Last Hurrah for Kings Road's Legendary Guinevere
Iconic antique shop holds farewell auction after closing its doors
The store was a favourite of celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow
January 20, 2025
Legendary Kings Road antique store Guinevere has closed its doors and an auction, titled The Last Hurrah, will be held next month selling its stock of 500 extraordinary pieces of furniture and decorative arts from around the world.
Guinevere, at 574 - 580 Kings Road, had been trading for 61 years and was famous in Fulham for its eye-catching ever changing shop windows arranged as ornate themed rooms.
The family-run business was the brainchild of French-born hat designer Genevieve Weaver, who moved to London in the 1960s. She had a passion for antiques, buying them for her own home then selling them as her tastes changed and she turned these skills into a business with the launch of Guinevere.
The store’s main appeal was its range of extraordinary finds, including rare and sometimes unique pieces, sourced during Genevieve’s international travels.
After her death, Genevieve’s sons Kevin and Marc and Marc’s wife Heather continued her work, sourcing rare furniture, textiles, lighting, decorative works of art and curious antique pieces.
Guinevere sixty years ago
Now however, the Kings Road premises have been gradually emptied after being sold to a property developer and the Weavers are planning a new future.
“It’s been an incredible journey, and we’ve met so many wonderful clients who’ve become friends,” says Marc Weaver. “Guinevere pieces are likely found in every corner of the globe, and we’re honoured to have been part of so many decorating journeys.”
Fine Art Auctioneers Sworders will be hosting the auction of nearly 500 lots, all to be offered without reserve, at their Stansted Mountfitchet auction rooms on Tuesday February 18.
Sworders say: “ This unique event will bring some of the alchemy of a beloved antiques emporium to market. Showcasing the quintessential Guinevere ‘look,’ the auction will feature an eclectic mix spanning period lighting, furniture, textiles, decorative arts, and contemporary pieces.
“Highlights include Flemish tapestry fragments, Anglo-Indian boxes from Vizagapatam, and a series of intricately carved wooden roof ornaments from a Thai palace - all reflecting the unique and timeless aesthetic that made Guinevere iconic.”
Some of the items to be sold from the remaining stock at the shop
For full details of the upcoming auction, go to this page.
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