(I have been writing a memoire of my buying trips to France for quite some time. Over the years major external events, notably Brexit and Covid, have influenced how and what one can buy. So whilst circumstance and quietly passing time have inevitably brought change, and I have changed from Brocanteuse to Antiquaire, my love […]
Autumn had crept in. Through the bedroom window of a Normandy sea-side villa the rusty chestnut trees silhouetted against the brightening sky, and birds called in the still, soft morning. Having crossed the Channel to Ouistreham the previous day, I was now ready to drive along the coast for a bit of buying before the […]
Arles. Walking out past les Arenes in the early morning was a heart filling pleasure. Purple flowering creeper swagged itself across narrow streets, shutters mostly still closed. Yellow morning light catching the buildings. I love Arles for all the memories of the year I spent there – so many vibrant experiences for a jeune anglaise. […]
A major air traffic control outage over France cut this trip short by a day. We’d planned to have ample time in Arles to wander the renowned annual Rencontre Photographique but we arrived late at night and next morning I left Graham in Arles and drove straight off to visit Charles, a dealer who sold […]
Then came three days of intense buying at the Deballages in the South. Prices were swingeingly high – everyone remarked on it. I bought slowly and carefully, but US buyers were out in force and had slapped their sold stickers everywhere I looked. Beautiful things, but I couldn’t even begin to pay the impossible prices. […]
At home in Oxfordshire, the air drenched with rain and the garden heavy with roses and peonies, collared doves nesting, I’d felt a twinge of resistance to be travelling away. But twenty four hours later there I was, sitting at a favourite pizzeria by the sea, looking across to the Mont Saint Clair and Sete, […]
The auction at the Salle des Ventes in Le Puy was about to start. I’d arrived late, with no time to register or view. It was a sale mostly of art and Maitre, the auctioneer, led us through at a ripping pace. Cent lots a l’heure! he predicted. One hundred lots an hour! The Maitre was […]
At 10 o’clock Eric arrived at the chateau and came into the kitchen for a coffee, shaking everyone by the hand. I’d known him for eight years. The plan was to begin at his depot then visit a couple of colleagues in the area. We drove the few kilometres back to his village, up twisting […]
The train from Paris to Le Puy ran beside mountain rivers, past rugged stone villages built to withstand ice and snow, flashing by the dark silhouette of a chateau perched high up. I was going to stay with Francoise, my dear friend who gives heart and soul to working her organic farm and welcoming guests […]
As part of our “holiday” we were on our way to visit Saintes with its Roman amphitheatre and cathedral. The day was sleeting and cold. Just too late I saw a handpainted sign, Brocante. But a quick right hand turn and a bumpy track behind a factory brought us round to another sign saying “Brocante […]
I scraped the icy windscreen on a black Sunday morning. Time for the monthly vide-grenier in Rochefort. Just beyond the seventeenth century military ship yards on the Charente a good number of dealers lined the Avenue Sadi Carnot. A rather austere, bleak spot. Nevertheless, I gathered in my basket some staple vide-grenier finds: candlesticks, linen […]
It was decided. This trip to France was going to be a holiday, and we would not be taking the van. The premise (questionable) being that with limited room in the car I’d not be tempted to go buying. But at the last minute there was a problem with the car – we’d have to […]
It’s impossible not to feel a quiver of anticipation in the growing crowd of international dealers waiting for the gates to open at the Deballage. And then, hop, it is 8h and in we rush. First to the dealer who sells impressive and beautiful mirrors. I held firmly on to two magnificent mirrors so they […]
Laurent was preparing for major works in his shop. An eleven metre long roof truss needed to be replaced. He was keen to clear as much stock as he could beforehand and I was delighted with a set of eight dining chairs offered at a good price. I crossed the road to see an elderly […]
England had begun to taste of Autumn, chestnut leaves starting to curl. But I followed the swallows south to vines and late summer, where road side stalls still displayed boldly painted signs for apricots, melons, figs. An early morning market set up beneath pink and white oleander trees, birds cheeping, sun glinting on the salt […]
Thanks Alice Roberton for the nice mention in the August edition of Period Living (out now). I have always enjoyed writing The Diary of a Brocanteuse and its lovely to know that others like reading it! Things have evolved since I began buying in 2006 but there are always new discoveries, charming vignettes and visual […]
The other antiques shop stood at the outskirts of the village, its wide, glazed frontage incongruous on a rural lane. The forecourt was empty and the front door locked. A small sign requested that we phone. Over the garden wall came the splashes and squeals of children in a pool. Shortly, a man padded towards […]
The village, marooned in a green sea of vines, shimmered under strong light. On the outskirts stood an ancient distillery, oak and metal hoops stacked in front, ready to become barrels. This thriving commune, in the heart of the Cognac area that produces the fortified wine, Pineau des Charentes, also had two antiques dealers. Such […]
Bright coloured posters at every roundabout and junction had been announcing a vide-grenier at Louzac St André the following Sunday. So here I was setting off down the cypress lined drive as the day awoke across the vines. A field had been roughly mown and turned into a lumpy car park with people in high […]
Lunchtime service in Royan was in full swing. Bright sun caught on awnings, ice cubes tinkled and sea food platters and coupes de glace were delivered with speed to customers on café terraces around the sweep of La Grande Conche beach. I’d parked in a patch of shade in the post war painted concrete backstreets […]
A summer trip down to explore the Cognac area with it’s jewel green undulating landscape, and line upon line of vines. This was another of those “Brocances” trips – the perfect combination of Brocante and Vacances – that always turns out to be more Brocante than Vacances. We stayed in a wing of a fine […]
Entry to the Chartres Deballage was now limited to dealers with a trade ID card. Heated arguments erupted at the entrance gate as security guards stood their ground in the throng. But once past the altercations the buying was good. After a couple of hours, loaded with silk covered chairs, white ceramics, mirrors and more, […]
This was a quick trip down through Normandy to the dealer fairs in Chartres and Le Mans. In Valognes, on the way from the Cherbourg ferry, a couple of new brocante shops were worth a quick browse and a handful of small purchases were squirrelled up. A few kilometres further on was the Depot I’d […]
It was the last market – Montpellier. Barry confirmed that I’d almost filled the space booked on his van. With just one cubic metre left I’d have to be satisfied with buying smalls or light things that would perch on top – no point looking at larger buffets now. As always the visual feast […]
