Fairs and Markets

A Maori quarterstaff and an Indian suit of armour are among the diverse highlights being shown at the next Antiques Arms Fair taking place at the Pillar Hall, Olympia.

A pair of Kangxi double gourd porcelain vases available at TEFAF New York Fall typify not only the quality on offer at the event but are also testament to its cross-cultural nature.

Organised by specialist dealer Mark van Veen for the Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society, the annual tile fair will be held on Saturday, October 6, in Nottingham at St Jude’s Church, Mapperley.

One year shy of its 20th anniversary is the 2000-plus stand Peterborough Festival of Antiques held twice a year at the East of England Showground.

In ATG No 2354, we previewed Christina and Paul Bishop’s new glass fair launching on Sunday, September 23, at Ickworth House, the Georgian Italianate ‘palace’ near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, now owned by the National Trust. Paul, who runs Specialist Glass Fairs with Christina, updates us on the show.

A pair of early 17th century gloves slipped into a top spot at the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair last week.

Funds from the Textile Society’s textiles fairs held in London and Manchester go towards the six annual bursaries and awards to textile historians, students, curators and conservators.

The British Art Fair is an annual feeding ground for collectors of modern and post-war British art. This year’s staging of the 30-year-old event, which runs from September 20-23, marks a new chapter for the fair as it moves to London’s Saatchi Gallery.

Organised by the well-known Somerset textiles dealers Liz and Jack van Hasselt, the regular West Country Textiles Weekend takes place next on Saturday and Sunday, October 6-7.

“The numbers are up to maximum capacity at 226 stands and there are a further 10 stands for calligraphers, marbled paper dealers and bookbinders – it’s the largest ever,” said York bookseller Janette Ray, spokeswoman for PBFA’s annual two-day York Book Fair.

The welcome news of an antiques centre opening a few doors from one which closed last year comes from the market town of Pickering in North Yorkshire.

Alison Davis and Alan Old, who run So Last Century, organiser of quality, 20th century vintage markets at three venues in south London, are heading up north.

Former child actor Bretten Lord is maybe best known for his role as Tom Proctor in 'Lad: A Yorkshire Story' (2013), made when he was a young teenager and for which he won a best actor award in the US.

It’s always good to hear about the opening of a new antiques centre. Essex businessman Ken Hewitt has seized an opportunity to launch his venture in the medieval town of Manningtree, described by the local tourist association as “a gateway to Constable country”.

Jewellery is the single biggest element of the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair (September 13-19), with 13 specialist dealers and a handful of others who will include items of personal adornment alongside decorative arts or antiquities.