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While online shopping has boomed during the pandemic, it does tend to be a rather soulless process. Britain\u2019s antiques centres and shops offer an alternative, one-of-a-kind experience \u2013 the antidote to online monotony. <\/span><\/p>\n Found across the UK, in towns and cities large and small, on the high street as well as in former stations, mills, and even air bases. Most are gloriously eclectic \u2013 a cabinet of Egyptian antiquities might sit alongside a collection of vintage toy cars or antique silver<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve asked antiques<\/a> expert and author\u00a0Mark Hill<\/a>, homeware designer\u00a0Sophie Conran<\/a>, vintage specialist\u00a0Wayne Hemingway, interior designer\u00a0Nicky Haslam<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Antiques Roadshow<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>expert\u00a0Katherine Higgins<\/a>\u00a0to raid their little black books and reveal the UK\u2019s finest antiques<\/a> and vintage<\/a> emporiums.<\/p>\n You might also like<\/strong> Britain\u2019s best antiques shopping streets<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018This is a gem of a shop,\u2019 says Wayne. \u2018Tucked away in those lovely serendipitous York streets, it has a brilliantly edited collection of classic vintage and is always worth a visit.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Priestly\u2019s at No 36<\/a> Mr Ben\u2019s, which was founded in the 1990s, is a stalwart of the Glasgow vintage scene. \u2018I have picked up some brilliant Loakes brogues, a super Wigan Casino-style canvas shopper and a truly individual tweed jacket all from this Glaswegian institution,\u2019 Visit Mr Ben Retro Clothing<\/a> The word eclectic might have been created for RE. Vintage German beer steins sit next to dainty gilt candlesticks while old woodwork catalogues lie atop vintage tea trollies. Some of the stock is re-worked salvage, other pieces are vintage and there\u2019s some new too.<\/p>\n Visit RE<\/a> \u2018Just as it does in a designer fashion store, it really makes a positive difference when the buyer knows how to edit,\u2019 says Wayne. \u2018The owner of this shop can certainly do just that.\u2019 Herman Brown stocks high quality 20th-century fashion sourced on buying trips to everywhere from London\u2019s Brick Lane to Amsterdam and Seattle.<\/p>\n Visit Herman Brown<\/a><\/p>\n You might also like<\/strong> the best online antiques shops and ateliers<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Worthy of a day trip, you\u2019ll need the whole day to do the numerous large centres spread across this complex of barns properly,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018Whether you are a collector or decorator and whatever your budget, you\u2019ll be able to fill a display cabinet.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit The Herts and Essex Antiques Centre<\/a> \u2018James Gooch operates Doe & Hope from a lovingly restored historic barn and his business lives up to the romantic address. He has a unique selection of antiques, from neoclassical to Victorian gothic,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018Each tempts our senses and has a fascinating back story or romantically conjures up styles and desires of the past. It\u2019s food for the eye and mind.\u2019 Viewing is by appointment.<\/p>\n Visit Doe & Hope<\/a> The Boule-in has two shops, one in Suffolk and one in Kennington, London. \u2018Here you\u2019ll find a perfectly on-trend, highly appealing selection of French decorative antiques,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018With a focus on the easy to live with, beautiful and affordable, everything on display is sourced in France and curated by a charming husband and wife team. Its ideal gifting territory \u2013 self-gifting included!\u2019 By appointment.<\/p>\n Visit The Boule-in<\/a> \u2018The emphasis here is on rather striking, decorative antiques that can stand alone and whose quality and style shines through,\u2019 says Katherine. \u2018Stock ranges from 17th to 20th-century pieces but my favourites are the 19th-century mirrors.\u2019 By appointment.<\/p>\n Visit LVS Decorative Arts<\/a> Rob\u2019s stock tends towards pieces with patina and a good story, often linked to old trades. Find 18th-century House of Commons journals, skittle alley signs and 1900s dairy creamers. He is in the process of opening a new space in a 19th-century former Royal Ordnance building where stores were kept in anticipation of invasion during the Napoleonic wars. By appointment.<\/p>\n Visit Rob Hall Antiques<\/a><\/p>\n You might also like <\/strong>how to buy antiques on Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n The wooden floored Vintage Showroom feels more like an old world museum than a vintage clothes shop. \u2018You can find proper high-quality old menswear here,\u2019 says Wayne. It specialises in early 20th-century pieces with a fantastic collection of old sports and country wear.<\/p>\n Visit The Vintage Showroom<\/a> Rellik has made appearances in all the big name fashion magazines from Vogue to Vanity Fair, and with good reason. \u2018It\u2019s hidden away in Portobello Market,\u2019 says Wayne. \u2018You might need to ring the doorbell but once you are in\u2026\u2019 Its New York-style interior is covered with stunning fashion from 1920s onwards.<\/p>\n Visit Rellik<\/a> \u2018When you venture into the world of classic movie posters, you need to know you\u2019re buying something that\u2019s authentic,\u2019 says Katherine. \u2018Simon\u2019s expert eye means you can snap up a striking film poster, and rest assured that it\u2019s right.\u2019 You can view his stock online or book an appointment to see the posters first hand.<\/p>\n Visit Simon Dwyer Vintage Posters<\/a> \u2018I just can\u2019t resist this shop,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018With a selection that\u2019s refreshed every week, and regular sales to clear the decks, shelves are packed with everything from glass to ceramics, lighting and metalware. Check out the basement for furniture and larger homewares. There\u2019s something to suit every pocket, starting from a couple of pounds upwards.