Nostalgia is nothing new at Moore Allen

NOSTALGIA, claim some wags, is not as good as it used to be. But it seems English homeowners have always yearned for the style of years gone by when furnishing their houses.

A case in point was a modern bedroom suite by hotel furnishers Olympus in the Louis XV taste, including a serpentine fronted chest of drawers, a pair of bedside chests, a triple wardrobe, a mirror-backed dressing chest and a stool - which was sold by auction for £280 at Moore Allen & Innocent's general and antiques sale in Cirencester on Friday, May 14.

Meanwhile, a Victorian oak dresser demonstrated our forebears' desire for furniture to look 'antique'. The dresser consisted of an 18th century three tier plate rack on top of a 19th century base, which had been designed to look like it had been crafted in the 17th century.

The result was a handsome piece of furniture, which bidders squabbled over until the hammer fell at £660 - the top price of the day.

Of course, homeowners wanting to achieve an antique look could do worse than buying authentic antiques, which in many cases will cost the buyer less than a modern imitation equivalent.

An attractive late Victorian compactum wardrobe - a chest of drawers between two pillar box hanging cupboards - was designed in the high Victorian gothic revival taste in flame mahogany veneer, and was bought for a winning bid of £580 - a shade above the £300 to £500 estimate.

Elsewhere, a George III pine dresser was snapped up at £460, a 19th century mahogany bow fronted chest was bought for £340 and an Art Deco octagonal walnut occasional table by the designer Betty Joel - furniture designer to royals and Hollywood stars of the 1930s - cost the winning bidder £240.

More antique furniture will go under the hammer at the next general and antiques sale on Friday, June 11. To find out more about buying and selling at auction log on to www.mooreallen.co.uk

A late Victorian compactum wardrobe - a chest of drawers between two pillar box hanging cupboards	A Victorian oak dresser with 18th century plate rack on 19th century base in 17th century manner