Sunbury Antiques Market at Kempton Park
When it comes to the antiques banquet, Kempton Park is the main course. Esme Campbell meets some of the dealers serving up...
Twice a month, on the second and last Tuesdays, up to 700 traders gather at Kempton Park Racecourse for one of the largest and most diverse antique markets in Europe. Sunbury Antiques Market is a haven for bargain hunters and seasoned collectors alike, with everything from mid-century sideboards and kitsch art to antique silverware, French farmhouse tables and retro fashion.
Many past and present stallholders are experts in their field – Ian Humphries of BBC TV hit The Bidding Room, tribal art expert Ronnie Archer Morgan from Antiques Roadshow and dealer/restorer Drew Pritchard of Salvage Hunters fame among them.
Celebrity visitors
There’s usually a sprinkling of celebrity visitors, too: Paloma Faith, Harry Styles, and actor Tom Holland have all been spotted browsing the wares. In recent years, the market has also become a mecca for props hunters from nearby Shepperton Studios and Pinewood.
A good day could see up to nine production lorries in the car park, loading up with fashion and furnishings for Disney and Warner Bros. And ensuring that all runs smoothly are Edward Cruttenden and his wife, Jen. Edward’s mother, Sue, established the market in 1979, and Ed has been involved in the family business since he was a toddler.
“My mum used to pin a sign to me: ‘20p to carry your bags’. I was so small, people would feel sorry for me and give me their handbags to carry,” he laughs. Taking over the running of the fair in his late 20s was “the best decision I ever made”, he says, and now he and Jen attend every fair. Over the years, he’s seen trends come and go – from shabby chic to industrial and now vintage – but the market’s enduring appeal, he believes, is its ability to attract trade and private buyers alike.
When it opens at 6.30 am, entry costs £5, but after 7.45 am, it’s free, drawing a broad crowd of home refurbishers and ideas hunters.
Explore some of the market's best antique dealers:
1. Adrian Cohen
Best For: Antique Silver
We do all the antique fairs, like Newbury and Ardingly, but without a doubt, this is the biggest and the best,” says Adrian, an expert in antique silver. “It’s a market rather than a fair – it’s free to enter, so you get all the private customers, which really helps.”
07973 222520; silver@adrian-cohen.co.uk; adrian-cohen.co.uk; see also sellingantiques.co.uk
2. Henry Nicholls
Best For: Antique Jewellery
“Everything I sell is from deceased estates or private sales. It’s always fresh to market, so people like to see what we’re bringing,” explains Henry, a jewellery specialist based in Worthing. A regular on TV antique shows, Henry has been interested in the business from an early age. One of his first-ever finds was a Liberty & Co. silver enamel mantel clock designed by Archibald Knox, which he found in a junk shop. “It was £20. I gave the owner a fiver and shot into town to ask another dealer if I could borrow £15. He said: ‘If you’re not back in 20 minutes, I’ll break your legs.’ I returned it to the dealer, who sold it for £700. I earned a nice profit on that.” Today, Kempton Park is Henry’s favourite market. “It’s the most buoyant, with the biggest variety of collections and dealers. It’s the only fair I know where the dealers are happy to talk business and share knowledge.”
07866 436371; ask@henrynichollsantiques.co.uk; henrynichollsantiques.co.uk
3. Matthew Airey
Best For: Antique Homeware
After many years as a customer at Kempton, Matthew took the plunge post-Covid by deciding to pursue his passion full-time. He now sells homeware dating from the 1800s to the 1980s and loves the camaraderie of the market. “My first time selling, I arrived in the pitch black of December – it was so cold – but there was a group there doing it for the first time together, talking about how to stand out. Everyone is out to help each other.”
A Load of Old Tat Vintage; see Instagram @aloadofoldtatvintage
4. Clive Wilder
Best For: Silverware
“I don’t tart anything up, so everything is bottom line price,” says silversmith Clive Wilder, who has been trading at Kempton Park for 38 years. “I frequently see my things polished, repaired and back on sale on another stall. That’s fine – it’s good to see how often an item can change hands, generating a bit of income each time. That’s the beauty of the circular economy for you. “Kempton is a very well-run market with a fabulous reputation. What local people probably don’t realise is that you’ve got a place round the corner that people are travelling thousands of miles to visit.”
5. Elizabeth Mitchell
Best For: Vintage kitchenalia
“My favourite vibe could be described as a pre-mid-century Parisian bistro,” says Elizabeth, who trades French kitchenalia: terre de fer plates, old utensils, antique glasses, vintage hardware and small handmade furniture.
Clou Vintage; see Instagram @clou_antiques
6. Ray Agace
Best For: A bit of everything
‘Eclectic Ray’ has been selling at Kempton for 14 years, selling everything from old tin toys to contemporary abstract art. “I like to offer standout pieces that other people don’t have – sometimes, I’m not actually doing myself a favour! “If you want to see the antiques and collectable world all in one place, this is the market to come to. You’ll find a bit of everything, from the 16th century through to the 1980s & 90s.”
07774 191999, see Instagram @eclecticraylondon
7. Karen Dalmeny
Best For: Antique Furniture
An antiques expert and dealer, Karen was a regular on ITV’s Secret Dealers and still appears on the same network’s Dickinson’s Real Deal. After 30 years in the business, she knows that one must constantly adapt to stay ahead. “The big change has been the decline in brand furniture,” she says. “Furniture dealers – of which I was one – have moved into 20th century and decorative areas.”
8. Richard Laker and his dog Ernie Richard
Best For: Antique Art
Richard specialises in kitsch ‘erotic’ art and decorative pieces. He’s a fascinating source of information on the ‘exotic beauties’ art that decorated most British sitting rooms in the 1960s & 70s.
07483 825558; see Instagram @youneedart.co.uk; youneedart.co.uk
9. Roman Wrzesniak
Best For: Art & Retro Furniture
A trader of art and retro furniture based in St Albans, Roman (on the right) is rarely despondent – even on a rainy morning. “I may not have sold much on a particular day, but I don’t mind. I get to catch up with friends like Eddie. Kempton is a social event as much as anything.”
07963 596324; romanwrzesniak1@gmail.com
See sunburyantiques.com; look out for occasional weekend fairs at Sandown Park Racecourse and Raynes Park too.
