THE sun finally shone for the opening of the second Cotswolds Art & Antiques Dealers' Association Art and Antiques Fair at Blenheim Palace.
Organised by CADA chairman and pottery dealer John Howard and his team, the fact that this is a fair run by dealers for dealers once again proved popular with exhibitors and visitor numbers were almost sustained from last year at 4000 over the four days from April 18-21, down a little from 4500 over the three-day run last year. But then organisers say, as a general rule of thumb, the first fair is busier than the second.
Sales up to £10,000 were good (there is, unsurprisingly, a five-figure ceiling for sales here), although buyers once again were taking their time to decide and quite a few deals took place after the fair. Hampton Antiques, Stuart Boyd, Gateway Antiques, Kit Alderson and Sarah Colegrave had particularly strong sales.
"London comes to the Cotswolds" was apparently a phrase frequently heard around the event and John was pleased with the outcome of this second fixture: "It proved it wasn't a one-off event and the whole fair felt more integrated as a unit this year."
So far, all exhibitors have said they will rebook for next year's event, which will take place again at Blenheim in April - exact date to be confirmed.