Step into the 50-year-old home of John and Esthell Moses, and you will feel yourself transported into the magical world of CS Lewis. From the teakwood furniture handed down over generations, to the dozen over-sized antique wall clocks adorning the walls of their hall alone, to the brass lamps sitting on the shelves, the Moses residence is a haven for all things Victorian.

This ‘dedicated junk collector’, as he likes to call himself, has been collecting and restoring since he was 30-years-old — proof of which are the 150 lamps, 50 clocks, two cycles, gramophones, and other Victorian articles that you will find in nooks and corners. Even the kitchen shelves of their spacious residence in Kilpauk Garden Colony, Chennai, have been invaded by the collectibles.

It would take one a day, at the least, to list out the treasures that Moses has collected — and we might add it has not been an easy task for him, as most of these antiques have been spotted, sought out, bargained and sometimes even fought for.

“There is a story behind every antique I have collected,” smiles Moses as he remembers the feeling of achievement once he manages to get his hands on a prize. He talks about how he acquired one of his most prized possessions — a 1927 HMV gramophone, the largest ever produced. “It took me eight visits before I could strike a bargain, after which I had to bring it home in a truck. My wife was not very happy about the whole thing,” he says.

Being a technician himself, Moses started restoring antiques as well, and while today, we enjoy the luxury of Google to find information on anything under the sun, the 58-year-old Moses has had to depend on books about antiques, from where he gleans information on how to repair them.” Sometimes you break two and learn on the third,” shares Moses, adding that though restoring and maintaining antiques is laborious and expensive (many of the antiques are so rare that Moses has had to use makeshift spares or get them made to order at a premium), he is glad that it keeps him occupied. What else does he get out of it?

Being a member of the Madras Heritage Lovers Forum, he displays his best at their August exhibition, where school children get to see them. This, besides his personal satisfaction, is what keeps Moses happy with his hobby that is a dead investment — he cannot sell them. “They are plentifully available abroad and not many appreciate them here,” he sadly concludes.

But if there is a Victorian antique you want identified or restored, or if you are looking for something you remember seeing at your grandparents’ home while a child, chances are that Moses will be able to help you.

source: http://www.expressbuzz.com / Home> Magazine / by Ryan Peppin / January 13th, 2012