Latest News Articles by Joan Porter
History lesson on how to reuse buildings for art and antiques
04 December 2023The repurposing of buildings for use as antiques centres and sometimes fairs has seen a revitalisation of historic buidings.
Sunbury thanks loyal traders
04 December 2023Prices frozen for pre-booked pitches at Kempton Park Racecourse for fourth year running
Atmospheric places to shop for antiques in Shropshire and Somerset
27 November 2023The Times recently ran a feature on seven of the most atmospheric towns in the UK in which to do your Christmas shopping for one-off gifts, maybe combining this joysome activity with a weekend break. Here are some art and antiques options in two of them, Ludlow in Shropshire and Frome in Somerset.
A fair? What an Offaly good idea
27 November 2023Mother-and-daughter team start new event in Ireland with hopes for several others across the island
Flood fund raiser will return to Shrewsbury
20 November 2023To help raise funds for a flood appeal at the West Midlands Showground in Shrewsbury, local fair organisers Emma and Oli Jones, aka JOS Events held a special ‘yard’ sale there earlier this month.
Grandma’s Attic Fair in Chichester is full
20 November 2023Running in Chichester on December 3 is Grandma’s Attic Fairs’ antiques and vintage fair at the Westgate Leisure Centre.
Actress Emma Thompson agreed it was ‘Very Nice’
20 November 2023The Vintage and Very Nice Market is held monthly in the pleasant surroundings of the 18th century Assembly Rooms in Chichester.
Ephemera that’s here to stay
20 November 2023Valerie Jackson-Harris is stepping down as chair of The Ephemera Society, a position she has held since 2008.
‘Three months’ became 32 years for Hexham antiques market
13 November 2023When he launched his midweek antiques fair in the Northumberland market town of Hexham in 1991, Colin Caygill told the manager of the Wentworth Leisure Centre where it was held that “he would give it a go for three or four months”.
High time for an auction house
13 November 2023Owners of a rapidly expanding chain of shops turn their attention to opening a saleroom in Somerset town
‘We can deal with stray shells - but not heartbreaking monotony’
06 November 2023In November 1915, Captain Wilton John Rix of the 6th Bedfordshire Regiment wrote from France to the East Suffolk Gazette with an understated and moving plea for a relief from the war’s monotony.
Suffolk village’s charms include two fairs and three antiques shops
06 November 2023Two popular fairs are running in November and December in the Suffolk village of Long Melford which also offers three antiques businesses as an extra draw for buyers to part with their cash in a pre-Christmas splash.
How nostalgia fuels toy collecting
30 October 2023The growth in toys and collectables is related to the age of buyers and the items they remember from their own childhood, auction houses say.
Antique and vintage street market expands into Surrey
30 October 2023Jackie Edwards of ACVR Events increased her tally of antique and vintage street markets in southern England earlier this year, launching in Kingston and Cranleigh, both in Surrey.
Midcentury Modern fair looks back over the past 20 years
30 October 2023Business partners look back at how their events and the market have evolved since their fairs launched.
So Last Century goes for interiors
23 October 2023Alan Old of So Last Century Fairs has been talking to ATG about his ambitions as well as giving news of a new fair to be launched next year.
Can you give collector a leg-up with his buying?
23 October 2023All that David Bennett asks is that you don’t call him a ‘leg’ man.
Thirty dealers lined up for new Kensington event in historic church
23 October 2023Offering an impressive line-up of stallholders including Antiques Roadshow expert Mark Hill, a new vintage fair is being launched in west London.
Botanic garden venue set to be full of life as dealers buzz in this November
16 October 2023An antiques and vintage fair which is held in one of the most attractive garden settings in the country is set to blossom over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, November 4-5.
Frock me! fair on a roll
16 October 2023The 'Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Show' on Sunday, October 22, at Kensington Hall looks set to be one of the most popular this year, says organiser Matthew Adam.