We will see from February 6 to 8, when some 35 exhibitors take their stands at the historic home of the Earl of Devon, built over 600 years ago and set in 4000 acres alongside the River Exe.
Local trade are supporting the new fair. Picture dealer Sue Freeman, of Godolphin Fine Art, Chagford, will have a shrewd selection of local landscapes on show, eight of them typical views of Dartmoor and Exmoor by F.J.Widgery (1861-1942) which range in price from £950 to £3950.
Also from Devon, are long-established Hatherleigh Antiques, known for their early furniture and works of art, while, in contrast, another local exhibitor, Mere Antiques from Topsham, will bring mainly early 19th century porcelain.
At least four other West Country dealers will exhibit but expect, also, to see plenty of other familiar names on the Cooper circuit from farther afield.
The fair has a general dateline of 1920 with porcelain and silver to 1935, jewellery and textiles to 1950, and later items at the discretion of the organiser.
Admission is £4.50.
The best in the West? We’ll see...
ORGANISER Sue Ede of Cooper Antiques Fairs is promising “an antiques event of a quality not seen before in the West Country” with this weekend’s launch of her West Country Antiques Fair at Powderham Castle, near Exeter. It seems a bold claim but, on reflection, there have not been that many successful quality fairs in the West Country so Mrs Ede may well be on safe ground.
