Layers of history

A 19th-century farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, provides an atmospheric backdrop to an inspiring mix of antiques

- JANET GLEESON

A year and a halfago, an unexpected stroke of good luck brought Atta-U1 Ghaffar to the Breslau farmhouse that is now part holiday home and part showcase for his antiques dealing business. It was during lockdown, in the depths of the Canadian winter, with temperatures of 30°C, when a friend called up out of the blue. He knew Atta, a software engineer, living in Cambridge, Ontario, also dealt in antiques. He was clearing out the estate of an elderly gentleman who was a keen collector. There was a houseful of property to sell: was Atta interested? Antiques dealers get a thrill from house calls, so I went the next day. A lot of good stuff had gone, but still I filled my car up with boxes of ironstone and furniture. We’d been thinking of buying another property, so while I was there asked if the house was for sale, says Atta.

When his friend said it was, Atta looked over the property more thoroughly. There were five buildings on the site: a house, barn, stone building, summer kitchen and smoke room. The main farmhouse was a four-bedroomed dilapidated rubble stone building, dating from the 1840s. There was a building outside, with high cathedral ceilings. I looked at the stone walls and thought, wow! This could be a perfect backdrop for my antiques. My wife was supportive, even though we had no idea what to expect. We had always lived in modern buildings before. Was the ceiling going to fall down?"