The Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair

The Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair takes place at Esher Hall, Sandown Park Racecourse, Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 October 2014. Now in its 7th year, organised by The Antiques Dealers Fair Limited, it is back by popular demand and is Surrey's most established event for quality antiques and fine art combining the very best antiques with contemporary to create the clean cut modern feel of today's houses. The fair is supported by Knight Frank's Esher office.

Many Surrey residents may already be familiar with interior decorator Nicola Holden of Nicola Holden Designs. Nicola will be on hand throughout the weekend to offer advice on purchasing antiques and fine art for the home and the best way to place them. Contact Nicola to book a time for her to help you peruse the exhibitors’ stock to find just the right piece(s) for your home or office through www.nicolaholdendesigns.co.uk

Some 30 specialist dealers, the large majority of which are members of the two trade associations - The British Antique Dealers’ Association and LAPADA The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers, take part in this stylish boutique fair showcasing an outstanding range of furniture, fine art, sculpture, glass, jewellery, ceramics and collectibles, all vetted to the highest standard. This year sees seven new exhibitors, Richard Ogden Ltd, high end jewellers from Mayfair's Burlington Arcade, Strachan Fine Art from Kensington, Neptune Fine Art, jewellers Penny Corah & Rosie Manning and Anderson Jones Ltd, Mano Vayis bringing decorative antiques and textiles and Farnham Antique Carpets joining the fair along with many of the dealers who return annually having made excellent contacts over the years.

Among the many highlights is a lovely 18th century portrait of a gentleman, probably James Stanley (1750-1810) by John Hamilton Mortimer A.R.A. from Strachan Fine Art selling for £19,500. Other notable paintings can be found on John Robertson's stand including Defiance and Discretion, a watercolour by Sir William Russell Flint RWS (1880-1969) for £28,000, Wild Flowers at Brighouse Bay by Edward Atkinson Hornel (1864-1933) for £24,000 and an oil by Walter Wallor Caffyn (1845-1898) of Fern Gathering on the North Downs, Surrey looking west towards Dorking, priced at £5,500. The River Mole can be glimpsed running along the foot of the Downs before turning north towards

Leatherhead where it disappears underground, which gives the river its name. Another attractive painting of a local scene is Sandstone Quarry, St Ann's Hill, Chertsey by Henry Dawson (1811-1878) with Cambridge Fine Art for £6,250. Further picture dealers returning to exhibit at this fair include Kaye Michie Fine Art, Art of the Imagination, Baron Fine Art, Ashleigh House Fine Art, The Swan Gallery and Haynes Fine Art of Broadway.

Contemporary sculpture is a very fashionable at present and there is an excellent range to choose from such as Dutch sculptor Margot Homan (b 1956) who is showing Prophetess, a bronze bust on a column, cast this year as an edition of 8 with a price tag of £11,000 with Garret & Hurst Sculpture along with Robert Glen who lives in Tanzania and produces wonderful bronze studies of African wildlife including the Sable Antelope for £10,000. His work can be found in the collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Highness The Aga Khan. Garret & Hurst Sculpture also has an impressive collection of 19th century bronzes.

Local to the fair is newcomer Farnham Antique Carpets of Crondall with a colourful selection of fine 19th and 20th century carpets and rugs. Surrey based glass dealer Mark J West is bringing a crystal wine glass in the Lotus pattern made by James Powell of London. This was originally part of a service ordered by King Rama V of Siam, also known as Chulalongkorn the Great (1853-1910), when he visited London in 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. M&D Moir have a rare and stunning Harrach turquoise pointillist vase enamelled with decoration made up entirely of small dots. Made in 1890 it is for sale for £565.

There is plenty of sparkle at the fair with five jewellers exhibiting, three of them exhibiting for the first time at Esher Hall. Anderson Jones Ltd, Penny Corah & Rosie Manning, Richard Ogden Ltd, T Robert and Plaza are all bringing a very varied selection of antique and contemporary jewellery. “The jewellery trade has been in my family for more than a century,” says Robert Ogden who runs Richard Ogden Ltd, the traditional English jewellers in the Burlington Arcade off Piccadilly. Among the many beautiful pieces on the stand is a platinum mounted clip brooch set with a large octagonal navette shaped aquamarine, surmounted by diamonds and invisibly set tapering baguette diamonds, probably American, c1950, priced at £40,000. Plaza is bringing a 1920's American snake bracelet comprising a diamond set head with sapphire eyes, the body shimmering with opals mounted in silver and gold for £4,500 and a 1980's emerald and diamond ring by Chaumet for £6,500.

An excellent selection of 18th and 19th century furniture can be found on Bedfordshire dealer S&S Timms Antiques’ stand. WR Harvey & Co (Antiques) Ltd has a good Chippendale period carved mahogany armchair for £2,350. For Art Deco furniture and decorative objects there is plenty to choose from Jeroen Markies of Forest Row and, for oak and country furniture, Melody Antiques has a good selection.

The fair is supporting The Poppy Factory, based in Richmond. Major George Howson MC set up The Poppy Factory in 1922 to help wounded veterans from WW1 earn a living. This work continues, but has evolved to cater for modern day conflicts by helping wounded, injured and sick ex-Service men and women find meaningful and sustainable mainstream employment all over the UK.

The fair is held in association with Westerham based Partner Practices of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, with representatives from four individual practices present at the fair.

Refreshments are available throughout the day. Ample free parking makes it easy to spend a relaxed and fulfilling day enjoying all that is on offer.