Swaine’s New Refurbishment Programme

At Swaine, a new chapter of exploration is unfolding. Guided by curiosity, reverence for craftsmanship, and an affection for the stories objects carry with them, we have established a department devoted to the rediscovery and refurbishment of pieces from an earlier age.

As one of only four Keepers of the Records, Joseph Martin plays a vital role in identifying and acquiring exceptional pieces for the collection. Drawing on treasures from our own archives, as well as carefully sourced pieces from Swaine & Adeney, Brigg, Herbert Johnson, and a select number of other extinct but esteemed historic houses, he helps preserve and expand legacies.

These objects are then entrusted to a skilled artisan in our New Bond Street workshop, where they are carefully restored with sensitivity and expertise. Their work lies in the delicate art of preservation, retaining the integrity of each piece and the beauty of its aged patina across both leather and hardware, whilst ensuring that time itself remains visible upon the surface. The intention is never to erase the story carried within the object, but rather to honour it, allowing every mark, softened edge, and weathered gleam to speak of a life already richly lived.

Within the collection are pieces dating as far back as the Victorian age, from finely appointed hunting canteens and travelling goods to pigskin purses containing boot button hooks and shoe horns once essential to the rituals of dress. There are vanity cases that accompanied their owners across oceans and continents, preserved in exotic leathers softened beautifully by time, alongside riding whips and crops that appear to still carry the memory of cold mornings and distant fox hunts across the English countryside.

What emerges is not simply refurbishment, but continuation. A second life granted to objects shaped by travel allowing their character to endure and their stories to wander onward once more.

Find our new vintage corners at:

127 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1DZ & 17-18 Burlington Arcade, London, W1J 0PN