This event, which was co-launched by, and is still run in
association with, the British Antique Dealers Association, is not
to be confused with The Harrogate Antique and Fine Art Fair which
is held in the same venue each spring and has been put together by
Mrs Walker for the past 30 years.
The organiser certainly knows the hinterland and over the years
has been instrumental in reinforcing Harrogate's status as antiques
capital of the North.
So it is not too surprising that in a relatively short time she
has firmly established this fair as a class fixture attracting top
dealers, and a waiting list.
There are some 70 exhibitors, around half of them members of BADA,
and familiar names include London jewellers Licht and Morrison,
period silver specialist J.H. Bourdon-Smith, from Kent Lennox Cato
with his distinctively decorative furniture and objects, and
Finching-field Orientalist Laura Bordignon.
From Harrogate comes early oak dealer Elaine Phillips, Walker
Galleries, whose stock of 19th century paintings will include work
by Yorkshire artists, and Sutcliffe Galleries, whose director Helen
Sutcliffe is the Northern representative of BADA and was closely
involved in the launch of this fair.
Joining the fair for the first time are Elaine Saunderson from
Sussex with period furniture, Ged Selby from Skipton with antique
glass and Holly Johnson Antiques from Cheshire.
Also making their debut are the top London art dealers
MacConnal-Mason, who show at Maastricht, New York and Palm Beach.
Although long based in St. James's, MacConnal-Mason were founded in
Harrogate in 1893 and maintain a strong client base in the
area.
Admission is £7.50
Major names line up to reinforce Harrogate’s status
FROM October 1 to 5, for the fifth year running, West Country organiser Louise Walker stages The Harrogate Antiques Fair at the International Centre in the heart of the North Yorkshire town.