Antique Fair

 I should quickly remind those of you at the other end of England from Hutton-in-the-Forest that it's the 43rd annual Snape Maltings Antiques and Fine Arts Fair this weekend. You can read more HERE

Next Thursday and Friday is the Newark Antiques and Collectors Fair. With up to  4,000 stalls on 84 acres in 10 buildings and with over 200 shopping arcades and 44 marquees it is one of the best fairs held in the UK. For more information click HERE.

Amidst all the chaos of volcanos erupting in Iceland it's good to know that some things are going on unchanged. Next week. on Tuesday and Wednesday, it's the Ardingly International Collectors' Fair.which is one of the biggest and best fairs in the country. When I was living in Kent, as I did for many years, I was a regular there buying things which helped furnish our home and the hotel we owned for a while.

Well I must say I'm glad to be home. My visit to Antiques for Everyone was great fun but very tiring too; there were so many people to talk to and so many interesting questions and comments from the hundreds and hundreds of people who stopped by to see Mark and myself. Thanks Colin for dropping by and posting your note on the blog yesterday.

It was lovely to be welcomed home by Freddie the dog and my husband, not necessarily in that order! I'm telling you this because someone asked a really interesting question in Birmingham. It was why is the pineapple such a popular decorative motif on antiques? Well it's really quite simple. The pineapple, especially in the 19th Century, was a symbol of friendship and hospitality, it also became a favourite motif of architects and craftsmen throughout the world. It was used to demonstrate the hospitality of a mansion with carved or moulded mortar pineapples on the main gates of large houses all over Britain and America in particular. It’s symbolism stems from a time when pineapples really were a rare and precious fruit and therefore to serve one’s guests a pineapple was the absolute pinnacle of hospitality.

Another very busy day at Antiques for Everyone at the NEC in Birmingham. Having sold out of the Antiques Price Guide, we're hopeful of getting a new supply tomorrow, we have almost sold out of both 20th Century Design and the Collectables book. I managed to sneak away from the stand for a little while to check on some favourite areas and I have to say i was very impressed with the variety and the quality of the costume jewellery that was on display. Equally the Moorcroft I saw was wonderful,  also spotted  some fabulous 18th Century blue and white pottery. Just like yesterday some lovely people came by the stand. While it is a long a tiring day I have yo say that chatting to such nice people, and some very knowledgable people, makes the day go by in a flash.