Fairs and Markets

Described 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.

If 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.

Antique dolls supremo Judy Bebber has been organising the biannual Kensington Doll Show at Kensington Town Hall for 20 years.

The Buxton Antiques Fair, organised by Cooper Events, runs from May 18-21 in Buxton Pavilion Gardens. It is a quiet yet well-respected presence in the annual fair calendar and has withstood many market changes since it opened more than 50 years ago.

The second TEFAF New York event opens this week, running from May 4-8 at the Park Avenue Armory. It is the second event that TEFAF has staged in the Big Apple in the past 12 months, the first of which was its inaugural ‘Fall’ edition last October. Whereas that event focused on art from antiquity to 1920, this edition features modern and contemporary art and design.

Paintings, drawings and prints are among best performers at spring showing of popular fair

The London Original Print Fair, now in its 32nd year, takes place at the Royal Academy from May 4-7 and features 51 international dealers and print publishers.

The next Chelsea Art Fair takes place from April 27-30 and, as fair director Ben Cooper sees it, the attraction of the event comes down to two key elements: quality and breadth of selection.

Ahead 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.

Maxine Stonehill of Pop Up Vintage Fairs has launched a vintage market at a new London location.

The opening of the Turner Contemporary in Margate in 2011 reinvigorated the tourism industry in the north Kent area.

Launched last year by Kate and Mike Button of Blackdog Antiques in the pretty north Suffolk town of Halesworth, the monthly Halesworth Brocante, held in the Old Print Works, has become become a regular and popular fixture.

As Fox & Moon Fairs, Tony Crellin has been running regular vintage events at the National Coalmining Museum in Yorkshire, near Wakefield, for the past four years.

In the continuing series looking through the keyhole of ‘bricks and mortar’ shops in 2017, ATG talks to Lucinda Silcock who runs St Martin’s Antiques Centre in Stamford.

Since its launch eight years ago, Derwen Fairs’ antiques and vintage market at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales has gone from a one to two-day run, trebled in size to 100 stands and has four dates this year.

Petworth has faced some speculation about its future as a hub from members of the trade during the past few years. Once a celebrated spot for art and antiques, the closure of several local shops led to fears that it was losing its footing as a destination for collectors.