East Sussex

“If you lived here you could make it absolutely divine,” wrote author Virginia Woolf to her sister Vanessa Bell in 1916.

In our continuing series looking through the keyhole of ‘bricks and mortar’ shops, ATG talks to Sara Hughes, who opened Phoenix Antiques in Petworth in December 2008.

Bookings are going well for the collaborative venture between B2B Events and Bentleys Fairs at the beginning of August.

Sold by RR Auction (25/22.5% buyer’s premium) on June 14 was a financial document of November 1721 bearing the signature of Isaac Newton – an order to pay to a Dr Francis Fauquier the dividend due on his substantial investment in the South Sea Company.

What is selling well in the clocks and watches world? Dealer Warren Wilkinson, who has been collecting and repairing clocks and watches for 40 years and who is a regular standholder at Love Fairs events, is a good man to answer that very question.

Another work by CRW Nevinson (1889-1946) in the form of an aerial wartime print was offered in Gorringe’s (23% buyer’s premium) June 27 sale.

Until its conversion into a pizzeria and cocktail bar three years ago, The Spread Eagle pub in Greenwich had hardly changed since its origins as a 17th century coaching inn.

The centrepiece of Bonhams’ Japanese offering on May 11 was the second part of the extraordinary collection of netsuke formed by US concert pianist Julius Katchen (1926-69) and his wife Arlette.

In our continuing series looking through the keyhole of ‘bricks and mortar’ shops in 2017, ATG talks to Jonathan Menezes, who has owned Bow Windows Bookshop in partnership with Ric Latham since 2010.

Like Petworth, Lewes is a place known for its antiques shops. A nearby fair running from June 2-4 provides a chance for visitors to get an extra dose of shopping.

A stand-out 1930s Art Deco onyx table lamp from Belgium is one of the highlights of Style 1900’s 20th Century Decorative Arts Fair. It will be held at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on- Sea in East Sussex on Saturday and Sunday, June 17-18.

News about fairs and markets in the Brighton area...

Alan Wilkinson is in a good position to assess the current state of the Brighton and Lewes flea markets, having owned them for 25 years. Both markets are fully let with a total of 80 stallholders and 40 cabinets overall.

Three high-quality sales from the north to the south gave a cheerful air to spring. The catalogue at Tennants in North Yorkshire pretty much covered the range but in Sussex and Buckinghamshire the emphasis was on furniture.

Dominated as they were by furniture, the March sales at Lewes and Donnington Priory included other highlights.