With 37 dealers this is a small but select gathering that includes some of our top dealers, a good number of whom have been with the event for more than 15 years.
An ultra-traditional affair, even something of a time warp, Chelsea retains its singular charm and although it is a long event with seemingly sparse attendance, business is certainly achieved and experienced dealers keep coming back.
Indeed, the long periods of somnambulance with hardly anyone stalking the stands is as characteristic of Chelsea as the reputation for quality it has nurtured since it was founded in 1950.
However, regulars naturally prefer sedate spenders to bustling browsers and they all say that those who attend do tend to buy, and often buy heavily.
The fair is strictly period with strict vetting and datelines of 1837 for furniture and 1875 for most other items, with the exception of Oriental pieces which are allowed to 1914 and jewellery, rugs and pictures allowed to 1930.
Some of the most established and familiar names from the quality fair circuit continue to show at Chelsea.
They include the likes of Paul Hopwell and Peter Bunting with country items; Denzil Grant with Continental furniture; Robert Young with European folk art; W.R.Harvey and Wakelin and Linfield with smart period furniture, and Derek and Tina Rayment with barometers.
There is a low turnover of exhibitors at Chelsea and this month just two make their debut, Valmar Antiques from Essex with 18th and 19th century furniture and Sue Brown, a jewellery dealer at London’s Grays Market.
Admission is £5.
Chelsea’s select set get ready to start season with period charm
THIS month, the international autumn fairs season gets seriously under way and the marker for the off in London is the country’s longest continually running event, the twice-yearly Chelsea Antiques Fair which will return to Chelsea Old Town Hall in the King’s Road for the 95th time from September 13 to 22.
