This long-awaited staging runs from August 13-15, occupying the Great Hall, Orangery and adjoining rooms of Westonbirt School - a grand Elizabethan house near Tetbury in Gloucestershire.
Founded by Reg Cooper in 1989, the fair is organised by Cooper Events under the direction of Sue Ede and before the pandemic hit was held two to three times a year.
The event is a popular fixture in the UK fairs calendar, strategically located close to the affluent and antiques-loving area of Tetbury (self-styled the ‘antiques capital of Gloucestershire’) and within relatively easy distance of Wales, London and the Midlands.
The summer fixture also benefits from being one of the few UK fairs taking place in August and this latest instalment - the only one scheduled this year - should be no different with an abundance of staycationing holiday-makers enjoying the Cotswolds.
A pair of late 19th/early 20th-century Syrian chairs with intricate mother of pearl and ebony inlay design priced at £2295 from Ferreira Antiques at 'The Cotswolds Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair'.
In mid-July, Ede told ATG only three vacancies remained with 40 dealers already signed up. “All the regulars have been really happy to come back, and we’ve managed to bring in several new exhibitors, which is nice because August is a quiet month for the trade,” she said.
On the Covid-19 front, visitors are urged to wear masks and adhere to social distancing with hand sanitisers placed around the venue.
“We will be keeping everybody as safe as possible. Masks will be available on the door for anybody who wants them, and we will be making sure we have as much ventilation as possible,” she added.
Good balance
The fair offers a good balance between traditional and decorative antiques alongside jewellery, watches, vintage fashion and more with prices ranging from £20-20,000.
At least nine new faces have signed up, including Dave Woodger Antiques (porcelain), Ellis Fine Art (furniture and fine art), Frank Craig Antiques (furniture, clocks and objets d’art), Glass of All Ages (glass), Quiet Street Antiques of Bath (furniture, bronzes and objets d’art), Sykesplace (garden and architectural) Trevor Towner (silver, jewellery and collectables), Digby Antiques (silver and collectables) and Ferreira Antiques (furniture and objets d’art).
Among the pieces at the fair on offer from Ferreira are two late 19th/ early 20th century Syrian chairs with intricate mother of pearl and ebony inlay design, which are available for £2295.
Bucolic views
This view of Painswick by Noel Harry Leaver (1889-1951) is priced at £850 from Newman Fine Art at 'The Cotswolds Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair'.
Meanwhile, returning exhibitor Newman Fine Art brings a collection of historic watercolour paintings of the Cotswolds.
The bucolic depictions include a view of Painswick by Noel Harry Leaver (1889-1951), a much-admired Yorkshire artist who at 16 was one of the youngest-ever pupils of the Royal College of Art where he passed with first-class honours.
He travelled all over Europe and north Africa painting as he went before returning to a teaching post at Halifax School of Art where he worked until 1915. After this he taught at the Burnley School of Art until the mid-1930s and painted widely across Britain.
Other exhibitors include WR Harvey bringing English Georgian and Regency antique furniture, King George Antiques with architectural salvage, furniture, mirrors, lighting and rugs and Paul Burnett Antiques & Interiors offering mirrors, lighting, antiquities and decorative silver and accessories.
An abundance of home-decorating options are also available from Mid-century modern furniture dealers Scandinavian by Design and Modern British art galleries Freya Mitton and Granta Fine Art, among others.
