An exciting change to the UK antiques fairs calendar is The Northern Antiques Fair, now under new ownership and managed by expert fairs organiser, Ingrid Nilson.  Formerly named The Harrogate Art & Antique Fair, the event now proudly resumes its original name which dates back to 1951.  Held in association with BADA, the fair has undergone a facelift and is set to become the leading autumn fair in the north of England once again.

Taking place in Hall M, Harrogate Convention Centre, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 2RD from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 October 2017, the fair brings together the finest furniture, fine art, jewellery and accessories from some 35 specialist dealers.   Its mix of antiques, mid- century and contemporary pieces will particularly appeal to the design-savvy looking for unusual one-off objects. 

Dealers exhibiting at the fair include Haynes Fine Art of London and the Cotswolds, Howards Jewellers of Stratford upon Avon, Millington Adams Ltd from Cheshire, Stephen Kalms Antiques from the London Silver Vaults, Greenstein Antiques from London’s Grays Antique Market, Licht & Morrison, Morgan Strickland Decorative Arts, Roger Lamb Antiques & Works of Art and William Cook from Hungerford.  Local dealers from the north of England include Howell 1870, J Dickinson Maps & Prints, Jack Shaw & Co, Melody Antiques, Graham Ruddock, Solo Antiques & Valerie Main Ltd. 

Highlights to look out for include a number of paintings by the ever-popular artist Edward Seago (1910-1974) on the stand of Haynes Fine Art, including a watercolour of The Fountain of the Four Rivers, Piazza Navona, Rome, priced in the region of £15,000 and The Dog Inn at Ludham, Surrey, an oil on canvas with an asking price of around £60,000.

From Millington Adams Ltd comes a superb George III carved mahogany Chippendale period double chair-back settee, c1760, £29,000.   

Valerie Main Ltd, specialist dealer in antique porcelain is bringing a rare Royal Worcester pot pourri vase and cover decorated with swimming swans by Charles Baldwyn, dated 1900 and a fine Royal Crown Derby cabinet plate decorated with specimen garden flowers by Desiré Leroy and marked with the Royal Warrant for Queen Victoria, dated 1900.   Ceramics dealer, Graham Ruddock has sourced a rare spill vase with a wagtail and exotic birds in flight by John Randall, made at Yorkshire’s Rockingham factory, c 1830, priced at £1,800.

Currently, the Arts & Crafts movement is a popular area of collecting and there is an excellent choice available within the fair including a Tudric pewter and enamelled copper clock made by Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co, c 1902 from Morgan Strickland Decorative Arts, £8,000 and a number of outstanding pieces from Solo Antiques such as a stunning Art Deco gilt bronze figure of a standing female nude by Joseph Descomps, c 1925 and an unusual Loetz cobalt blue on blue glass Papillon vase, c 1895.

One of the many alternative investments to the stock market today is to buy silver.  The fair is an excellent place to browse the silver dealers’ stands to find Georgian silver, candlesticks, wine coasters, cocktail shakers, antique silver spoons, vintage jewellery boxes and much more.  A good example is an attractive George II silver kettle on stand by Augustin Courtauld, London, 1739, £6,500 from Jack Shaw & Co of Ilkley.   Other silver dealers include J H Bourdon-Smith Ltd and Stephen Kalms Antiques.

To add sparkle to the fair Licht & Morrison is displaying a magnificent array of jewellery such as an enchanting 1920’s Art Deco diamond brooch in the shape of a macaw parrot. Very evocative of the period is an exquisite Edwardian pendant set in platinum with old brilliant-cut diamonds in the shape of a basket of flowers with a ribbon. Not forgetting the gentlemen, there are sets of Art Deco cufflinks from the late 1920s.    Howell 1870 brings a selection of vintage watches, as well as jewellery, including a 9 carat gold full hunter with white enamel dial with Arabic numerals, 1920, £750.  Insect brooches are inclined to fly off the stand such is their popularity and Howards Jewellers is showcasing a French antique ruby, emerald and diamond bug brooch, c 1895 as well as pieces by famous jewellery designers such as an enamel and diamond brooch by Fabergé, c 1890, a diamond, coral and onyx swan brooch with an emerald eye by Asprey, c 1980s and a ruby and diamond brooch and earring suite by Tiffany, c 1970.  

18th and early 19th century furniture and decorative period home accessories such as toleware, papier mâché, ormolu, bronzes and lighting can be found with Roger Lamb Antiques & Works of Art.  From William Cook is an eclectic range of fine quality furniture and objets d’art carefully selected for the fair.  Melody Antiques, well known for oak and country furniture is bringing a 16th century primitive oak seat which came from a Suffolk long house, c 1550, £3,450.  There is also the opportunity to seek advice and look at examples of work carried out by T L Phelps Fine Furniture Restoration, based in Knaresborough.