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Past Caring<\/a> A specialist in outstanding mid-century furnishings and French and Italian design, Gordon Watson has been in the trade for 30 years and sources pieces for an A-list clientele. If you\u2019re in the market for a striking investment piece, his showroom on Pimlico Road is an absolute treat.<\/p>\n Visit Gordon Watson<\/a> Among the many dealers on the Pimlico Road, Christopher Butterworth stands out. Specialising in French decorative pieces, Nicky calls him \u2018the best antiques dealer ever\u2019. \u2018Christopher has a faultless taste and eye and amasses a panoply of desirable things,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n Visit Christopher Butterworth Antiques<\/a> The dealers of Lillie Road have recently formed a collective \u2013 not a surprising move given that, as Nicky says, \u2018the whole of this stretch of antiques dealers is well worth nosing around in\u2019. Nicky\u2019s favourite haunts include the shop of James Jackson, who, he says, \u2018has an eclectic knack for finding interesting pieces\u2019. Another favourite there is Quindry, whose owner Gwen specialises in 20th-century objects and furniture.<\/p>\n Visit Lillie Road<\/a><\/p>\n You might also like<\/strong> the best antiques fairs and flea markets to have on your radar<\/a><\/p>\n John has had a long career in antiques and often exhibits at Battersea decorative fair. \u2018You\u2019ll find mostly furniture and larger pieces here,\u2019 says Sophie. \u2018John has a great eye and picks up really unusual and quirky pieces.\u2019 Expect plenty of garden furniture too.<\/p>\n Visit John Bird Antiques<\/a> \u2018Probably my favourite shop in the UK,\u2019 says Wayne. \u2018It\u2019s tiny but the owner has immaculate taste. She understands the true essence of \u2018vintage\u2019 and her items are always timeless and transcend fashion.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Wold and Gypsy Vintage<\/a> \u2018The clue is in the name,\u2019 says Wayne. This collective of vintage boutiques and designers is a sumptuous hunting ground for those who enjoy nostalgia. With antiques, vintage and bric-a-brac galore, it\u2019s good for a bargain.<\/p>\n Visit Snoopers Paradise<\/a> With more than 30 antiques shop in this small Sussex town, it\u2019s not easy to choose a standout but Sophie considers this her go-to place. \u2018It\u2019s a veritable cornucopia of dealers,\u2019 she says. \u2018It mostly has smaller items with a particularly good choice of ceramics, textiles and small pieces of furniture.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Petworth Antiques Market<\/a> \u2018Great things often come in small packages,\u2019 says Katherine. \u2018Though it\u2019s diminutive in size, Old Barn Antiques is packed with goodies from mouth-watering blue and white china to quirky first editions and vintage toys. It\u2019s a proper old antiques shop where you can hunt to your heart\u2019s content.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Old Barn Antiques Centre<\/a> \u2018This is one my top little black book shops for mid-century modern and retro,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018Over the past five years, Ben has grown it, starting from what was essentially a corridor, to become a larger shop hidden at the back of the packed and stacked RG Scott Furniture Mart, which is itself well worth a browse.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Junk Duluxe<\/a> Mark calls this antiques centre \u2018a sparkling jewel\u2019. It is located on West Street in Dorking, which is famous for its antiques shops. \u2018What marks Christique out is the not only the high level of quality and variety from more than 60 dealers,\u2019 he says, \u2018but the way it\u2019s so beautifully displayed and merchandised. It\u2019s just so easy to imagine these things in your own home.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Christique Antiques Centre<\/a> \u2018Stuart and Kiel who run Fontaine are veritable alchemists when it comes to display,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018Their innate skill and eye at sourcing objects of beauty and desire are unparalleled, but it\u2019s what they do with it that marks them out as truly top-flight dealers and decorators.\u2019 By appointment only.<\/p>\n Visit Fontaine Decorative<\/a> Highly-respected dealer Max Rollitt (who has also begun to dip his toes into design) is well known for combining quality pieces with extraordinary textiles, unusual ceramics, pictures and lighting. \u2018Instead of upping sticks to London, Max has stayed put in his barn in Lovington where he displays his finds in an equally ravishing setting,\u2019 says Nicky.\u00a0The showroom is open by appointment only.<\/p>\n Visit Max Rollitt<\/a> Glass etc is Britain\u2019s largest antique and vintage glass shop. \u2018If you stopped to count the range of glasses, decanters, decorative 20th-century vases and other vessels in Andy McConnell\u2019s shop, you could be there for a year or more!\u2019 says Katherine. \u2018It\u2019s a one-stop shop for antique and vintage glass that\u2019s both home-grown and European. Andy has a special interest in Scandinavian production so you\u2019ll find plenty from the key factories here, along with my favourite firm, Whitefriars.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Glass Etc<\/a><\/p>\n You might also like<\/strong> best antiques fairs and auction around the UK this month\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Both Mark and Sophie nominated Lorfords, which occupies two cavernous aircraft hangars at Babdown Airfield. \u2018Lorfords has become the place to source decorative antiques, with buyers coming from across the world,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018It\u2018s filled with exotic and stunning pieces,\u2019 adds Sophie. \u2018The staff are really helpful if you are looking for something specific.\u2019 There is also a Lorfords in Tetbury itself.