styles, offering character and affordability for budding collectors

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 2024
WHY I COLLECT Medals
Homes & Antiques

WHY I COLLECT Medals

Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers and Valuers, is fascinated by medals - for him it's all about the preservation of stories for future generations...

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2024
Fashionably CURATED
Homes & Antiques

Fashionably CURATED

Roni Lang's home in Deal, situated above her clothing store, is every bit as creative and stylish as you'd expect from a fashion designer

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
Work life balance
Homes & Antiques

Work life balance

Lucy and Guy Rutter - a ceramicist and artist respectively - have found the ideal place to live and work: a Victorian property in Faversham attached to a once-neglected studio...

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
Farm FUSION
Homes & Antiques

Farm FUSION

A farmhouse near Cape Town has been given a rustic-meets-industrial makeover, using found materials and objects, as well as treasures brought back from afar

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
SAVVY Sophistication
Homes & Antiques

SAVVY Sophistication

Affordable and intriguing charity shop and eBay finds are teamed with statement pieces in this impressive Victorian home in West Yorkshire

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2024
DARREN APPIAGYEI
Homes & Antiques

DARREN APPIAGYEI

The wood artist talks to Dominique Corlett about seed pods, creative reinvention and the life-enhancing feeling of turning a lathe

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 2024
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
Homes & Antiques

Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS

From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place

time-read
4 minutos  |
Special 2024