Jonty Hearnden joined Bonhams London in 1979 to become a furniture cataloguer, and from there he went on to manage Lots Road Galleries, a London auction room. In 1990 Jonty became an independent furniture dealer and he now runs a successful antiques business in Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. He specializes in 18th- and 19th-century furniture and decorative objects. He has recently been appointed honorary secretary of the Thames Valley Antique Dealers Association.