5 Flea & Street Markets in Hampshire That You Shouldn't Miss

Reviewed By briantomahawk

I love 'chance encounters of the antiques & collectables kind' when I least expect it..and stumbling across the old Delta Works , host to the Ancient & Modern Emporium, as I was making the very scenic drive up from Salisbury to Hungerford, offered such a find..! Located on the main Salisbury Road in the small village of Shipton Bellinger (beautiful name..sounds like an old Shakespearean 'actor-manager'), the old Delta Works in the location title was, I am led to believe, an old bottling plant once supplying soft drinks to the nearby army garrison just up the road at Tidworth... Then years later it became a well-known antiques & collectables auction house..and just recently has joined the swelling ranks of antiques Emporia ranged across the south of England that now play host to a number of professional & part-time dealers all operating under the one roof. Being a sucker for such places and the riches that I hope they may offer, the new Ancient & Modern (as it is now entitled) did not disappoint and I am glad I swung by on my hunting trip to Hungerford as, it not being very old as a specific Emporium, it is already bursting to the seams with myriad dealers offering all sorts of evocative & inviting collectables..: ...from 60s kitsch, to antique furniture, from vintage tools to garden-alia, from old ceramics & curios to 1950s & 60s toys, from the weird & the wonderful to (at present) a small amount of militaria, this really is a fascinating & enticing place to spend an hour or two just browsing and taking it all in... On the sunny July day I popped in, I got a very warm welcome from Heather, a lovely dealer who has a wonderfully varied pitch on the upstairs floor, and was made to feel most welcome and free to wander around at will.. and I certainly made the most of that invite..!. Some of these warehouse-style Emporia sadly lack a 'certain something' (quite often a lack of warmth in their welcome or a good, disparate-enough array of genuine collectables), however Ancient & Modern has seemingly attracted some enthusiastic dealers who seem to know their stuff and obviously enjoy what they do as their offerings are a fascinating & eclectic, (an overused word, but apt in this case) mix....and though militaria is actually my bag, I certainly enjoyed browsing the various pitches in this now well-laid out former warehouse. As mentioned, I believe this to be a relatively new conversion from dedicated Auction House to Collectables Emporium and the portents for its future are excellent judging by what I saw..and with a few spaces upstairs for some additional dealers to move in over the coming months, the myriad collectable genres being offered can only become even more varied & enticing I feel..! ..and talking of which, the great thing about The Delta Works site in this wee village is that it also boasts an additional offering in the shape of two more such outlets: one in the shape of De Rossi Antiques Emporium right next door..indeed one can walk from Ancient & Modern through an adjoining opening into what is another well appointed & laid out setting for dealers-various..whilst outside in the corner of the car park (in what I was told was the old Auction House office), is Mr Mercurial's Antiques & Curios.. So a planned or chance visit to this old Delta Works location will afford you three different hunting opportunities..'result', as they say!. All three little businesses are similarly friendly & most welcoming and certainly worth either a specific visit to Shipton Bellinger to take it all in.. or a great drop-in to peruse & buy if en route between Salisbury to the south & Tidworth/Hungerford to the north..though give Wednesday a miss as they are closed on that day of the week.. Looking forward to my next visit, thanks!!