The two-day Sutton Valence Ceramic Fair is on Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27.
“When I took over these ceramic fairs from Fred Hinds of Wakefield Fairs three or four years, this was always one of the venues – the last fair here was about ten to 15 years ago,” said Prestige Ceramic Fairs’ organiser Nick Gent. “I was a bit nervous about it at first as it’s only three weeks from the London season, including Olympia and the International Ceramics Fair, but I feel that the smaller ceramics dealers don’t want the aggravation of the London fairs, particularly the congestion charge.
“With a few more booking weeks to go we have got 17 specialist dealers booked for Sutton Valence, including David Norley with early English porcelain and John Shepherd Antiques with 17th/18th and 19th century English pottery.
“I do feel that specialist fairs are coming back into their own as I find that customers are more prepared to travel 60 or so miles if they know that they will find quantity as well as quality at the end. As an example, our London Ceramic Fair on June 9 and 10 is the biggest one yet and our Burford Ceramic Fair on July 7 and 8 is over-subscribed.” Tel: 07940 282324.
BY JOAN PORTER
New venue for ceramics fair
PRESTIGE Ceramic Fairs have a new and attractive venue; in Kent at the 16th century Sutton Valence School which is set in 100 acres of grounds in the Weald of Kent, near Maidstone.
