Guest Blog:  Arthur Swallow Fairs

Summer of Salvage Launch 2018

26th April 2018

Now that the seemingly endless winter is behind us it’s time to look forward to another Summer of Salvage at our Decorative Home & Salvage Shows, which take place at Yorkshire’s Ripley Castle in May and September, Surrey’s Loseley Park in July and Cheshire Showground in June and August. Each year when we launch this run of events we get a rush of excitement about what lies ahead of us and, as each season ends, we delight in all the wonderful moments which have been enjoyed. Last year was no exception, and there were some fantastic highlights, so to kick off the season we thought we’d share some of these to get you in the mood.

Reclaimed World took centre stage at both the Cheshire shows with their big red bus, a 1960s London double-decker packed full of decorative homewares and a bold array of fairground salvage in their outdoor space. Owner Jeff Pearce and his team offered visitors a warm welcome and the stand added a cheerful splash of colour to the shows. We hope to see them back again for 2018 with more great show-stoppers.

Inspired homes and interiors magazine Reclaim took a stand at all five events, bringing with them some great offers on magazines and subscriptions. What’s more, they launched the 2017 season for us with a 13-page feature about the shows - highlighting current buying trends for decorative antiques, architectural salvage, French brocante, industrial furniture and accessories and reclaimed gardenalia. It set the tone perfectly for what turned out to be a fantastic run of shows hosting some of the finest pre-loved homewares on the market - you can expect more of the same this year.

Throughout the summer we ran a series of Instagram scavenger hunts (with prizes!), the most popular being a French themed one at Loseley Park where we encouraged visitors to look out for hot continental homewares to celebrate Bastille day. Style champion Suzi Grant, aka Alternative Ageing, came with a huge enthusiasm for a show she’d heard great things about, and left with some wonderful French treasures and a big smile.

We were also delighted to welcome Eastenders star, and keen salvage shopper, Emma Burton to Loseley Park. Emma’s appetite for pretty salvage was quenched during her visit as she made her way from one gorgeous stand to another in search of things to add finishing touches to her home.

A definite highlight for us is seeing our visitors enjoying perusing and bagging brilliant buys, and knowing they’ll be heading back home with quality one-off pieces to upcycle, restore or add value to their homes.

At the close of the season at Ripley Castle we held our first ever Best Dressed Stand Awards, offering 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize for the stands which most impressed our judge, Jen Chillingsworth from Little Birdie. Jen, a photographer, writer and slow-living champion, was looking for stands which cleverly summed up how to ‘get a look’ and how that look would work in the home. Third prize was given to Sally Shakespeare (pictured above - from left to right - with fair organiser Richard Burgoin, Jen Chillingsworth and colleague and fellow trader David Gardener) of Shakespeare’s Vintage for her clever and detailed styling. Second prize went to Matt Dixon of Tallboy Interiors for his elegant, and almost regal, room-set stand and first prize was awarded to the extremely talented trio at Brocante Decorative, Lucy Nugent, Josephine Oates and Emma Cox.

The first show, at Ripley Castle, is only two weeks away now and preparations are firmly underway.The shows will run to the same format as previous years with a large trading area which runs via a winding avenue into a white tented shopping arcade, eventually leading to a big top hosting a bar, a choice of places to eat and plenty of places to sit.

The shows have a uniquely boutique feel with exhibitors styling their stands to perfection, all offering up delights from Europe and the UK; quality reclaimed and salvaged materials, garden furniture and statuary, architectural salvage, restored and up-cycled furniture, period home fixtures and fittings, decorative antiques and industrial furniture are all in abundance.

If you love all things old and beatuiful and want to have an enjoyable home shopping trip away from the masses then get a date secured in your diary now and make a day of it. We'll see you there!

Save the dates:
Ripley Castle, Harrogate, HG3 3AY: May 11th – 13th & September 7th – 9th
Cheshire Showground, Talbey, WA16 0JE: June 8th – 10th & August 10th – 12th
Loseley Park, Guildford, GU3 0JE: 13th – 15th July

All details can be found at AS FAIRS

Trade registration is open for all five events now, visit our salvage show page to sign-up to your chosen show/shows. All regular ticketing details can be found here too. Public tickets available on the gate for all days.

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