Westland & Co take over the whole church

Above: This piece is typical of the Westland style. A Thomas Jekyll, Barnard Bishop & Barnard, Victorian cast iron insert with kakkumon decoration - well yes we have all seen these before, but the twist is the very unusual very simple but rare and contemporary 1870's Aesthetic-style ash wood surround, and all inset with tiles of birds and flowers hand decorated in the Japanese taste, and tinted black grey and satsuma. Very fetching.

Shoreditch, London UK - WESTLAND & Co, owned by Geoff Westland, earlier this summer took over the whole of St Michael's Church as showrooms for the architectural garden and decorative antiques business. Gone are the lasts and museum display cases, replaced by antique chimneypieces, lighting, mirrors, panelling, fountains, grills and doors. Lassco, which has occupied half the church since Adrian Amos founded London Architectural Salvage, has now vacated its half and relocated to Brunswick House and the Three Pigeons.

"I am very content with the situation," Mr Westland said, "and also happy that Adrian has given it his blessing." Geoff Westland and Adrian Amos aquired the church thirty years ago together with the late Craig Meredith and the three of them founded a company to restore and use it. Craig Meredith died two year's ago.

The web site proclaims the 'Far Pavilions' . . . 'After 30 years of shared occupation in this vaulted and cloistered English Heritage Grade I Listed location, Westlands have continued to evolve and extend their display into the whole interior so that that there are now 16 large galleries showing a very comprehensive selection of antique chimneypieces , fire grates , furniture , lighting , architectural elements and ornamentation of all kinds, on two levels and in the courtyard. This extraordinary environment of interconnecting galleries of ever changing intimate settings and panoramic vistas abundantly stocked unfolding before visitors takes your breath away. The variety and 'splendidity' of the venue, to quote Woody Allen, is fascinating, informative and inviting, providing a tranquilly pleasing, wandering, browsing experience approaching that of a compact museum. Set in a park environnment on the west side, in the bustling sophisticated south Shoreditch triangle on the City of London financial centre's doorstep, well complimented with fine restaurants, art galleries & hotels, you will find Westland London "at the sign of the Ascot Racecourse Clockface".

Westland London