Arthur Negus

Arthur George Negus, OBE (29 March 1903 – 5 April 1985) was a British television personality and antiques expert, specialising in furniture.

Arthur Negus OBE
Born	Arthur George Negus 29 March 1903 Reading, Berkshire, England
Died	5 April 1985 (aged 82) Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Broadcaster and antiques expert
Known for	Going for a Song Antiques Roadshow

Biography

Negus was born in Reading, Berkshire, England, to Amy Julia Worsley and father Arthur George Negus Sr, a cabinet maker. His family has had a long history in the antiques business. Negus was educated at Reading School and began running the family business when he was 17, following the death of his father. During World War II he was an air-raid warden. He later joined the company of Bruton, Knowles & Co., auctioneers of fine antiques based in Gloucester. Amongst his young team were Simon Bruton, Quincey Hobbs and Simon Chorley.

For many years Negus resided in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Broadcasting career

His broadcasting career began at the age of 62 when he appeared on the panel of the television series Going for a Song (1965–1977), where he appraised antiques. He quickly became a household name as a result of his slow and distinctive West Country speech style, which in turn also made him popular with impersonators. He returned to television with Arthur Negus Enjoys (1982) and, especially, Antiques Roadshow (1979–1983). He was mentioned in the 1970 Monty Python "Election Night Special" sketch, and again two episodes later in the sketch "Archaeology Today". He also appeared on other TV programmes including several editions of The Generation Game during the time it was presented by Bruce Forsyth and Larry Grayson.

Honours and legacy

Negus was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 1982. He died in 1985 at his home in Cheltenham exactly one week after having turned 82.

In April 2013 Negus's daughter Anne appeared on BBC One's Antiques Roadshow with the Negus family Bible, owned by her great-grandparents Charles and Harriet Negus, which had been shown in a previous edition of the show in Wimbledon. Since discovering the bible the Negus family had been able to trace its ancestors back to the 1700s.[1]

Bibliography

• Going for a Song: English Furniture (1969)
• The Arthur Negus Guide to English Clocks (1980) - foreword by Negus, remainder of text by David Barket
• A Life Among Antiques: Arthur Negus Talks To Bernard Price (1982)

References

1. "Cheltenham Town Hall 2 (first broadcast 14 April 2013)". bbc.co.uk. 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.

Sources

• Anne Pimlott Baker, "Negus, Arthur George (1903–1985)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 16 September 2006

External links

• Arthur Negus at IMDb
• Pick of the Past: Heelas, Arthur Negus and Dennis J Hands at getreading.co.uk