Born in Carlisle in 1935, Michael Finlay was educated at the local Grammar School prior to nine years in the Army, serving in Korea, Japan, Malaya and BAOR. As a mature student he undertook a four-year course for the National Diploma in Design, followed by a year at Newcastle University where he received a Diploma in Education.
Since that time he has been active in the world of fine art and antiques, firstly as a self-employed dealer in antiques and Member of the BADA, more recently in the auction field, as a Fellow of the Society of Auctioneers and Valuers, cataloguing for a number of local auctioneers, and latterly as a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. From 1987 until semi-retirement in 1998, he was manager of the Carlisle branch of Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers, now Bonhams. After a further few years as a consultant to various auctioneers, in particular to Penrith Farmers’ & Kidd’s, plc and in a specialist capacity in the cataloguing of English metalwork to other national and provincial auctioneers, he is now retired.
