Latest News Articles by Joan Porter
Bavarian’s views of Dickensian London from Ephemera Society dealer
22 May 2017A sketchbook by the Bavarian artist Georg Johann Scharf (1788-1860) was discovered recently by ephemera dealer Valerie Jackson-Harris at the Sunbury Antiques Market at Kempton Park.
Oxford antiques centre goes very, very green
22 May 2017Last October we reported that Oxford’s Antiques on High’s owner, antiquarian book dealer Tony Sloggett, wanted to retire and find a new owner for the antiques centre which has traded in the city for 20 years. The situation remains unchanged, however, and it is business as usual at the centre for now.
Stonor House boosts the car booters
22 May 2017Built from the 13th century onwards and the ancestral home and seat of the Stonor family for more than eight centuries, Stonor House near Henley-on-Thames is the backdrop for the biannual country house boot held in the parklands of the estate.
Capture your Kodak moments at annual London photography fair
15 May 2017Just as CDs and then downloads led to warnings of the demise of vinyl, the vintage camera collecting field was also predicted to be affected with the advancement of digital cameras. But both collecting fields are far from dead.
The Mammoth: world’s biggest camera features in 'The Ingenious Victorians'
15 May 2017One of the cameras mentioned in John Wade’s fascinating new book 'The Ingenious Victorians' is the Mammoth.
Rome around to Sunday antiques fairs
15 May 2017The ancient Romans believed that no matter what happened in the world or how many empires came and collapsed, Rome would live forever. Hence its description by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC as the Eternal City.
Fairs & Markets News in brief: Dealer flies in from Belgium as new event launched at Haydock Park
15 May 2017One of the 15 new exhibitors at Bowman Antiques Fairs’ antiques and art fair at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate on Saturday and Sunday, May 20-21, is Belgian dealer Frank van Laer from Antwerp who trades in decorative pieces.
Staying serene in modern Stamford
08 May 2017The calm and grassy plain by the River Welland in the middle of the town of Stamford where Field Dog Fairs holds a biannual event was not always so serene.
Country house fair shows great in tent
08 May 2017Dealer Julie Brisbane’s triannual Antiques in Tents has been described in glowing terms by an American visitor as “a fair with a fantastic range and quality and probably the most enjoyable and charming fair I have ever visited”.
New angle as fishing fair venue changes
08 May 2017The biannual National Vintage Fishing Tackle Fair at the Redditch Sports Centre in Redditch on Sunday, May 14, which has been fully booked for months, is the last to be held at this venue in its 13 years of existence, as the centre is closing.
Deco down in the south of London
08 May 2017Described as a building full of clues and symbolism created by its architects John Seely and Paul Paget, Eltham Palace was designed in 1933 for the vastly rich art collectors Virginia and Stephen Courtauld of textiles fame.
Game on for fair dealer who sells Chinese counters
08 May 2017If you are interested in Chinese mother-of-pearl gaming counters then it’s a pretty good bet that the name Bill Neal will also come up.
Dolls show moves house for spring selection
08 May 2017Antique dolls supremo Judy Bebber has been organising the biannual Kensington Doll Show at Kensington Town Hall for 20 years.
Event organisers keep an eye on what is in vogue for interior design
02 May 2017Textiles dealers Caroline Zoob and Hetty Purbrick, organisers of the annual Decorative Living Fair at Eridge Park in Kent, met more than 20 years ago when they were exhibiting at the Kensington Brocante.
Norman’s glass conquest
02 May 2017A selling exhibition at the National Glass Fair on Sunday, May 7, will showcase some 40 to 50 pieces from the contemporary glassmaker Norman Stuart-Clarke who will be at the fair himself.
Weak pound is good flea news
02 May 2017Alan 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.
Vintage events to expand in West Country and Midlands this summer
24 April 2017Keeley Harris is so pleased with the way her vintage home shows are going that she is expanding them.
IACF marches on with Shepton Mallet rising up
24 April 2017Ahead of IACF’s popular Shepton Mallet antiques and collectors’ fair from May 5-7, with up to 600 standholders, the organisers have announced that the March event showed an impressive increase in buyers’ attendance.
New vintage market to open in South London
24 April 2017Maxine Stonehill of Pop Up Vintage Fairs has launched a vintage market at a new London location.