Showground Fairs

International buyers were out in force among the buyers at the busy IACF two-day event

The Cheshire showground event run by Arthur Swallow includes plenty of conversation starters.

Enjoying the great outdoors was a simple priority for the attendees of the Arthur Swallow Loseley Park Decorative Home & Salvage Show in Surrey, running from May 19-21.

A coronation theme was taken up by some of the dealers at Arthur Swallow Fairs’ three-day decorative home and salvage show at Ripley Castle, near Harrogate.

Barry Fletcher of the Carpet Merchant is an Arthur Swallow regular, making the journey over from Belgium.

Described by organiser Gary Wallis as the “Glasto of the antiques calendar”, the Henley Décor Fair is back at the Henley Showground by the Thames with a four-day packed schedule.

ATG takes a visit to one of the largest fairs in the south of England where buyers come out in force

“All things considered, it’s been a pretty good year and we have high hopes of 2023 being a cracker”, enthused Richard Burgoin, director of Arthur Swallow Fairs as he looked back at its fairs and markets in 2022.

Some lucky youngsters were among the attendees at IACF’s Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair earlier this month.

“After a very busy Easter event which was spectacular, our Shepton Flea is back in full force with our next flea on Sunday, July 17”, says Sue Ede.

The largest showground fairs are so extensive that it would be impossible to browse items on all the stands in one day. IACF’s Newark Antiques Fair, for example, is held on an 84-acre site with up to 2500 stands.

Stall-holders report brisk trade during the latest staging of the huge West Sussex event

Snapshot of the successful Sunbury event that has been around for over 40 years

IACF Ardingly in January had a very enthusiastic thumbsup Tweet from Worthing dealer Henry Nicholls.

Decorative art dealer duo started their own advisory service to cope with new Brexit rules

Dealers will be heading to Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire this month with three days of buying beckoning from the two ‘biggies’.

Sunbury Antiques Market, better known simply as Kempton due to its Surrey racecourse location, last week became the first open-air fair to return after the most recent lockdown.

The art and antiques sector breathed a sigh of relief with the news that shops and centres, auction houses, markets and some fairs can reopen in England from December 2.

The buying crowd at IACF Ardingly was more local than usual but no less enthusiastic