Vintage Shopping at The Country Brocante

June 28, 2017


Last Friday, My Mum and I had a summery day out together. We both love scouring antiques shops/markets for vintage home and garden bits so when we heard about The Country Brocante in beautiful Midhurst down on the South Coast we knew that we had to go. It would feature some of our favourite Instagram sellers and the photos from the previous fairs looked just up our street. Some photos and more details of our visit below, everything there was seriously swoon worthy. 



The Country Brocante has been set up by Lucy who owns the store by the same name in Midhurst. There are various fairs on throughout the year, most around the South Coast but one in the Autumn will be in the Cotswolds {at Daylesford nonetheless 😍}. They're themed throughout the year, I think the Christmas version would be pure magic. It's a curated collection of around 80 individual sellers all chosen for their interior antique collections, unique textiles or artisanal wares. Think Country Living/Country Homes & Interiors. We went to the Big Summer Brocante in the grounds of the Cowdray Estate just outside Midhurst {a gorgeous old town}. 


Midhurst is an area we know well, my late Grandma used to live close by so we were down in that area a lot. The setting is beautiful in the Heritage Estate right in the ruins. It felt like a true English summer day out with frilly canvas marquees under the trees next to a river and right under the old stone walls. There was bunting, cake tents {by a Great British Bake Off finalist no less}, lots of homegrown flowers and seriously beautiful displays. 



We arrived just after 10am. You can get in from 9am but it costs a little extra {and we were stuck on the damn M25!}. Most items are one-offs so some may sell quickly but sellers have enough stock for the two days which is a good plus if you can only visit on the second day. With so many antiques fairs you end up thinking that the second day isn't worth it because all of the good stuff will have gone.


I've followed The Little Red Robin on Instagram for ages for her beautiful allotment flowers and handmade rusty garden bits so my Mum and I headed straight for her stall {we spotted her because of her instafamous cockapoo Claude!}. It was beautiful and we both bought some rusty crooks for the garden.



There are a couple of marquees to look in as well as outdoor stalls. The weather was beautiful which was a bonus. I'm guessing that most of the Winter fairs must be more indoors? I wanted to buy everything but alas a lot of it was quite pricey. I guess I'm used to the seriously good {almost trade} prices at the antiques markets I normally visit but understandably as they've had to pay for a pitch and have collected really beautiful things.





For a really amazing one off I never mind paying a bit more. And not everything was inflated there.


How gorgeous though!!




Every single seller seemed to have styled their stall around fresh flowers which I loved.



And there were so many dried wreaths I was coveting too. It felt like we'd stepped into a magazine.





There was even a Gin tin caravan!














We came home with lots of ideas {love these strawberries in a watering can} along with a boot full of purchases. My Mum bought some new cushions from her bedroom, I got a deckchair and a stripey cushion of dreams with a pom pom trim {photo on my Instagram}, a gold french R for the new kitchen, a little Stilton pot and a mini hanging black board for our new kitchen shelves, a watering can and some rusty garden bits. I mean, I just love anything old and French basically.


The cake tent is not to be missed {by Miranda Gore Brown from the first ever series of Bake Off}. Everything was just so beautifully done, even the coffee and lunch stalls. Kudos to the organisers, you know when people just have such an eye for detail. 



So thoroughly British summer.






If we hadn't got stuck on the M25 on the way home it would have been the perfect day out! 


R <3 xx 

{with thanks to the Country Brocante}

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