<\/p>\n Visit Lorfords Antiques<\/a> The interior of a stunning old Georgian town house is a hub for decorative European antiques and elegant vintage pieces. \u2018There\u2019s a great collection of classical furniture,\u2019 says Sophie, \u2018and fantastic paintings and sculptures too.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Brownrigg Interiors<\/a> \u2018Filled with Victorian kitchenalia and high quality household goods, Below Stairs has a wealth of domestic antiques,\u2019 says Sophie. \u2018There are spectacular antique doorbells, doorknobs, knockers, taps and fireguards.\u2019 Stock is largely 19th and 20th-century and the stock runs over five themed showrooms.<\/p>\n Visit Below Stairs of Hungerford<\/a> Tucked away in the antiquing hub of Tetbury is this arcade of dealers. You can easily spend a morning browsing its eclectic mix, including furniture, paintings, prints, china, kitchenalia, clothing and antiquarian books. \u2018This is a great Visit Top Banana Antiques Mall<\/a> One of the first antiques centres in the UK, Hungerford Arcade proves experience pays, and is home to over 100 dealers. \u2018A wonderful place for a rummage,\u2019 says Sophie, \u2018with dealers selling everything from silverware to timepieces as well as some proper bric-a-brac.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Hungerford Antiques Arcade<\/a> Among Hay-on-Wye\u2019s many bookshops are a smattering of top-quality antiques shops too. \u2018Hay is such a sweet town to wander round in and my favourite place is Hay Antique Market, a really lovely little arcade with vintage treasures and antique goodies,\u2019 says Sophie. \u2018I always find something I fall in love with.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit Hay Antique Market<\/a> \u2018Who doesn\u2019t love to bring a ray of vintage into your home with some fabulous retro styling?\u2019 says Katherine. Organised into room sets, What Katy Did is more vintage experience than shop. \u2018Here you\u2019ll find it all, from a 1970s fondue set to a pair of 1950s curtains. There\u2019s always a good dollop of mid-century furniture too.\u2019<\/p>\n Visit What Katy Did<\/a> Drew Pritchard<\/a> is one of the country\u2019s best known antiques dealers by virtue of his eternally-popular TV programme, Salvage Hunters. His warehouse is, as you\u2019d expect, a wealth of quirky finds, solidly-made furniture and other, mostly British, pieces. The business is about to move to a new space so it\u2019s worth making a call in advance when planning a visit.<\/p>\n Visit Drew Pritchard Antiques<\/a> LAPADA member Tim Bowen<\/a> specialises in Welsh and English country furniture and folk art, which he sells from a gallery in Ferryside on the mouth of the River Towy. Everything from spongeware pepper pots to beautifully-patinated Welsh stick chairs to cricket tables and oak chests are on offer.<\/p>\n Visit Tim Bowen Antiques<\/a><\/p>\n You might also like <\/strong>how to get your antiques valued<\/a><\/p>\n In a picture book thatched cottage in County Fermanagh, Rosemary Cathcart curates and sells a stunning collection of antique and vintage lace, wedding headpieces, fans, dresses, embroidery and cards. It\u2019s a fairytale world. Next door you\u2019ll find Rosemary\u2019s lace museum, which showcases around 700 exhibits.<\/p>\nThe best antiques shops in Scotland and the North of England<\/h2>\n
Priestley\u2019s at No 36<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Mr Ben<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
RE<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Herman Brown<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
The best antiques shops in Central England and East Anglia<\/h2>\n
The Herts and Essex Antiques Centre<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Doe & Hope<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
The Boule-in<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
LVS Decorative Arts<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Rob Hall Antiques<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
The best antiques shops in London<\/h2>\n
The Vintage Showroom<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Rellik<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Simon Dwyer Vintage Posters<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Past Caring<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Gordon Watson<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Christopher Butterworth Antiques<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Lillie Road<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
The best antiques shops in the South and South East of England<\/h2>\n
John Bird Antiques<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Wolf and Gypsy Vintage<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Snoopers Paradise<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Petworth Antiques Market<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Old Barn Antiques Centre<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Junk Deluxe<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Christique Antiques Centre<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Fontaine Decorative<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Max Rollitt<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Glass Etc<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
The best antiques shops in the West of England and Wales<\/h2>\n
Lorfords Antiques<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Brownrigg Interiors<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Below Stairs of Hungerford<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Top Banana Antiques Mall<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Hungerford Antiques Arcade<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Hay Antique Market<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
What Katy Did<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Drew Pritchard<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
Tim Bowen Antiques<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
The best antiques shops in Northern Ireland<\/h2>\n
Sheelin Lace<\/h3>\n<\/div>