COME ALONG ON SATURDAY to our NEW Vintage & Antiques event in Essex

Well-known Essex based antiques and decorative arts dealer Cheryl Brown and The Friends of the Marillac Care Centre in Brentwood, are for the first time putting their resources together and can now announce their first Vintage & Antiques Fair at the to be held on Saturday 14 March at the Marillac Brentwood Care Centre. Cheryl Brown, famous from Dickinson’s’ Real Deal popular TV shows and antique fairs up and down the country, says:

COME ALONG ON SATURDAY to our NEW Vintage & Antiques event in Essex

Well-known Essex based antiques and decorative arts dealer Cheryl Brown and The Friends of the Marillac Care Centre in Brentwood, are for the first time putting their resources together and can now announce their first Vintage & Antiques Fair at the to be held on Saturday 14 March at the Marillac Brentwood Care Centre. Cheryl Brown, famous from Dickinson’s’ Real Deal popular TV shows and antique fairs up and down the country, says:

‘We are happy to say that our Vintage & Antiques Fair will be offering not just collectible items for sale in a lovely environment, but also some great entertainment. The whole family will love this event and we are right now finalising some great live vintage music artists to perform during the day and traditional teas, coffees and homemade cakes to be served on vintage porcelain.’

Around 35 dealers have signed up selling everything from kitchenalia, revamped garden tools and costume jewellery to fine jewellery, clocks and time pieces along with small furniture, vintage clothing and accessories. We will have specialists in Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Scandinavian silver, interior design and garden pieces. There is a lot for men too. In this commemorative year of the war eras, we are happy to have a lot of vintage fishing equipment and war Memorabilia. If you look carefully, you might even see a Mr W Churchill in the crowd. Come and join us for a day to remember – and make a difference. Cheryl smiles and ends:

‘I am moved that so many are ready to support such a great charity as our local Marillac.' 

Time: 

Saturday 14 March, 10.00-16.00, 

Parking: Plenty of FREE parking available at the Ford Motor Company across the road in Eagle Way

Venue: 

Marillac Care, Eagle Way, Warley, Brentwood, Essex. 

SAT NAV: CM13 3BL

Entrance: £2.50 incl. free parking at Ford Motor Company, for visitors to the fair.

WELCOME!

Malvern Antiques Fair and some Cotswalds Antiquing

Cotswolds makes for a lovely autumn weekend break, as the area is 
dotted throughout with some interesting antique centres and fairs.

Before the dark winter days set it completely, my partner and I decided to head west to the Cotswolds. Our main aim was to visit the Antiques Fair at The Three Counties Showground at Malvern on the Sunday morning and on the way take in the lovely scenery of the Cotswolds.

Saturday was simply wonderful as far as both weather and shopping was concerned. First stop was at The Quiet Woman Antique Centre in Chipping Norton. This was a most inspiring place, filled with top quality items including Georgian writing desks and many small mahogany and oak tables which are easy to fit in any room design. Some wonderful writing desk items were also displayed, all very tastefully in little room settings. I was hoping to find some Arts & Crafts this weekend, as the best were produced right here in the Cotswolds during the turn of the last century, and I was not disappointed. Some fine copper candlesticks and vases were for sale, all outside my budget but such a treat just to look at. With this, we were filled with even more inspiration and headed further north west to Evesham. At the back of an old House Clearance business, there it was, the overmantel mirror, inlaid with Arts & Crafts copper, my partner had no idea he needed. After a lot of haggling, we spent the next half hour trying to fit it into the back of the car. Oh dear. Some 100 year old screws had to be unscrewed with great difficulty, sweat and tears. But after dismantling top of said item – it fitted into the car. The fact that I ended up 
with weekend bags, jackets, picknick bag etc. in lap, was beside the point. 
He was happy. Of course we had no idea if it will fit the fireplace at home…

We checked into an old Victorian humdinger of a hotel in Great Malvern. 
The Abbey Hotel is easy to find as it is, yes, next to the medieval Abbey, in Abbey Road. It has a fantastic view overlooking the Cotswolds and the Malvern Hills. It has a great atmosphere of a time gone by; when the wealthy upper classes headed to the area to take in the fresh air, take the waters and most of all to be seen. Strolling along the fine streets still lined with great houses, many now turned into B&Bs.

