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LONDON - THE WORLD CENTRE FOR COLLECTORS
This first in a series devoted to the antiques and art market in London gives a guide to the main areas for collectors, written by Christopher Coles. A collector himself and employed at the British Museum, he brings an insider's knowledge and enthusiasm to his subject and will focus on specific areas of the trade in future editions.
When attempting to place the London antiques trade in context, one could scarcely make a more fitting comparison than with the range of bespoke tailors in the same city.
Both have suffered their fair share of peaks and troughs over the years, largely due to the vagaries of fashion and changing taste, and both industries have traditionally relied heavily on retail premises in up-market areas - something that has often been a strain for all concerned. Just as certain tailors have been forced to leave the Row due to high rates rises,  many antique dealers, particularly those dealing in larger items such as antique furniture, have been forced to endure similar moves over the last few years.
The internet has become an important part of the business for many antique specialists and a whole new generation of collectors has emerged, in some cases spurred on by popular television shows on the subject. There are pieces available to suit all tastes and all budgets and the best way to learn about them, and to find the very largest selection available, is to visit London's antique strongholds.
Mayfair and St James
Traditionally the heartland of the scene, there have been a great many changes over the past few years. The art galleries of St James (not within the scope of this article) still proliferate but many other dealers now work from first or second floor premises rather than large stores on street level. Bond Street, once the spiritual home of the trade, has been most obviously affected.
Above a silver falconry centrepiece by Garrard from Pash & Sons. Below, porcelain from Albert Amor, and at bottom, a bespoke plate from Thomas Goode.
Of the antiques giants that once filled the street only the pre-eminent furniture specialists Mallett and antique jewellers (and gold box specialists) SJ Phillips remain. However the antiquities dealership Rupert Wace and map seller Jonathan Potter are also to be found here, located above other businesses.
 The Bond Street Antiques Centre, a collection of dealers in a single building, has sadly closed but many of the dealers have relocated within the area. Grays Antiques Market on Davies Street houses many of these retailers and is a fascinating place to visit. The use of the word market is somewhat misleading, as all the dealers here are well-established names in their fields and the atmosphere is far less chaotic and busy than that term might suggest.
Jewellery is the predominant commodity on sale (though silver and watches also feature heavily), and as a place to search for a pair of antique cufflinks or a tie pin it is very hard to beat for variety and interest. Housed within the same building, yet with its own entrances, is the Mews section, a charming area built around the river Tyburn, which can be seen running through the basement level. Dealers here are much more eclectic, with specialists in vintage fashion, model trains, prints, Whitby jet, English and oriental ceramics amongst many others.
Mount Street and South Audley Street have always been home to several stalwarts in the trade. However, Mount Street in particular is becoming a much more desirable commercial address and sadly this has led to the inevitable loss of dealers, as fashion houses move in.
South Audley Street remains an essential destination for any antiques afficionado, containing as it does the carpet specialist C. John, 19th century furniture experts Adrian Alan and Thomas Goode who, as well as being the perfect suppliers of new armorial china or other personalised pieces of ceramics, silver or glassware also deal in antique pieces. This is a wonderful shop to visit, palatial in style and deferential in tone (the shop assistants still wear tails for example) and prices range from the modest to the extraordinary.
 Probably the most beautiful shop in the street is A. Pash and Sons, dealers in antique silver. The firm has decided to specialise principally in 19th century silver of monumental proportions and, as such, the window is crammed full of enormous salvers and candelabra as large as small children. In addition to such important pieces, however, the firm is more than happy to source much more modest items on request, and the customer service and pricing is second to none.
St James still houses many of the most important dealers in the country, covering a huge range of specialised areas. On Jermyn Street there is the globe and scientific instrument seller Trevor Philip & Sons, the carpet and rug dealers S. Franses and the silver specialist Alastair Dickenson.
Bury Street is a thriving antiques hotspot, containing numerous dealers from many fields. N & I Franklin, the silver dealers, have an exceptional range of stock, and the range of 18th and 19th century English porcelain at Albert Amor is breathtaking. This company has always been known for the strength of its stock from the Worcester factory and currently has for sale pieces from what is known as the Reagan Service. This was so named due to other pieces from this same pattern being purchased from Amor by the Queen, as gifts for President Reagan. Items for sale here start at around £100, with the world class items costing significantly more.
King Street also contains several renowned dealers, due presumably in no small part to the presence of Christie's, and Duke Street boasts ceramics expert Brian Haughton and, hidden away above street level, Harry Fane, a specialist in vintage Cartier jewellery, clocks and objets d'art.
Chancery Lane/Hatton Garden London's legal district is an interesting destination for antiques buyers due to the high concentration of silver specialists in a converted bank vault in Chancery Lane (known as the London Silver Vaults), and some antique jewellery dealers in Hatton Garden.
Kensington Church Street This road has its own antique dealers association and is full of dealers of high repute at varying price points. The Antiques Centre near the High Street Kensington end of the street contains several jewellery specialists. English and European ceramics are to be found in E & H Manners, Simon Spero and Stockspring Antiques. And a large concentration of furniture dealers includes Eddy Bardawil, Ian Butchoff, Richard Courtney, Reindeer Antiques, Brian Rolleston and Patrick Sandberg. There are also oriental art specialists, antique glass experts, silver dealers and interior design shops.
Fulham Road The high-end antique furniture trade is now heavily reliant on the interior design market and so, perhaps unsurprisingly, the two sit happily side by side on Fulham Road. Some of the most wonderful pieces of 18th century English furniture can be found here in the showrooms of dealers such as Apter-Fredericks, Godson and Coles, Michael Hughes and Peter Lipitch.
Church Street, Marylebone There are many good dealers in this area with most of them based inside Alfie's Antiques Market, owned by the same entrepreneur who set up Grays Antiques in Mayfair. Particularly strong on more contemporary furniture and lighting, there are also some excellent dealers in jewellery, porcelain and vintage clothing.
See more photographs and details in the next edition of Savile Row Style Magazine.
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