BAFRA Membership Information

BAFRA membership is organised into three basic categories of status, Full, Associate and Student

BAFRA also has a 'Friends of BAFRA' section for members of the public interested in furniture, its history, care, conservation and restoration.

FULL MEMBERS are those who have undergone and passed the BAFRA Entry Assessment. They will have been working in the profession for a minimum of five years prior to application for membership. They are multiskilled and fully able to deal with all or most aspects of antique furniture conservation-restoration. Many have additional skills such as clock movements, keyboard instruments, boulle work etc. They are accredited by BAFRA.

SPECIALIST FULL MEMBERS have full membership status, are accredited by BAFRA, but may not have all the skills required fully to complete work on objects of furniture. In their specialist fields, however, they will have more experience than full Member. Examples are 'Carvers and Gilders' and 'Lacquerwork Artists'.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS are those members working outside GB. They are not accredited by BAFRA. Full Members who have retired may also become Associate Members.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS IN EDUCATION are members of BAFRA in teaching appointments at Colleges recognised by and affiliated with BAFRA.

EMPLOYED MEMBERS are members employed in the furniture conservation- restoration profession who because of their employment cannot satisfy all the criteria required of the full Member. They have associate status.

STUDENT MEMBERS are recruited at College and may move from this category to 'Graduate Status' on leaving college. Further information on student membership can be found on the student page.

For further information on becoming a member of BAFRA please contact our Membership Officer:

Benefits of BAFRA Membership

BAFRA has awarded Accreditation Status to its Full Members for over 20 years. The accreditation process used is unique to BAFRA. It is, as it should be, formidable and focuses closely on applicants' experience and ability to carry out numerous aspects of conservation and restoration skills and processes as much as the applicants' business practices and adherence to BAFRA's stringent Code of Ethics. These demands are largely responsible for the confidence with which owners in the private and public sectors feel able to place the conservation and restoration of their furniture and allied objects in BAFRA Members' hands.

BAFRA affords its members the opportunity to exchange information on all aspects of their profession and constantly to improve their knowledge and skills.

BAFRA members are able to call upon one another to assist in the execution of their work.

BAFRA runs a strong publicity programme devoted to the welfare of the heritage, and the support of heritage owners and BAFRA members. The association takes part in trade fairs and has strong working relationships with the major antique dealers associations, the leading auction houses, the art loss tracking organisations and the insurance and loss adjusting industries. BAFRA also has a strong working relationship with the Museum Community and is a Founder Member of the National Council for Conservation and Restoration (NCCR).

BAFRA has a strong educational remit exercised through 9 affiliated colleges, through CNVQ and through the BAFRA Student Section. There is an annual programme of BAFRA educational seminars and conferences which are attended by the public and members of the profession, and which address the historical and technical aspects of the furniture conservators-restorers' and furniture historians interests.

BAFRA publishes an Annual Directory, marketed publicly, and a number of BAFRA and BAFRA Student Section newsletters (Splinters). Additionally all Full, Associate and Graduate Members are supplied with the BAFRA Suppliers List which contains the names and sources of suppliers of specialist materials, a publication which is unique in the conservation profession.


BAFRA has a head office at which inquiries are handled and referrals made to the membership. A number of members services are provided.