MEET THE TEAM

Wyke House Ltd. was established in 2021 by Simon Carter and Emma Townshend.

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Simon worked for over 25 years in museums and art collections as a curator and then museum director.  His passion for antiques, history and interior design started in his early teens, and to further this he studied History of Art at Sussex University, before beginning his paid museum career at the Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye Museum).  After this he joined the Parliamentary Art Collection advising committees of the House of Commons and Lords on acquisitions and conservation for the Palace of Westminster.  In 2007  he left London to take up a post as Director of Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, in Worcestershire. In 2020, following many years in the role, he decided to return to the world of art, antiques and interiors by moving to Dursley, Gloucestershire to establish Wyke House Ltd. bringing beautiful things to people's homes.

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Emma has had a career encompassing a variety of roles, developing skills along the way which have been vital when establishing Wyke House with Simon. Having studied Design at Wolverhampton University, Emma went into visual merchandising for fashion and homeware retail; working for well-known high street names, including Marks & Spencer, Gap, and House of Fraser. Leaving the bright lights of Birmingham for the open beaches of South Wales, Emma joined Swansea Library Service, becoming Programmes and Exhibitions Manager based at the new £6m new Central Library and exhibition space, before returning to her home county of Worcestershire. Having a love of design, architecture and history, she seized the opportunity to work at Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, covering roles from marketing, retail buying, website design and management to wedding and event planning in her years there.

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Emma and Simon met and worked together at Avoncroft Museum and amongst other projects, during that time set up a small pop-up charity shop to support the Museum's work and give pre-loved items a new home and more chapters in their stories.  Their complimentary talents including visual presentation, interior styling, knowledge of British art and design, thorough research skills, experience of retail and excellence in customer service.  Both bring exciting creativity to Wyke House Ltd and we hope you get a flavour of their style when you visit the website or the shop, and are inspired acquire works which you can use to express your own style.
 

Thank you for your visiting and we hope to welcome you back soon.