Popular antiques centre in Lancashire prepares to reopen

One of the furniture stall in the centre

In August it will be exactly 30 remarkable years since we opened, but for now the celebrations are on hold. I’ve been pacing the empty centre, getting all the health, hygiene and distancing measures in place ready for when we reopen.

Like every good antiquarian, I view events with a historical eye. So in this cautiously hopeful week, let’s stroll through the landmarks of my own “antique” journey.

I was born into post-war rationing. People were looking to a G-Plan future, consigning irreplaceable Victorian heirlooms to the tip.

Hours spent treasure hunting with my beloved grandfather inspired my lifelong passion for antiques. Joining the family textiles business, for 25 years my weekends and lunchtimes were spent antique hunting.

The happiest time of my life was marrying Gloria in 1971 and later starting our family. The Antiques Roadshow had started on BBC and heralded new public popularity for antique collecting.

I was a regular at antique fairs by the late 80s, and in 1990 with Gloria’s support, I followed my dream and opened GB Antiques Centre at the former Hornsea Pottery site on Wyresdale Road.

I felt the site could offer more, and risked everything to secure the whole lease for the park. Now thousands of visitors shop, play, exercise, browse, eat, drink and enjoy our annual food festivals.

In 2017, we anchored ourselves in the community by building sustainable housing and our beautiful open access forest garden. Our 120 individual dealers have featured on Antiques Road Trip and Salvage Hunters on more than one occasion, as well as welcoming 200,000 local and international visitors annually.

Then came 2020, and everything stopped for us all.

But, I’ve realised, life goes in circles. Antiques go in and out of fashion. With kindness and cooperation, we come through hard times. Our ‘new’ entrance, to allow spacious walkthroughs, is the old factory door I boarded up three decades ago, which to ensure safe, covid complaint distancing has come into its own again. Who could have predicted that?

I love antiques, the centre, and all our visitors! I’m still packed with plans and passion to chat, broadcast, and write to you about.

I can’t wait to fling our new door open, and I wish you every health as we all take our next steps forwards.