“For some time we have felt there was a gap in the market for a quality fair of this type in Cornwall, indeed the south-west, and like so many others fell in love with the venue the first time we visited,” said Ralph.
The first Enys House Antiques & Decorative Fair will run in conjunction with Enys House on Saturday and Sunday, September 28-29.
This event has already attracted the attention of local dealers including Mike Cockton with folk and tribal art, Oly Merrill with 20th century furniture, Mark Kitchen Smith with decorative antiques and, from Wales, the well-known dealer John Read Smith with antique furniture and bespoke salvage pieces.
Home then school and art fair
With its 30-acre gardens, Enys House was rebuilt in the 1830s as a family home, requisitioned by the War Office in the Second World War and subsequently and briefly a boys’ boarding school. Since then it has remained uninhabited but preserved, open only for special events including an annual art fair in May.
Retallack, who combines ownership (with Fuller) of Ludgate House Antiques in Falmouth with a job as a project manager with a Cornish housing association, said: “The main house will hold approximately 25 dealers and in addition the carriage house and garden offer some wonderful space for outside dealers, in particular good architectural salvage and gardenalia.”
He added: “Enys offers so much potential and we aim to make the fair a ‘not to miss event’ in the fairs calendar.”
Dealer enquiries to Ralph Retallack on 07966 534181 or via their website.
