Arthur Negus

Arthur George Negus OBE (29 March 1903 – 5 April 1985) was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He was a broadcaster and antiques expert.

Negus's family has a long history in the antiques business, and Negus himself 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 Bruton, Knowles & Co., auctioneers of fine antiques based in Gloucester. Amongst his young team there was Simon Bruton (son of Cecil), Quincey Hobbs, and Simon Chorley.

His broadcasting career began at the age of 62 when he appeared on the panel of the television series Going for a Song (1966–1976) where he appraised antiques. He quickly became a household name as a result of his slow and distinctive West Country mode of speech, which 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.

Negus was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 1982. He died in 1985 at his home in Cheltenham.

Bibliography

• Going for a Song: English Furniture (1969)
• A Life Among Antiques: Arthur Negus Talks To Bernard Price (1982)

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 the Internet Movie Database