Links to the past

For Jonny Williamson, it was important to keep the feel of his barn conversion in Tetbury as sympathetic to the Georgian era as possible – and, being an antiques dealer, he was perfectly placed to do so

- AMANDA HARLING

Recalling how he first became interested in antiques, Jonny Williamson mentions his family's connections with the game of golf. One of my ancestors, Jack Simpson, won the Open at Prestwick in 1884, and subsequently my family founded Simpsons of Carnoustie, the second oldest golf shop in the world, which remained in the family until the mid 1980s,' says Jonny. The game itself was never of interest to me, but I appreciated the history and the skill required to make good clubs. Growing up in Carnoustie, I was familiar with the craftsmanship and the quality of the materials used in the past: the hardwoods, hickory, lead and leather that were all part of the tradition.'

In fact, Jonny's father is still making golf trophies using the same traditional methods and materials that were used back then. Jonny now puts the skills learnt from his father to good use, restoring some of the more tired items he comes across in his life as an antiques dealer and bespoke furniture manufacturer.

Jonny's career in interiors and antiques began when he moved back to Scotland after working in the music industry in London. Living in the middle of the country up there, I was going to auctions and sourcing Scottish militaria for specialist collectors. After a couple of years I moved down south again, this time to the Cotswolds, where I discovered there was an interest in using militaria in interior design. It was around then I became more of a general dealer, which included using militaria in a decorative way.'