The finest antiques in the finest market town
St. Martins Antiques has the largest and finest collection of antiques in Stamford at 23a High Street, St. Martins, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 2LF.
Her Majesty the Queen - a national treasure but certainly not an antique - passing St. Martins Antiques Centre on her Diamond Jubilee visit to Stamford
The Queen is not the only one celebrating an anniversary. St. Martins Antiques has been going for 20 years this year. See our 20th Anniversary feature by clicking here.
The deal is done - let's have a cuppa.
Once more St. Martins Antiques was the venue for filming for the next series of The Antiques Road Trip. A few days before Easter expert James Braxton arrived keen to find a bargain that he could sell, at a profit, at an auction in Bourne later.
Proprietor Peter Light's daughter Lucinda did the negotiating this time and hopes he will do well. "This was the start of the trip so James had plenty to spend. He bought several items, showing the Centre always has a good range of stock."
BBC 2's Antiques Road Trip visits St. Martins Antiques for the third time
Filming for the next series of The Antiques Road Trip took place at St. Martins Antiques Centre over the bank holiday weekend. Thomas Plant was the expert eager to make a profit on his purchase later at auction in Ely.
Proprietor Peter Light hopes he has found a bargain. "So far every visit has resulted in the experts making a profit from their purchases showing just what good value the Centre is."
You can find out how he got on when the series is aired next spring.
BBC 2's Antiques Road Trip visits St. Martins Antiques for the second time
TV antiques experts David Barby and Philip Serrell were so complimentary about the St. Martins Antiques when they filmed here last year that the production team asked if they could film here again for series 4. Filming for the Antiques Road Trip took place on the busy August Bank Holiday Monday. Both TV antiques experts Anita Manning and James Lewis were impressed by the variety of stock as they scoured the centre for bargains that they hoped to sell for profit in an auction at Diss later in the week.
Antique Centres have provenance too
In antique circles an item's provenance relates to the history of its ownership; the more impressive its provenance the more value is added.
Next year is St. Martins Antiques 20th Anniversary and it's thanks to regular customers like Lillian Bowering of Walmington and Kay Bamford of Stamford that the Centre has a history of success. We are currently featuring long-term customers like them in our advertising campaign.
Kay and Lillian are twins. (As the antiques trade well knows a pair is always more valuable than a one off item!) They have been buying from Peter Light since he first opened, purchasing everything from a long footstool and a chest of drawers to a large dining table and set of chairs. Both love Cranberry Glass and Lillian has a preference for Crown Derby. They also rely on St Martins for buying presents for the family, often pooling their resources for a special gift. (In the early days they remember leaving the price on items they bought, for themselves, to educate the rest of the family, many of whom have now become customers too.)
St. Martins is as much a therapy centre as an antiques centre
Jane Vaughan has recently moved house in Stamford so it's no surprise to find her measuring up potential kitchen tables in St. Martins Antique Centre.
Next year is St. Martins Antiques 20th Anniversary and it's thanks to regular customers like Jane that the Centre has a history of success. Down the years, since we first opened, Jane has been popping in regularly. She's not a collector of anything specific.
"I just like old things around me. I've bought everything from an iron bed to small occasional tables, vintage dresses and countless nick-knacks. I never could resist a bargain and often find that items here are cheaper than Ebay."
All this time Jane has worked in the NHS at both Stamford Hospital and Peterborough. After a stressful week she likes nothing better than to visit the Centre.
"As soon as I walk through the door I start to relax. I love the nostalgic music. Peter Light has even lent me CDs in the past. Now that's customer service! In fact this is as much a therapy centre as an antiques centre."
If you're a long-term regular customer and would like to be considered as part of the campaign, please get in touch with Peter or Lucinda at the centre.
