I’ve just got back from visiting our stand at the wonderful Winter Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair in London, where I’ve been supporting this year’s National Antiques Week. As you can see, the campaign has enjoyed a terribly smart stand, courtesy of the venerable LAPADA antique dealers’ association.
If you don’t know Olympia’s legendary fairs, you really should. Top dealers from across the country exhibit the very best of their stock, and are on hand to help and talk with you about antiques and collecting. You’ll see everything from ancient Roman glass to Georgian and Victorian pieces, right up to the best in mid-century modern. Apart from the new ‘Masterpiece’ fair, this is the top fair in the country, and even if your pocket doesn’t quiet stretch to some of the eye-wateringly beautiful pieces for sale, I can guarantee that you’ll get a lot out of a visit. The fair began on Monday, and ends this Sunday, so there’s still time to go.
Despite the rather dreadful economic situation, the Monday champagne preview was incredibly well-attended, and plenty of bags were carried out through the doors. And that hasn’t changed throughout the week, as those who follow my Twitter account will know. I suppose that this is down to the fact that, as banks are paying so little interest right now, many have decided to invest their money in something beautiful to behold that may also rise in value in the future. We believe it’ll also certainly retain its value more than something from an out of town retail park, or a furniture store chain, will – and it’s better for the environment too. These are the core messages of this year’s National Antiques Week, which have been endorsed by tens of thousands of people up and down the country.
It was great to see was Nigel Warboys of the ground-breaking Antiques Are Green campaign (below), view the stands of my Antiques Roadshow colleagues Lennox Cato, Richard Price and Duncan Foster, and bump into Rupert Maas, Grant Ford, Jane Brown and Jeanette Hayhurst who were vetting or visiting the fair.
If you can’t make it the fair, can I please ask you to do one easy thing? As part of the campaign, we’re giving away an elegant Edwardian mahogany mantle clock and over £250 worth of Miller’s antiques books in a competition. Entry is FREE, and all you need to to do have the chance of winning is to enter by clicking here. You’ll also find details of FREE entry to certain antiques and collectors fairs throughout November, plus a list of selected shops that are offering a one-off 20% discount on their stock during the month, as arranged by BBC Homes & Antiques magazine.
Free stuff and beautiful stuff – what more could you ask for?!