Talking to members of our lovely audience after Judith and my talk and valuation evening with the Torbay Bookshop, one couple told me about a treasure of theirs called the KlokHeta. Having had to admit that I had never heard of it, I asked if they could send me a photograph. And I’m so glad […]
Leaving Shepton Mallet behind us this morning, Judith Miller and I decided to drop in on Honiton on our way down to Torbay on the final part of our roadtrip. Honiton is legendary for antiques shops, with more than 20 occupying the high street in its heyday. When I worked at Bonhams the auctioneers, I […]
This morning was spent in a leisurely manner – much needed after yesterday’s mammoth, but highly enjoyable, Antiques Roadshow in St Fagans! Although I’m out of the office, work never ceases to follow me around the country, so a few hours were also spent catching up on Miller’s emails. My long car journey with Judith […]
Phew – what a hot one! I’ve just got back from the Brighton Antiques Roadshow, where the blazing sun was as continuous – and welcomed – as the thousands who turned up today. This was my second outdoor event, the first having been Tatton Park last week. I always enjoy these more than indoor events […]
I’ve just got back from my second Antiques Roadshow of the season, at Beverley Minster in the East Riding of Yorkshire. I’ve never attended a Roadshow in a church before, and what a stunning first time it was – the Minster is truly breathtaking. Only if I had time to enjoy it properly though, as […]
Well, in the words of Warner Bros – ‘That’s All Folks!’. Last night saw the final episode of the first series of ‘Cracking Antiques’, where we helped Roy and Katy create a mid-century modern style living room for their 1950s bungalow. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds, even with a budget of around £2,500, […]
I’ve just got back from Grand Designs Live at the Excel centre, where I was signing Cracking Antiques books with Kathryn this afternoon. Kathryn had given a seminar on incorporating retro furniture in interior design, together with eco-designer Oliver Heath and Wayne Hemingway, the design connoisseur and founder of ‘Red Or Dead’. We were also […]
After my visit to the DDR Museum, I tailed off my taste of Communist Germany by driving an original Trabant across the city with Trabi Safari. All I can say is – brilliant! Such fun, and such a ‘unique‘ car! Once you’ve got over the smell the special oil and petrol mix creates, and the […]
I’m spending this weekend in Berlin, a city I always find inspiring and fascinating to visit. There’s an edgy, progressive feel to the place, nowhere more so than within the contemporary art scene, which is truly ‘world class’. I’m also incredibly fond of design produced under the Communist regime, and love staying in parts of […]
Although I’m usually associated with 20thC design and collectables, I’m an enormous fan of prints, from engravings to etchings and aquatints. I’ve collected them since I was at school, when I used to spend money earnt from my paper round at local antiques fairs and shops. Naturally, at that level, I couldn’t afford anything valuable […]
Kathryn and I hope you all tuned in and enjoyed last night’s episode of Cracking Antiques, where we helped Jodie & Adrian from Stockport find Victorian and Edwardian antiques for their living room with their limited budget. So, if previous weeks are anything to go by, you’ll all be wondering where we went! Well, here […]
Leafing through this morning’s Metro newspaper, I spotted this advertisement for HSBC mortgages. I smiled as the quirky and appealing arrangement of antique pieces, including frames, mirrors, furniture, and glass decanters, is exactly the sort of look that we love on Cracking Antiques. It’s interesting to see how the look is really moving into the […]