Cotswolds fair is “unlike any other fair – there’s a different type of person that comes to this one,” says dealer Ian Slade.
Dealer Lee Williams from Cougar Antiques with his stall. This was his first time at the Cotswolds event.
Cooper Events returned to Westonbirt School near Tetbury with the Cotswolds Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair for another successful year. The event, which ran from April 17-19, boasted 45 dealers specialising in everything from paintings to furniture, jewellery and gardenalia.
One of them was long-time supporter of the fair Ian Slade from Slade’s Antiqueswho has been coming to Westonbirt for over 10 years. He has plenty of experience of what the attendees are looking for: “It’s unlike any other fair – there’s a different type of person that comes to this one.”
He sold around a third of his stand on the first day, including two griffin statues to different buyers for £400 each. He also swapped four garden urns that were listed at £375 total with another dealer for some of their silver.
Nicholas Haynes from Haynes Fine Art was standing for the first time and also expected that the buyers would be looking for different items than at other fairs. “Quirky is what sells here,” he said. “It’s what the new Cotswolds homeowners want.”
Simon Rastall from Rastall Arts was in agreement, saying: “You have such an eclectic mix here, from proper modern through to contemporary and classical country house pieces.” He had a successful first day, including selling a 1930s crayon drawing by Laurence East of a young lady and some Louise Darby pottery for undisclosed prices.
Rastall sells mainly to private buyers at this event and expects to see quite a few repeat customers.
Popular Chinese pottery
More pottery sold from the stall of Bowland Antiques. Owner David Higginson was standing for the first time at the Cotswold event. He was tempted to give it a go, having been a regular at the organiser’s fairs in Chester and Harrogate. His Chinese pottery was particularly popular, selling at a range between £100-200 to Chinese buyers on the first day, and he also sold some Georgian Derby pottery for c.£400.
Max Loveridge from Space-Electic with his stand. Madge, the painting in the centre, sold on the first day for £1000.
Holly (left) and Rose with the painting Flowers IV by dealer Nic McElhatton who signed it for them. They picked it up for £820.
Penny from Goodwin Adams on her stand.
Lucy and Oliver Charles from Betty Charles Gallery. They were first time exhibitors at the fair and had some good follow-up sale that more than covered their costs for exhibiting.
Ian Slade with his stall, Slade’s Antiques – he swapped the four urns with another dealer for some silver and sold the two griffins.
David Higginson from Bowland Antiques with his stand – he sold well across the fair and visitors were drawn into his corner display.
This French table football set sold from the stand of King George Antiques as a birthday gift for a Cotswold local, making an undisclosed price.
With such an eclectic mix of dealers and objects, Space-Eclectic was in good company. The firm has been coming to the fair for a few years now and co-dealer Max Loveridge said: “We have a really, really good time here, it’s good to not just mix with the public but other dealers.”
He added that they use the first day to test whether the stand has been curated effectively to attract buyers, giving the opportunity to rearrange it for the weekend if need be. However, it appeared to have been a success as they sold their centrepiece painting: Madge by Philip Miller (1845-1928). This went for £1000 to a new buyer who intended to give it to their aunt’s friend of the same name.
Another painting that sold was from the stand of Nic McElhatton who was attending for the third time. He also noted that the fair is very eclectic and “that’s good for me in the sense that there’s more traditional dealers so my stuff stands out more.”
He had a good first day, including the sale of a weathervane in the form of a horse and a grand-tour terracotta mask of Julius Caesar for undisclosed prices. He had also brought with him his own art, Flowers IV, which he also sold on the Friday for £820 to visitors who gave their names as Rose and Holly. They were thrilled with the piece, which he signed for them, with Rose saying “it’s amazing – the size, the colours, everything”.
French football table
Paintings were not the only objects doing well. One early sale from Penny Clover at Goodwin Adams was a large, ebony African head to a returning collector which was listed for a four-figure sum. She had stood at the fair many times and was full of praise for the venue, buyers and the organisers.
Charlotte Roper from Plaza Jewellery also had a good first day, with a sale that had occurred due to the piece being posted in the Antiques Trade Gazette fair highlights the week prior. A long-time subscriber who gave her name as Jane saw the Tiffany & Co Rabbit in ATG no 2739, ticketed at £4,500 and had to have it before it made its way to the NEC. She found out that Roper was exhibiting at Westonbirt and came immediately, buying it on the first day.
While many dealers had very successful first days, sales continued across the weekend. These included a French football table from the stand of King George Antiques to a local customer for a birthday present and a variety of contemporary glass and ceramics from Michael Flatter’s stand, Glass of All Ages.
Lucy Charles from new store Betty Charles also had a few good sales post-fair managing to cover her costs for the event.
Cooper Events will return to Westonbirt School on August 7-9, but if you cannot wait until then, try Buxton from May 29-31.
Read the full ATG Article by Rachel Fellman here – https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/print-edition/2026/may/2743/dealers-diary/quirky-and-eclectic-is-what-the-new-cotswolds-homeowners-want