Best shops in London for avid antiques hunters
Hone those haggling skills and get hunting...
If you think that antiques hunting is the sole preserve of the elderly and the doddery then, quite frankly, you're missing out.
If approached in the right way Antiques Hunting is something of an adrenaline sport. We're not talking brown stains in your under-crackers here, but when you've trawled through dusty room after dusty rooms to locate that perfect piece and then haggled like a Moroccan market-trader to secure it - you're certainly guaranteed a rush of blood to the head and a spring in your step.
From furniture to clothing to jewellery to art... whatever your particular proclivities in style and lifestyle there'll be an antique to fit. Now go on... get hunting.
Alfie’s Antique Market is one of the most famous in London. The huge covered space is located in Marylebone where you will find a vast array of trinkets, furniture and ceramics. With all the different dealers at Alfie’s, a visit is a day out in itself.
The Old Cinema
160 Chiswick High Road W4 1PR
Antique Dealers
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Picture the scene; all you need to set off your perfect home space is an original walk/don’t walk Paris street light. Where do you go? You haul yourself to Chiswick and The Old Cinema, of course. This former parachute factory (and old cinema) now hosts a variety of antique dealers selling homeware from any time in the past hundred years. Steam punk, art deco, Americana… it’s all there.
Umit & Son
35 Lower Clapton Road E5 0NS
Convenience Stores
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Umit and Sons is a one-off, a shop that will probably eventually be forced out from its small premises in Hackney. Run by Umit, this is a film shop for hardcore film fans. You’ll find antique cameras, 8mm film rolls of 60’s classics and collectible toys. Even if you’re not in the market to buy, it is a sight worth seeing.
Lassco
30 Wandsworth Road SW8 2LG
Antique Dealers
Opening Times
The London Architectural Salvage Company – LASSCO to its friends – does a roaring trade in cast iron railings and gates, fireplaces, ornate statues and antique signs. Inside there are mirrors and other antiques for a home’s interior. If that sounds like your kind of antiquity then head to Vauxhall and visit LASSCO.
Looking for a one-of-a-kind ring for a big question that you’re about to ask? Head to Grays Antique Market where jewellery is a speciality. Founded in 1977, this arcade of antique shops in Bond Street offers a chance to find rarified rings, necklaces and broaches at affordable prices. Grays is also home to stands selling anything from collectible toy cars to seashell earrings.
Located below ground on Chancery Lane, London Silver Vaults is a true gem on the London antique scene. With a number of shops selling a varied range of cufflinks, rings, picture frames and even full sized chairs, it’s the place to come to sate your silver obsession.
Camden Passage was once synonymous with antiques but rent hikes have forced many independent traders out. However, Annie’s Vintage Costumes and Antiques remains. Selling vintage lace textiles, wedding dresses and women’s eveningwear, this is collectible antique clothing rather than throwaway vintage.
One of the world’s biggest antiques markets; Portobello is dedicated to the trade of old goods every Saturday. As well as a range of stands there are antique shops dotted along the street, which join the market in selling anything from leather chesterfield sofas to rare collectibles. With over 1,000 dealers you’re bound to find something you like.
The antiques business isn’t all about the overpriced and the ancient and one place that does a fine line in affordable collectibles is After Noah on Upper Street. You want the toys from your childhood? They’ve got them. You need a reconditioned classic acrylic phone? Call them. They even do a range of vintage furniture on the side.
