Talbot House Antique Centre in West Street, Dorking is full of surprises; from the moment we took over the imposing 4-storey Georgian building in the midst of Dorking’s famous antiques quarter, we were confident that we would make our mark, through sheer hard work and determination, backed up by the support of a large and varied team of experienced and enthusiastic dealers.

But even we have been astonished at the positive and friendly response of all our visitors, whether trade or private buyers, browsers - or even competitors.

There is no doubt that joining a “community” of antique shops and centres, such as that in West Street, can only bring benefits for the common good of all; the more choice there is for visiting customers, the more times they will return to browse and buy.

This applies to private buyers, collectors, and those in the trade both from this country and abroad. Many of our American, Japanese and Russian trade buyers can fill containers for shipping by visiting us and one or two of our fellow businesses in West Street, and this obviously makes great economic sense for them when planning their regular buying trips. They can feel confident that they will find a fascinating and eclectic mix of antiques and vintage decorative items every time they return.

We pride ourselves on the warm welcome we give all our visitors; our staff and dealers are friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what we sell, always striving to be original and innovative in our displays and room settings and constantly widening the spectrum of goods on offer. We are always aware that even in affluent Surrey, we need to stock a full range of items for all budgets; and that the impulse buyer who unexpectedly finds an inexpensive trinket as a gift at Talbot House will remember us when they need a dining table, a pair of chairs, a bookcase or a footstool a few months later.

Spread over our four beautiful floors, we can show customers a huge selection of Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian furniture, as well as country-style, oak, and distressed painted items; we have several areas displaying French brocante-style pieces, lighting, kitchenalia, writing implements, games, books, writing slopes and boxes of all descriptions, silver, English and continental porcelain, mirrors, table lamps, a fabulous selection of Lalique glass, some wonderful French bed-linen (and the beds to go with it!), as well as antique, vintage and modern hand-crafted silver jewellery to suit all tastes, beautifully-cased English and continental fans, and a nostalgic display of vintage telephones. Additionally, on our second floor, in a wonderful oak-beamed room, a dazzling display of oriental rugs, carpets and beautiful throws in gorgeous designs to give your home a bright new look.

Perhaps most surprisingly, to those who might assume from our imposing and elegant building that we are traditional through and through, we have started selling a great range of ladies’ continental designer clothing and accessories - dresses, tops, jackets, scarves, gloves and handbags - a colourful browsing and buying experience which has proved to be a huge success with our female customers.

Our final gem is a beautifully bright, modernistic gallery on the second floor, showing contemporary art and design at its very best - oil paintings, watercolours, prints, studio glass, small sculptures and pottery from many well-known and not so well-known 20th century artists. Stepping into the gallery will lift your spirits, brighten your mood, and inspire you to think a little differently about accessorising your home.

Wherever our customers wander in our lovely centre, they always tell us that, as in all the best antique centres, they inevitably have the feeling that if they look long and hard enough, they will find a delightful surprise - whether large or small.

We are exceptionally lucky at Talbot House to be the guardians of such a magnificent building; it lends itself so absolutely to the display of beautiful antique objects, which is in fact exactly what it has done since just after the last war; not so long ago, we were visited by a very excited Irish lady who, as a girl during World War II was billeted here with her parents. The building was used as a café and jazz club at that time, with accommodation on the upper floors for servicemen and their families, and the lady was making her first visit to Talbot House since then. She recalled exactly which rooms were occupied by her family and she related to us, very emotionally, about leaving for her wedding from the building, her boyfriend having proposed to her here after visiting her father to ask for her hand. Our wonderful building had left a lifelong impression on her - and we like to think that it still does the same for our customers today.

Dealers sharing this wonderful space are:
Amanda Leader, a clever mix of eclectic antiques
Amandini Antiques - a genuine connoisseur's show of antique silver
Arian Antiques - a varied mix of antiques and collectibles
Berene Willcocks - Continental designer clothing and accessories
Cantelo Antiques - an interesting collection
Colleen Francis - Interesting and eclectix mix of old and antique provincial items
Gill Coe - a selection of elegant Victorian and Edwardian pieces of furniture
Hebeco - an exquisite range of 18 & 19th century silver, glassware and objets d'art
Jill Jackson - oil paintings and miniatures
Lucy Rice - Art Nouveau and Art Deco glass
Michael Turner - Regency, Victorian and Edwardian furniture
Sue Beech - a mix of antiques and furniture
Helen Loveland and Sue Willlan - English and Continental pottery and porcelain
Jackson and Hickey - Contemporary Art and sculpture gallery
Jeremy Woodrow - an exquisite selection of boxes of all types
Patricia Caswell - mirrors, lamps, French and decorative furniture
Rhona Roach - tea sets, metalwork, silverplate, cut glass and much more
Richard Derth and Patricia Ker - general antiques - great for browsing
Sabina Franklyn - good stock of jewellery for that special present or occasio
Telephone Lines Ltd - vintage telephones
Terry Hawkins - traditional Eastern rugs, carpets and runners
Times Table - with a wonderful eye for display!
Walter McLaren - 18th and 19th century cased fans

Further information about all our exhibitors can be seen via our web site.


TALBOT HOUSE ANTIQUE CENTRE
51 - 52 West Street
Dorking
Surrey
RH4 1BU
England

T 01306 888855
Talbot House Antique Centre