The National Botanic Garden of Wales Antiques Fair and Vintage Market returns to the Gardens with some rare Welsh stick chairs.

The much loved National Botanic Garden of Wales Antiques Fair and Vintage market is returning to the gardens on Saturday and Sunday November 9 and 10, 2024 with the same quality stands set in this spectacular venue.

Nestling into the Carmarthenshire countryside ,on the outskirts of Carmarthen and just 15 minutes away from the end of the M4, it’s conveniently situated.

The weekend of antiques, is set to be a busy, showcasing a wonderful variety of quality antiques and collectables to suit all tastes and budgets, these popular fairs have a friendly and vibrant atmosphere.

Fans of classic antiques should make their way to the various Garden venues – including the Great Glasshouse - for displays of Welsh art and pottery, quality jewellery and  outstanding militaria collections and impressive displays of quality furniture. Step  next door to Ty Melyn, the Regency house  and discover  displays  of quality antique furniture, Welsh textiles, and a superb array of books, art glass, jewellery and silver.plus displays of vintage clothes and accessories.Tucked away beside the Millennium Courtyard is  the large marquee where you will find a large range of militaria art glass and some vintage delights and architectural gardenalia.

The recently transformed Theatr Botanica will be exhibiting old favourites such as silverware and collection of Moorcroft, art and treen plus collections of quality welsh furniture and textiles and French Brocante.

Millennium Courtyard will be filled with a Vintage market housing smaller marquees  displaying vintage toys, clothing, retro and upcycled furniture, gardenalia and tools. There will also be a vintage/ mid century theme in the Apothecary room.

The fair has had a reputation for showcasing Welsh areas of collecting including Welsh pottery, welsh blankets, Welsh art and furniture. Again not to disappoint, Chapel Lane Antiques will be standing in Theatr Botanica with their impressive collection of welsh textiles, pottery and furniture, from Welsh child’s chairs, rare stick chairs, milking stools to much larger pieces including dressers and linen press cupboards. They specialised in Welsh stick chairs and will be bringing a selection of these stunning chairs to the fair.

Stick chairs are folk furniture that’s made by amateur woodworkers for their own use – or to sell to neighbours  in their village. Unlike the formal chairs made by professional artisans (or in a factory) in the cities, stick chairs were built using local materials with simple joints and were not connected to a particular furniture style (like Queen Anne) or a period in time.

They are also very comfortable at the dinner table or by the fireside. The term “stick chair” has been applied to lots of different kinds of furniture through the centuries, including ladderbacks, rustic willow furniture and Windsor chairs. However s stick chair begins with a plank of wood for the seat. All the remaining parts, such as the legs, sticks and arms are connected to the seat with round – not square – joinery. Stick chairs were made with simple tools and readily available materials.

Most cultures have some sort of seating furniture that qualifies as a stick chair, though these folk pieces have long been nearly invisible to furniture scholars, auction houses and collectors. In the West, stick chairs appear in almost every culture, though they seem to be more common in cultures that had contact with the Vikings.

The first known image of a stick chair comes from Wales, where there a long history of making this kind of chair. The “Laws of Hywel Dda,” a Welsh book of laws from the late 12th or middle 13th century, shows a judge sitting on a chair that clearly has a plank seat with legs and uprights mortised into the seat.

Centuries later, the similar Windsor chair form emerged in England in the early part of the 18th century. Stick chairs share a lot in common with Windsor chairs, especially in the way their parts were joined together. But there are important differences.

Windsor chairs are typically made by professional chair makers or in a factory – not by amateurs. Though there are “folk Windsors” out there that were made by amateurs (and could easily be called stick chairs) they are rare. Many woodworkers like to think of stick chairs as “primitive Windsors,” but that’s a disservice to stick chairs as they have their own distinct history and design.

The first book dedicated to stick chairs is “Welsh Stick Chairs” by John Brown (1932-2008).

Another fantastic source of information and inspiration comes from the book: “The Welsh Stick Chair: A Visual Record” by a local couple Tim and Betsan Bowen. This gorgeously photographed book shows many of the details and forms of 31 old chairs.

Welsh pottery will be on display including Llanelly, Swansea and Ewenny. Welsh pottery has also been keenly collected, especially rare examples. Alistair and Helen Crawford  have built up a reputation of having an impressive stand that showcases rare Llanelli Pottery including the coveted Cockerel plates , One important collection being showcased  will be a stunning collection of Wemyss ware.Helen and Alistair  Crawford also have a wealth of knowledge on the subject of Wemyss ware.Their impressive collection , includes a rare gigantic tyg, a two handled drinking vessel decorated with cabbage roses and many other rare pieces.

Richard Bebb’s collection of Welsh artists is impressive and a stand not to be missed.

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. Displays of Victorian linen, vintage clothes, samplers , quality jewellery and silver, an appealing display of nostalgic interior designs; plus rare paperweights collections, Royal Worcester, Moorcroft and a superb collection of blue and white pottery, can all be found at the fair.

The fair opens at 10am and closes at 4pm on both days.

Admission is £12 but this allows admission to the fair on both days and a further 5 days free entrance to the Garden. Dogs are now welcome that weekend but sadly not in the Glasshouse.

* For more information about the fairs, contact Brita Rogers on 01267 220260 (mobile 07790 293367) or visit www.derwenantiques.co.uk or on FB and instagram.