SPONSORED – The next Antiques Fair and Vintage Market to be held at the National Botanic Garden of Wales is set to be a busy one as the BBC Bargain Hunt team returns to the garden to film their popular lunchtime show. 

This will be their fourth visit to film their exciting programme at the Garden.

The weekend of antiques is on Saturday, February 24 and Sunday, February 25.

There will be a buzz of excitement as the various red and blue teams rush around  the fair, in their allotted hour, selecting the best three bargains to take to auction to make a profit. They will be accompanied by their experts, who will only be revealed to them just before filming. 

The presenter in charge has been announced, however - as the enigmatic Danny Sebastian. Danny is a self-taught antique dealer for close on 20 years.  He started at a very early age scouring auction houses and jumble sales with his mum and was a market trader with all the charm and chat that goes with it.

He started on TV in ‘Del Boys and Dealers’ and then went on to appear as a regular on ‘Dealing with Dickinson’.  Danny subsequently caught the bug, leading him to pursue a career in antiques and ditching the life of a market trader.  From there, his TV career has progressed and he has appeared as an expert presenter  on many shows including ‘Junk Rescue’ for Cbeebies, ‘Street Auction’ and ‘Bargain Hunt’.

When Danny is not filming, he is travelling all over the country visiting car boot sales, auctions and antique fairs and selling through his business. He certainly brings personality in bucket loads when he appears on the show. 

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. Step nextdoor to Ty Melyn house and discover displays  of quality antiques, Welsh textiles, and a superb array of books, jewellery and silver. Tucked away beside the Millenium Courtyard is the large Wedding marquee where displays of Welsh pottery, a large range of furniture, art glass and some vintage delights can be found, plus jewellery and records.

The recently transformed Theatre Botanica will be exhibiting old favourites such as silverware and collection of Moorcroft, Lorna Bailey, Beswick and Doulton, art and treen plus collections of quality furniture including some impressive stick chairs and rare Welsh blankets.

Millennium Courtyard will be filled with a Vintage market housing smaller marquees  displaying militaria, vintage toys, clothing, retro and upcycled furniture, tools and gardinalia.

The fair has had a reputation for showcasing Welsh areas of collecting including Welsh pottery, Welsh art and furniture. Again, not to disappoint, there will be an amazing display of period Welsh oak furniture from Welsh child’s chairs, milking stools to much larger pieces including dressers.

Richard Bebb’s collection of Welsh artists is impressive  and a stand not to be missed. He has an impressive display of Welsh paintings and he will be bringing original works by leading Welsh Artists such as Kyffin Williams, Malcolm Edwards, David Woodford, Gordon Stuart, Donald Mcintyre, Wilf Roberts and John Knapp-Fisher.

Welsh pottery has also been keenly collected, especially rare examples of Llanelly pottery.

Alistair and Helen Crawford and Micheal Gorton, of Chapellane Antiques, have built up a reputation of having an impressive stand that showcases rare Llanelly Pottery including the coveted Cockerel plates , that were produced in Llanelli.

There will also be a good selection of the popular Welsh blankets  and textiles on display, the result of Wales having a rich heritage in the woollen industry.

The fair has a rich cross section of antiques  and vintage on display, from jewellery, watches and silver, to ephemera, books and vintage clothes and accessories. There will also be collections of art glass and upcycled and pre-loved furniture, plus interior design pieces including French brocante. Visitors will not be disappointed with the selection on offer at this popular fair.

Militaria will again be heavily represented at the fair with rare medals, ceremonial swords and suits of armour.

All this is set in and around the magnificent grounds of the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Nestling in the Carmarthenshire countryside, on the outskirts of Carmarthen and just 15 minutes away from the end of the M4, it’s conveniently situated.

The fair opens at 10am and closes at 4pm.Admission is at a reduced price of £12. The ticket lasts for seven days and allows admission to both the garden and the fair. 

Dogs are now welcome over the Antiques weekend, except in the Glass House.

For more information contact Derwen Fairs 07790293367 or follow on FB,Twitter and Instagram.