Fairs and Markets

The countdown to save winter Olympia has begun as the organisers warn that advanced dealer commitment is crucial.

A c.1715 Queen Anne burr walnut secretaire kneehole desk was among the highlight sales at the recent 'Petworth Park Antiques Fair'.

The long-awaited return in Derbyshire by Halcyon Fairs to the newly restored Octagon ballroom in Buxton’s magnificent Victorian pavilion has been delayed again due to ongoing works.

“She was the only fair organiser I’ve ever met from whom I didn’t mind getting a ticking off,” said one of the many tributes paid to Bunny on her death (Andrew Sim).

Several of the events taking place during this London summer season have put the emphasis on growth or diversification as organisers look to the future. But for porcelain dealer Brian Haughton, whose pair of porcelain events returns this month, the key is keeping specialised and drawing inspiration from the past.

Among the highlights Brian Haughton offers in 'A Collectors’ Paradise' is this Meissen group of a Danish pug dog with her two puppies, modelled c.1745 by JJ Kaendler (1706-75) and painted black, brown and white.

The long-running Antique Scientific Instrument Fair has been given a boost by the Scientific Instrument Society (SIS).

Denys Eyre Bower (1905-77) bought for £6000 the 17th century Chiddingstone Castle, near Edenbridge in Kent, filled it to the turrets with his collections of Japanese swords and lacquer, Egyptian antiquities, Stuart and Jacobite history and Buddhism pieces and opened the place to the public.

Saturday, June 30, is Armed Forces Day in the UK, an annual event which the contributions of men and women in the armed forces are celebrated through countrywide events in villages, towns and cities. This includes The Battle of Britain Air Show on June 30-July 1 at Headcorn Aerodrome in Kent. A number of militaria fairs also take place during the weekend and the following week – here is a focus on a few.

A two-day fair set for June 23-24 has had to be cancelled.

The Works on Paper Fair has ceased running after more than 30 years – a reflection of a contracting market, dealers say.

The LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, has hired a new fair manager.

Trading as Rose & Brown, organiser Caroline Brown’s 50-stand vintage home and fashion fair takes place on Saturday and Sunday, June 23-24, at the Victoria Hall in Saltaire, West Yorkshire.

On September 15-16, Macclesfield auctioneer Adam Partridge will be hosting an antiques-hunting weekend based at Hartsfield Manor, just outside Dorking.

Country house car boots held in aid of charities are part of the summer season.

The seat of the Curzon family, the present Kedleston Hall, near Derby was designed in 1759 for Sir Nathaniel Curzon by the Palladian architects James Paine and Matthew Brettingham.

Exhibitor numbers at Masterpiece rise to 160 as trade prepares for summer showcase.