The  showground is just 10 minutes south of Great Malvern. It was quickly very busy with buyers and here are some of the many things that caught my attention.

This popular fair is organised by B2B Events www.b2bevents.info and their next fair at
Malvern is on 25 January. Put that date in your new 2015 diary right away. Worth the trip!

Seen today at Sunbury Antiques Fair

Weather forecast good. Woke up before 4am, so there is only one thing to do: Drive to Kempton Park Racecourse, west London. Got there just before opening at 6.30 and car park almost full. There we all were, rushing in expecting to find the beautiful and marvellous - at a price we cannot resist. And it is there, but you have to look hard.

Outside, hundreds of casual stall holders were unloading. This is where the furniture is as well as other large items for interior design. Industrial chic is still in, particularly when it comes to ceiling lights and furniture and we can not get enough of little wooden boxes 'to put things in'  can we? There are super ones at Kempton.

.

Mannequins, hm...I suppose you can display them at home, if you are uber-cool, but if you are a shop owner they make great displays.

As the days are drawing in, we do not automatically think about decorations for the garden. But if you are looking for a bargain this is the time buy. statuary, bird baths, plant pots, urns etc are a really good buy.

Colourful cotton reels looking almost 
sculptural 'en masse'.

Does he have a head for bargains?

And this was the moment dear reader, just walking into the main indoor hall, that 

I drop my camera. It started to rattle and that was the end of that.....but do not

dispair...

Next Kempton is on Tuesday 14 October - make a date in your diaries now

               

!

Spitalfields Antiques Market is on every Thursday... this is what I recently took a liking to...

come along, it starts at 8 am.

come along, get inspired...

 

   c
 

Alghero and Sardinia's West Coast. Where the waters are like those of the Caribbean, but without the eight hour flight.

Alghero and Sardinia’s west coast.

Where the waters are like those of the Caribbean  –

but without the eight hour flight and the scenery is just amazing.

View from Capo Caccia

The coastal road along the west coast of Sardinia is one I will always remember. It 
is simply breathtakingly beautiful. Sandy beaches or rocky outlets are embraced by the clearest waters I have seen for a long time, colours ranging from dark ink and celestial blues to a soft shimmering turquoise. As cliffs get higher and the road meanders inland, to my great surprise, long legged pink flamingos can be seen around salt plains that have now become vast nature reserves.  As you get closer to Alghero the landscape changes again, becoming more fertile with many wine producing fields. This is the home of Sardinia’s favourite grape; the Vernaccia.

Alghero has been a popular resort since the 1960s and its long sandy beaches are crowded as

Town beach Alghero

they are close to the town centre.  Via Garibladi runs along the seafront and marina every evening fills up with people watchers in its many bars and restaurants.   As always, I head for the oldest parts of town, where first of all I notice that this place has a very Spanish influence. Street names can be both in Italian and Catalan, going back to a time when the city was captured by the Aragonese. The San Francesco cloister is a true reminder of this era, its architecture dating back to the early 14^th century. During summer months this lovely building becomes a wonderful open air concert venue.  In Via Calberto, a main shopping street, you find many craftsmen selling local coral jewellery, much admired for its deep red colour. Likewise, silver filigree jewellery is also much sought after.

Porta Terra, looking a bit lonely as the
rest of ramparts have been destroyed.

As picturesque Alghero is, particularly in the evening, it is the scenery around this seaside town that attracts me most and most of all Capo Caccia, a unique area for nature lovers. This peninsula appears like a huge sculpture before you, as you travel north of the city. In the air you might be lucky to see one of the few surviving Sardinian Griffon vultures or the more common peregrine falcons and herring gulls, who all have a have a lot white cliffs to choose from as their nesting grounds. But keep your eyes on the ground, particularly if you decide to take the 654 steps down the Escala Cabriol, (the goat’s steps) to Neptune’s Cave filled with atmospheric stalactites and stalagmites. It was easy to get out here, on one of the sightseeing buses leaving from city centre. The trip takes 2 hours and was the best value ever had for 18 Euros. This is where you find the best beaches with plenty of space. f

As Alghero displays many historic sights, so does the countryside around. Here you can find may manifestations of the ancient Nuraghi people, who lived on this island in the 10^th-12^th century BC.


