ABOUT WYKE HOUSE
Established in 2021 by Simon and Emma, Wyke House, is an antiques and vintage homeware shop based in a Georgian three-storey building, on Silver Street in Dursley Gloucestershire. The building seems to have been named Wyke House towards the end of the 19th Century after the birthplace of its then occupant who was from Wyke Regis, Weymouth, Dorset – though the family name of Wyke/Wykes was associated with branches of the nearby Berkeley Castle aristocracy from the Middle Ages.
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Our philosophy for the shop is to supply affordable, stylish and useful antique and vintage items which still have a use in the modern home, where they can add both beauty and utility.
Simon has always loved studying antiques, and began collecting in his teenage years and hasn’t really stopped since! Following over 25 years working in museums and art collections which focused on the home, fine art and architecture, he brings a knowledge of the history of British decorative arts and period style to the process of buying and selecting items for the shop. Furniture, domestic ceramics, glass, metalwork and fine art in particular are the areas he focuses on, but has recently been learning more about studio pottery, mediterranean majolica and post-War art glass, which is reflected in the current stock of Wyke House. “I’ve always loved finding out about designers, manufacturing techniques and style movements, so it’s very easy to suddenly develop a new passion for something you didn’t know about before” he says.
Emma's eye for colour, design and graphic style helps bring objects together that form stylish groupings and quirky juxtapositions. She keeps up with the emerging trends in home decoration and domestic styling through social media and online publications and podcasts. Emma prefers elegant, understated classic forms in design, the simple line and moderate use of pattern – so can act as a counter-balance when Simon’s love of colour, pattern and quirkiness might go a little too far! “People think that antiques aren’t something that go in and out of fashion, but they are” she says “and if you want to present items that people want in their homes now, it can’t just be anything old which is piled up as dusty clutter! We enjoy selecting and presenting pre-loved things in a way that it’s easy to imagine taking it home and putting it straight on a wall, shelf or on the kitchen counter, to add character to your home and draw the admiration of friends and family visitors, and love the fact it’s more sustainable to buy second hand and extend the use of an item for years to come”.
We hope you find our collection has something which meets your tastes too, but we cannot list all of our stock on the website or display it in the shop – so if you are looking for a particular item or want assistance finding the right item for a present, or for a particular spot in your home, do get in touch, we may have that very thing! We are also happy to keep an eye out for items you are looking for as we go out and about finding stock.
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Dursley is a market town on the edge of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding National Beauty south of Stroud between Bristol and Gloucester. Its prosperity came from the cloth manufacturing processes, but was famous throughout the 20th century as the home of R.A Listers who manufactured engines and exported them round the world.
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Wyke House is a traditional stone and brick building adjacent to the churchyard of St James-the-Great and a stone's throw from the town's early-18th century market hall. Its traditional shop front was added at the end of the 19th century and for many years of the 20th century was occupied by W.J. Stower, 'the noted house for Grocery and Provisions' supplying, among many other things 'Teas of the Finest Growth, Specially Blended to suit the Dursley Waters'!
Simon and Emma discovered the building somewhat neglected, having not been open as a shop for around 20 years, but they could see through the peeling paint and layers of dust, the beauty of the original structure and building materials. In 2020, they embarked on the long process of restoring it to some of its former glory, with Simon doing most of the work himself. They have uncovered details in the shopfront woodwork that had been obscured by many layers of paint and internal features that add to the building's fascinating story. There’s lots of work still to do to renovate and restore the outside and interior of the building, but this has been waiting until time and funds allowed. “We are so keen to see the upper floors of the frontage restored so it stands out as one of Dursley’s fine heritage buildings in the town centre – and we hope it won’t be too long now before the scaffolding goes up and work begins”.
Our customers come from all over, so whether we meet you in person or chat via our website or social media, we enjoy sharing that interest in art, antiques and quirky objects that tell us about how life has been lived and enjoyed over the years, and we look forward to meeting you in person when you visit the Cotswolds and West Country.
