Sandown Antiques Home & Interiors Fair Verified listing

Sandown Antiques Home & Interiors Fair brings together more than 250 dealers inside the generous grounds of Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher, Surrey. The racecourse setting gives the event real scale. Stalls spread across indoor halls and spill outward onto the wider site, creating a circuit that rewards a full morning's attention.

The stock spans several distinct registers. Period furniture and decorative pieces dominate one end of the range: Georgian side tables, ornate mirrors, Arts and Crafts ceramics and oil paintings with genuinely eccentric subject matter. The decorative and vintage homewares end runs to mid-century lighting, hand-blown glassware, gold-rimmed teacups and vintage suitcases still carrying original travel stickers. Garden and outdoor pieces — weathered statuary, cast-iron planters, stone troughs — add another layer for anyone furnishing a house with outside space. French farmhouse furniture can turn up within a few metres of a sharp mid-century floor lamp. That kind of contrast is part of the appeal.

The fair runs up to six times a year. Tuesday events open at 07:00 and run until 13:00; Sunday events open at 10:00 and close at 15:00. The Tuesday sessions draw a noticeably trade-heavy crowd — dealers, interior designers and professional restockers often arrive before most private buyers have finished breakfast. Sunday has a broader, more relaxed atmosphere, though experienced buyers still show up early. On either day, the first hour consistently produces the strongest finds.

The event shares organisational roots with the long-running Kempton Park antiques market. That background shows in the practical details: dealer quality is consistent, the layout is navigable, and the balance of indoor and outdoor trading means the fair holds up across most weather conditions. Sandown has its own character, though. It sits a little more toward interiors and decorative pieces than purely antiquarian stock, which makes it a natural destination for anyone furnishing a home as much as building a collection.

Interior designers work the aisles with measuring tapes. Trade buyers negotiate quietly at the back of stalls. First-timers browse freely and sometimes leave having spent far more than planned. Hot food and coffee are available on site, and the pace of the day is sociable and unhurried. Card readers are now common among sellers, but carrying cash still helps — particularly for smaller transactions and outdoor stalls. Sturdy bags and comfortable shoes are both sensible choices for a site this size.

The fair suits a wide range of visitors: private buyers furnishing a home, dealers restocking, stylists sourcing props, or anyone simply in the habit of looking for something they cannot quite name yet. Dates are released by the organiser in advance and worth checking before making the trip, as the schedule runs to selected Tuesdays and Sundays rather than weekly.

For those travelling without a car, the Sandown Park bus stop sits approximately 200 metres from the racecourse entrance and is served by bus routes 458, 513, 714 and 715. Bus routes 514, 515, 663, 715 and K3 also stop at Esher High School, roughly 400 metres away. Many visitors choose to drive — sensibly so, given that a Victorian fire screen or a heavy mirror rarely travels well on public transport — and racecourse parking is available on event days.