About BAFRA

History of BAFRA

The British Antique Furniture Restorers' Association was founded in 1979 by a group of graduates of West Dean College, Sussex, England, they having all completed the BADA Diploma course in Antique Furniture Restoration and Conservation (BADA, The British Antique Dealers' Association).

This was a period of a spiraling antique furniture prices and the proliferation of unqualified and unskilled "Antique Furniture Restorers".

BAFRA's founders felt strongly that the public and antique trade needed some form of protection for their furniture as did the established craftsmen.

Objectives of BAFRA

The objectives of BAFRA were clear from the moment of inception:

• The maintenance of the highest professional standards in furniture conservation and restoration.
• The promotion of the study of and research in furniture conservation and the advancement of public education in these fields.
• The stimulation of the public awareness of the association.
• The dissemination of information and techniques amongst its members.

Development of the Conservation Profession

The 1980s saw the start of the development of the Conservation Profession of which furniture forms a large part in terms of our "moveable cultural heritage" and BAFRA shortly became the sole representatives in this specialist area. Since those early days BAFRA has grown in size and stature and is now widely recognised as the authority on furniture conservation and restoration in Britain. From the start BAFRA demanded high achievement in terms of craft skills and knowledge of furniture development and design and to this end put in place an Assessment Procedure which aims to achieve the highest standards.

BAFRA Membership

Entrants to Full BAFRA membership are required to have:-

• Experience working in the antique conservation-restoration profession
• The highest standards in cabinet making and finishing skills plus similarly high standards in some more specialist skills such as gilding, boullework, oriental lacquerwork, textile conservation, metalwork, upholstery, seat weaving etc.
• A thorough knowledge of furniture history.
• Two references from clients knowledgeable about furniture are required and BAFRA will need to be certain about their credentials as referees.
• An assessor visits applicants workshops to "examine" their skills and knowledge as well as their business management and integrity, this report is put before the Executive committee who will make a final decision on admission to Full membership.

BAFRA is one of comparatively few professional bodies in the conservation-restoration profession to "Accredit" their Full members and takes this responsibility very seriously.

BAFRA Accreditation is recognised as equal to ICONS's PACR system (Professional Accreditation of Conservators and Restorers) and allows BAFRA Members to join ICON's Conservation Register.

Representing the best artist-craftsmen in the field of furniture conservation and restoration right across Britain BAFRA also has overseas members in Germany, Malta, Spain, Switzerland, Canada and the USA.

Although not all the best furniture conservator-restorers are members, BAFRA continually seeks to achieve an even stronger representation across the UK.

BAFRA's Educational Remit

BAFRA aims to help Associate Members find their way into the profession. It is intended that as many as possible of Associate Graduate members should become the Full Accredited members of the future.

Parallel to this, BAFRA has an educational remit to enhance the skill and knowledge of it's membership and to this end is committed to running a series of public teaching seminars and conferences which are advertised on this website in the 'Upcoming Events' section, in the antiques press and in the Nationals.

Colleges affiliated to BAFRA are:

• Buckinghamshire & Chilterns University College, High Wycombe
• Chichester College, Chichester, West Sussex
• Little Surrenden Workshops,Ashford, Kent
• Oxford and Cherwell College
• West Dean College, Chichester, West Sussex

Students at the affiliated colleges are strongly encouraged to join BAFRA as Student Associates which enables them to take part in the BAFRA educational programmes and events at subsidised rates.

On graduation the Associate Student Member will move to Associate Ordinary Membership. Ordinary Associate members may be setting up their own workshops and businesses or finding employment in Full BAFRA Members' businesses, where they can gain the essential experience needed.

BAFRA has a new form of assessment based on parts of the Full Membership assessment criteria which will enable the Associate Ordinary member to achieve Graduate status. There is also important scope for Graduate members to progress to Full Accredited membership.

Moreover, all the Associate members have ready access to the help and advice from Full members on technical and business matters which is an important basic feature of BAFRA membership. This vital experience factor is freely and often exchanged between all members of the Association.

The BAFRA Directory

Each year BAFRA publishes a new "Antique Furniture Restoration and Conservation Guide" in which Full Members are listed, together with their specialist skills. The guide which is full of interesting articles and information on furniture and it's conservation, is available from Head Office, details of which are on our contacts page. The cost is £7.50 inc postage.

Any other enquiries relating to any aspect of the conservation and restoration of furniture may also be addressed to Head Office.

Alternatively the online Members Directory, "Find a Restorer" page has a searchable list of all Members together with their contact information, email and website links.

The BAFRA Journal

BAFRA publishes two Journals each year which are distributed to the membership and BAFRA Friends and are often available at Antique Fairs in the UK. The Journal contains news of BAFRA's development and membership and articles on conservation and restoration across a very broad selection of subjects covering subjects in great detail and well illustrated.