Shropshire Star

Tributes paid as Shropshire antiques dealer dies following short illness

Tributes were today paid to a Shropshire auctioneer and antiques dealer who has died following a short illness.

Published

Denis Ridgway, co-director of Perry and Phillips Auctioneers and the Old Mill Antiques Centre, in Bridgnorth, died on Monday.

Denis had run monthly auctions with his brother, John, in Bridgnorth for 30 years but lost his battle with cancer at Bridgnorth Hospital in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Ridgway, 70, had lived in the town with his wife Beryl for 30 years and ran his two antiques businesses with John.

The auction house was based in the town's Listley Street before relocating to the former Ridleys Seeds premises in Mill Street 19 years ago. This year marked 30 years trading for the brothers' saleroom, which attracts buyers and sellers from across the country.

Denis was the eldest of four brothers and had been business partners with John for almost four decades, while Phil is also an antiques dealer. Simon, a businessman living in Vancouver, Canada, travelled to England at the weekend to be with his family.

Their parents were also familiar faces in Bridgnorth, running ran the tearooms at Northgate in the town for a number of years.

John said: "Denis is going to be greatly missed, not only by his family and friends but also our staff and all the other people who have worked with him.

"He was an exceptional man who was rightly highly regarded, renowned not only for his business acumen but for his warm and generous personality.

"He worked tirelessly to ensure our businesses ran smoothly and successfully whilst also retaining a great sense of humour. He was unique."

Denis is survived by his wife Beryl and three brothers.

The funeral will take place at St John's Catholic Church, Northgate, Bridgnorth, on August 7, from 11am.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.