The National Botanic Garden of Wales Antiques Fair and Vintage Market returns to the Garden on the 6th and 7th April with a spectacular array of antiques, vintage, retro and decorative art.

Set in the heart of the picturesque and historic Carmarthenshire and yet minutes away from the M4 corridor, lies the impressive National Botanic Garden of Wales.It’s a hidden gem, just as are the array of antiques that will be on display at the Antiques Fair and Vintage market.

The fair has grown steadily over the last 9 years in both size and popularity.Visitors are impressed at the variety of antiques on offer at this unique and amazing setting. It’s appeal is in the fact that visitors can wander around the gardens at leisure. Visitors flock to the Garden to witness a spectacle of quality antiques mixed in with a vintage element and a touch of retro.

Fine displays of silver, jewellery ,textiles ,furniture can be found in all corners of the Garden, from the large Sir Norman Foster designed Glasshouse, to the Regency Principality House just next door.Other areas to visit include the Theatre Botanica,the Gallery Room , the Wedding Marquee plus the Millennium Square which is packed full of Marquees and outside stands ,which make up the very popular Vintage Market.

Bargain Hunt will be making a fourth return visit to the National Botanic Garden of Wales Antiques Fair and Vintage Market ,filming their popular programme over the weekend. It’s no surprise that this popular BBC programme have chosen to film at the garden due of its stunning location.Teams of contestants ,the Reds and the Blues, with the help of their celebrity expert , aim to scour the fair and try and find 3 items to take to auction with a budget of £300.Their goal is to find profit in all 3items purchased and to be awarded the rare and highly regarded golden gavelThe presenter on the day will be the well known ceramist expert Eric Knowles .Eric Knowles is a British antiques expert and television personality, whose main interest is in ceramics. He was Born19 February 1953 in Nelson, Lancashire Knowles began his career in the North of England in the early 1970s.

He moved South to join Bonhams, the London auctioneers, where he started the ’Art Nouveau’ and ’Art Deco’ departments in 1979. He became ’Head of the English and European Ceramics and Works of Art Department’ in 1981. Three years later, he became a Director of Bonhams and in 2008, he left the company. Today, he works as an independent valuer, lecturer, and freelance journalist.Eric is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and has been the resident Sunday Times Antiques Expert since 2005. He remains a frequent contributor to the Homes & Antiques magazine and has written several articles for The Sunday Times newspaper. He has written numerous books and articles on Victoriana, Art Nouveau and Art Deco and has been with the Antiques Roadshow since 1981. Eric is also a long time ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. He joined Bargain Hunt in 2016 as a presenter.

This isn’t the first visit by Eric to the fair .He appeared on the show as a presenter whilst being filmed at the National Botanic Garden of Wales Antiques Fair and Vintage Market last year.

He had great fun interviewing local potter Jonathan Cox and visiting Llansteffan. Im sure he will again be made to feel very welcome at the fair and I’m sure there will be an abundance of bargains for the contestants to find.

There will of course be an emphasis on Welsh pottery , ranging from Swansea, Glamorgan, Llanelli and the increasingly popular Ewenny. An exceptional display of 17th,18th country oak furniture will take centre stage at the fair ,On offer will be a late 17th century cwpwrdd deuddarn [ a Charles 11 cabinet on stand] a mid-17th back-stool, a Carmarthenshire coffer, an early 19th century primitive stick chair and an 18th century oak corner cupboard from Pembrokeshire.

Welsh textiles will also be a main feature at the fair. There will be a large range of welsh tapestry blankets on display with their extensive colour range and intrinsic patterns. Wales is of course famous for its rich heritage in the woollen industry Woollen blankets (carthen) having been woven in Wales for centuries and a wealth of patterns were produced .

A very interesting and rare collection of Samplers will also be a feature at the Fair and will be found on display in The Glass House and belong to Glynda Speed.These are highly collected and highly prized.

In Britain in the 17th and 18th century only girls from wealthy families had the time and the means to sew samplers and it wasn’t until the mid 19th century, when cheaper materials such as wool and canvas became available , that poorer girls were able to make them as part of the basic education. They were beginning to receive, not only in state education but in chapel and church run schools.

Of course these samplers were not made with fine fabric, but tapped into the craze for Berlin Woolwork which had swept across Europe and America. As its name suggests it originated in Germany where extremly bright chemically dyed wool was being manufactured and specially coloured printed patterns were available. A very small number of samplers survive with actual Welsh language inscribed on them. Most of the Welsh samplers that have survived are from late Georgian or Victorian times. English was the language taught in the schools and so this was also inscribed on many of their samplers, practicing what was being taught. Glynda’s collection of Samplers are quite special and give you an insight into Wales social history .They are also so decorative and can be classed as Welsh Folk Art.

You will be able to find stands displaying gorgeous Victorian linen, vintage clothes, costume jewellery, and an appealing display of nostalgic interior designs and an impressive collection of books. There will also be fishing reels, pewter and collections of historic maps and garden tools. Amongst the quality stands, will be a selection of militaria stands, displaying some very unusual items from the past including rare medals, military swords and vintage fire arms.If you want to invest in that special piece of glass or a good item of jewellery or silver, then you will find them at this fair. The range is extensive. An exceptional display of impressive Worcester pieces including Stinton, will also take centre stage at the fair ,together with other collections of Wemys and Moorcroft. A group of Swansea artists will also be exhibiting their fine water colours at this exciting fair.

In all, the fair is very well rounded, with a balance of furniture ranging from an extensive collection of oak furniture and period mahogany pieces, to an array of country pine. Also on display will be a fine collection of period clocks, together with the more traditional long case clocks.

The National Botanic Garden of Wales Antiques Fair and Vintage Market can be found at Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire SA32 8HG at the end of the M4; you will find ample free parking

The fair opens 10 am and closes at 4.30pm both days

Admission is just £5 (which includes admission to both the garden and the fair)Dogs are now allowed admittance into the Garden over the Antqiues weekend

For more information about the fairs contact Brita Rogers telephone: 01267 220260 Mobile 07790 293367 or visit www.derwenantiques.co.uk or on FB Twitter and Instagram