Art and antique dealers from across the UK will be gathering for the winter edition of the Chester Antiques Show at the County Grandstand, Chester Racecourse, from February 9-12.
It’s a fair that draws collectors from across the region.
Organiser Caroline Penman, who founded the event in 1989, said: “We aim to offer a wide range of high quality, authenticated antiques and works of art from the past 300 years.
“It’s a four-day event where everything is carefully vetted for quality so our visitors can expect to make purchases safe in the knowledge that they are buying genuine pieces, whether they cost £25 or £25,000.”
The fair offers plenty for people wanting pieces for their homes. As the emphasis in collecting has changed to acquitting a total look, or period style, so dealers have sought to provide suites of furniture and accessories in a period style.
Dealers W R Harvey & Sons from Oxfordshire have been trading for 65 years and take a box in the racecourse stand to transform it into a complete Georgian room full of 18th and early 19th century tables, chairs, desks, mirrors, dressers and bookcases.
With prices for many antiques now more affordable than for many years, proprietor David Harvey said once again they are selling to younger buyers.
Harvey’s are joined by regular furniture specialist Melody Antiques from Chester, C S Moreton from Scotland, Midwinter Antiques from Shropshire, Mark Buckley Antiques and Church Street Antiques from Altrincham, which favours a later 19th century look with pieces by top makers such as Gillows of Lancaster and early 20th century including Edwardian and art deco pieces.
Exotic French bronze statues
The Chester Antiques Show also features a wide range of original art with several galleries taking stands.
These include Watergate Street, Chester and Baron Fine Art, which offer a wide selection of oils and watercolours from the past 200 years, including many works by popular artists who painted the Wales and the north west.
The range of items for sale is broad, from art deco lighting, ornate Victorian mirrors, British and continental clocks, English furniture, 19th century landscape watercolours and Northern industrial art, plus exotic French bronze statues and contemporary paintings and sculpture.
With Valentine’s Day just ahead of the fair, jewellery is popular and the fair has several specialists.
Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice
Plaza will be showing many pieces including a Mickey Mouse brooch depicting the cartoon star as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia, here set in 18ct gold and weighing 25.9g, in diamonds, rubies, invisibly set sapphires with onyx and moonstone eyes.
He measures 5cm x 4.5cm and is in fabulous condition, made circa 1980 and will cost £8,500.
Also showing jewellery will be Shapiro & Co, Howell’s and Thomas-Glover.
Other specialists include Lake’s specialising in collectable boxes; Opus, with early treen and wooden boxes; S&A Marsh, with fabulous silver; Fashion Fandango with 20th century cocktail dresses and evening wear; Roger de Ville with early English pottery; James Dickinson Antiquarian Maps; Solo Antiques with art nouveau and art deco bronzes and glass, and John Newton specialising in 19th and 20th century porcelain and 1950s and 60s Germany studio pottery.
Admission to the show is £5 and the daily opening houses are 10.30am-5pm.
For further information, visit www.penman-fairs.co.uk .
