My grandparents opened their first antique shop in Shaldon in 1927. They specialised in fine furniture, silver and paintings but my grandfather's main love was ceramics. They moved across the river to larger premises in Teignmouth where my parents continued the business from the early 1970's. It was against this background that my interest in antiques was developed. At the age of thirteen I was accompanying my father to auctions and bidding on his behalf. I started buying tin-plate toys by such makers as Bing, Karl Bub and Hornby and undertaking the research on these pieces, dealing from my parents shop on a Saturday. If a mechanism needed repairing I visited Frank Pilbeam, a clockmaker in Bovey Tracey, Devon, who restored clocks for my father.
On leaving school in 1981 I joined Frank in his workshop to learn the craft of clockmaking. After three years I set out on my own but found I enjoyed the dealing side of the business much more than the restoration so started buying and selling clocks. At this point I was selling on to dealers up and around London who I had met whilst attending auctions. I was attending all the horological auctions of the four main London houses so as to both gain knowledge of clocks and to make contacts and after a number of years I had built up a stock of my own which I offered for sale while still keeping my hand in with selected restoration work.
Frieda Extence outside her first antique shop. Shaldon, circa 1928
At the end of 1984 I was approached and asked to take over the management of the Antique Clock department within Harrods, Knightsbridge and during my two years in the job I met many of the worlds top collectors and dealers.
Philip Mould filming in my Shaldon shop for the Antiques Show on BBC2
In January of 1987 I joined Derek Roberts in Tonbridge, Kent, one of the worlds leading horological dealers and consultants and author of a number of specialised reference books. As his right-hand man I helped run the showrooms & undertook many trips abroad, to both Europe and America, where I not only bought items for the business but also met with many of our clients, both collectors and dealers, with whom I have sustained long lasting relationships. It was whilst with Derek Roberts that my interest in research really took hold as we held a number of important horological exhibitions and wrote & published many catalogues showing the stock we held. I was becoming a collector of not only clocks but books on horology and now have a large library of rare and out-of-print books and journals from which to gain information and reference for the research I undertake not only for the items in my showroom but those belonging to clients & institutions. In 1989 I decided to go alone and undertook a three-month exhibition and lecture tour in Switzerland following which I opened a small showroom in Stow-on-the-Wold. In 1997 I returned to Shaldon and some seventy years after my grandparents first put their name to an antique shop in the village so I did. I have now moved to Honiton where I have a selection of stock available to view at The Grove in the High Street.
I have since worked with the BBC on The Antiques Show as a consultant on various projects including writing the script & supplying the clocks for David Dickinson's 'Buyers Guide to Longcase Clocks' and appearing as an expert, along with the shop, with presenter Philip Mould on the 'Buyers Guide to French Clocks'. I also write horological articles for various magazines & newspapers.
As well as running my showroom I work in various consultancy roles one of which is as the horological specialist for the Exeter auctioneers Hampton & Littlewood running quarterly clock & watch auctions. This involves finding items for auction, researching and cataloguing as well as liaising with clients. This company was set up by the ex-members of Phillips when they pulled out of the Alphin Brook rooms. If you wish to know more about selling or buying through Hampton & Littlewood please do not hesitate to get in contact with me.
In February 2004 was elected a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. I have since had the further honour of being raised to the Livery. I am a Member of LAPADA (The London and Provincial Antiques Dealers Association) and the West of England Antiques Dealers Association.