Monthly Archives: October 2013

Ardingly Antiques Fair

We set off bright and early yesterday morning for Ardingly, West Sussex for the International Antiques Fair.  I’ve never been before although I have heard lots about it.   If you’re looking for a stuffed wild boar’s head, buffalo horns or a goat skull, you’ve come to the right place!

wild boar

That’s not to say there aren’t other collectables there as well though.  From Louis XIV Baroque chairs, to 1950′s kitchen dressers, it’s all there.  There’s a real mishmash of antiques, reproduction and boot sale items and the fun is in rummaging through to find what you’re looking for.

I found some great cast iron coat/hat hooks and hope to fix them to a nice piece of wood in my hallway and an unusual coca cola bottle opener for my kitchen.

Coat hook

Coca Cola bottle opener

The traders we chatted to were very knowledgeable and happy to talk about their antiques and there was absolutely no pressure to buy.  If I go again I’ll be more aware of the vast size of the Fair and will probably not dilly dally for so long at every stall, because there’s an awful lot to see.   It was a fun day out and we were really lucky with the weather.   I didn’t break the bank and I didn’t bring home a stuffed wild boar either!