Next blog: Shopping and Delicious Food the Sardinian Way

Sardinia - this week, follow me on my travels through this spectacular island. Part One: Capital Caglieri

Capital Cagliari

Located on the southern coast if the island, Cagliari has always been a leading trading seaport between Eastern Mediterranean Europe and France and Spain. The oldest part of this bustling city is the Castello, sitting like a hat on top of the hill in the centre of town. You park the car outside the city walls and enter the city via the Porta Christina. Immediately to your left you 

Entry gate to museum area

find the former Arsenal, now housing the city’s most important museums; those of Archaeology, Oriental Art and the Municipal Art Gallery.The grid-like layout of the city makes

it easy to find your way around. Walking east along the Via Martini and you are soon standing outside the Town Hall. Inside is the helpful tourist office and on the first floor are

the Sala Della Rappresentanza and Sala del Consiglio Comunale, whose walls are decorated with numerous paintings of important events in Sardinian history. What struck me was the openness of the place, with no security checks or guards anywhere. Beautiful furniture and some antiques are on display. All 'wallpapers' were of jewel coloured silk and fabulous.

Sala del Consiglio Communale

The same road leads you down to the impressive Roma-nesque façade of the Cathedral on Piazza Palazzo, built by 

the Pisans in the 12^th century. Dedicated to Santa Maria, this place of worship is much decorated in different types of marble in a Baroque style. As it was Sunday the cathedral was packed full, with many locals and visitors choosing to sit on the wide steps outside, from where you could hear the ceremony and music in glorious sunshine.

Venue for monthly antique market

As you know, antiques are my biggest passion, and I was keen to explore the dedicated antique market on Piazza Carlo Alberto, which every website had assured me takes place every second Sunday of the month. I.e. the day I was there. Nobody though, had added the words ‘except for August' hm...but here is a picture of the square anyway. Some antique shops can be found in Via Marmora, but they were firmly closed. Oh well, time for lunch instead. We found this lovely trattoria in one of the many narrow alleyways in the Castello where lovely seafood was served with a delicious local wine.

Cathedral of Santa Maria

Castello side street

Trattoria in lovely alleyway

On the way back to the car, we noticed the remains of a Roman Amphitheater under which there is an underground world of burial chambers and Grottoes, stretching over a large area down toward the more modern district. There is also a Botanical Garden, 

but I left them for next time…

follow this cliffhanger story tomorrow - in Alghero

Today is Thursday - it means only one thing - Old Spitalfields Antique Market, London

There has been a market on this East London site since 1638, however and thankfully, the current buildings are from 1887. I love this market because of its eclectic feel.  It opens at 8am and immediately the area is buzzing with antique dealers, there to find new stock for their

London shops. By nine they have departed, laden with small furniture, vintage clothing, silver and real antique objects. By 11am, the atmosphere changes and you can suddenly hear a cacophony of different languages. Tourists from the Netherlands, China and Japan have by now finished their hotel breakfasts and are eager and keen to buy a treasure and some souvenirs to take back home. Things that are not too heavy and can fit in a suitcase.

…

Today I purchased a Scandinavian 1970s silver pendant and a Victorian beadwork bag . Both are great examples of beauty, of great craftsmanship but produced one hundred years apart.

All of a sudden a younger and trendier crowd start circulating. They all have one thing in common; they eat sandwiches as they walk around! We are next to the City of London and city workers come out at lunchtime to splash some cash.  Women tend to look for jewellery, as you simply cannot have too many sparkling gems, can you? The men look for boys’ toys of course, like old wooden stationary boxes, vintage tin plate toys or a present for a loved one.

Old Spitalfields Market  is also an inspirational source venue for many artists and designers. As the items for sale are anything from beautiful to beastly and anything in between. There are things here you never imagined existed!!

Dealers here are as eclectic and wonderful as their objects. They are knowledgeable and real experts and love the objects they deal in. You do not find that kind of expertise on the high street!

If you are new to this part of London, I urge you to discover more of Spitalfields. Walk in Jack the Ripper’s footsteps if you dare or spend some time taking in Dennis Severs House in nearby Folgate Street, it is just like stepping into and early 18^th Century painting. www.dennissevershouse.co.uk

If it is a Thursday – head for Spitalfields! You' ll love it. Liverpool Street tube and train station is just a short walk away. www.facebook.com/OldSpitalfieldsVintageFleaMarket

Next blog: Sardinia