All the fun of the fairs

ANTIQUES AND SALVAGE FAIR STALWART ALICE ROBERTON SHARES HER TREASURE-HUNTING TIPS, FROM WHEN TO ARRIVE TO NAB THE BEST PIECES TO THE ETIQUETTE ON HAGGLING

- ALICE ROBERTON

Find art at the Decorative Antiques & Textiles fair

Both treasure hunt and grand day out, fairs are an addictive adventure. You may find precious objects in a field or a barn, share tall tales and origin stories over tea from a Thermos, then take your treasures home wrapped in newspaper. But you'll need to put in the hard work of early mornings, long drives and lots of leg work - all worthwhile to discover beautiful timeworn objects. Searching for that unique piece for your home is one of life's great shopping joys.

Gardenalia at an Arthur Swallow Fair

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE

My love affair with fairs started as a child. My mother never bought new and our local Saturday antiques market could easily snap up my pocket money in exchange for trinkets. Several decades on and a good fair is still my shopping go-to for pretty much everything, from furniture and decorative objects through to art, kitchenalia and gardenalia. The excitement is felt on both sides of the table - ask even the most seasoned of buyers and sellers and they will mention the 'thrill of the search'. One simply never tires of what might be just around the next corner.

Browsing for vintage treasures at Arthur Swallow Fairs and

At antiques, salvage and vintage fairs, you won't only find unique, storied, patina-rich and perfectly restored objects. You'll also discover the friendliness of the wonderful dealers who so willingly share their knowledge, from the romantic provenance of a piece to a gripping story of how they came to buy it. A visit to a fair is as much a learning and social experience as it is a shopping one. My enduring advice would be 'buy with your heart and you'll rarely make a mistake'. I don't have any regrets; just a house full of treasures and wonderful memories of how I found them.