Britain’s Best Antique Shop Awards

The Britain’s Best Antiques Shop awards came to an exciting climax last week at The Bath Decorative Antiques Fair. Organised by Homes & Antiques magazine and Antiques News & Fairs, voting began back in October as part of National Antiques Week. Many thousands of votes were received from across the country – and even from outside the country, showing just how vibrant and loved Britain’s antiques scene is.
The Pavilion that holds the fair was packed, and not just with buyers, as much of the crowd was also there to find out who the winners were. Or, in a few cases, to find out if they were the winners!
We were delighted to welcome homes, crafts and interiors guru – and major antiques lover – Kirstie Allsopp to present the awards after I had read  the list of the final nominees. In effect the antiques and vintage version of the Oscars, the crowd waited with baited breath! The winners were:
1. Britain’s Best Antiques Shop – Blighty Antiques, Cheltenham (shown above)
2. Best Antiques Centre – Hungerford Arcade, Hungerford, Berkshire
3. Best Specialist Shop –Christopher Clarke Antiques, Stow-on-the-Wold, for campaign furniture
4. Best Vintage/Mid-20thC Shop – Nanndobbie, Brighton
5. Best Auction House – McTear’s, Glasgow
Congratulations to one and all! Angela Linforth, editor of Homes & Antiques, said: “Here at Homes & Antiques, we never cease to be excited by the intriguing, beautiful things we find at antiques shops and auctions up and down the country. The awards celebrate these high street heroes, and we hope they will encourage many more people to pop into their local antiques stores and see what they can find.” Each winner was presented with a certificate and trophy, and all the nominees received certificates commemorating their nomination.
After the awards had been handed out, and photographs taken, everyone was invited to attend a private drinks reception nearby. It’s not often that such busy people as dealers and auction house owners get to mix and chat, so conversation was in full flow, punctuated regularly with peels of laughter. I really enjoyed meeting friends old and new, and catching up on some of the news that’s been happening in the antiques world across the country. Everyone felt that the event was incredibly worthwhile, very well run, and well-worth repeating. So, let’s see who you nominate next year! With thanks to Homes & Antiques for the photographs. To see more of the winners, please click here, and to see more of many of ‘the great and the good’ of the antiques world at the after-party, please click here.