Barnsley?
Ask anyone to name something or someone well-known and connected to Barnsley.  If they come up with anything at all it’s likely to include Arthur Scargill, Michael Parkinson, Dickie Bird, Geoff Boycott or Barbara Castle.  Most up to date would be Darren Gough, the star England cricket all-rounder.  A presenter on Talk Sport radio and retired from the professional game.
All of which might support an argument that Barnsley is behind the times – not necessarily any bad thing.  Moorcroft and militaria devotees rejoice in the existence of Cannon Hall – accommodating the town’s Ceramics and Hussars Museums.  Many in the antiques and collectables fraternity marvel at Barnsley’s industrial heritage site at Elsecar – home of several auctions and fairs, and a
 substantial antiques centre.
But what about Cawthorne?

Cawthorne?
A stone’s throw from Barnsley town centre, and doubtless sitting on one of the area’s immense coalfields, Cawthorne is an enigma to those with preconceptions about the industrial north.  Including me – and I’ve lived a good while in both Wigan (collieries, canals, cotton mills) and Leeds (collieries, canals, wool).  On first appearance, Cawthorne could be anywhere in Hardy’s Wessex (lived there too).  Small, quiet, laid-back, picturesque and everyone so polite.  Maybe where the owners used to live?

The antiques centre in Cawthorne
Cawthorne Antiques Centre opened 14 years ago.  It had been a Co-op store.  Two years ago it became the responsibility of Karen Roe, previously in secretarial and accounts work, though having dabbled in antiques and collectables for ten or more years before that.
Karen takes pride in the clean, open and friendly environment in which everything is displayed.  Mind you, that well-earned pride does equal credit to her predecessors.  It had been a long time since my previous visit and I didn’t notice any differences.  Still the bright, clean and welcoming place I remembered – and happy to accommodate AD at thirty minutes’ notice (just finished a couple of jobs in Newark and Doncaster much earlier than anticipated).
Two floors, 100 dealers exhibiting.  Everything clearly labelled and priced.  Most in cabinets, some on the walls and on the floor.  One room full of spectacular vintage clothing – not spectacular because of any designer labels but because all of it was so clean, original and fresh to the market.

They’ll learn – or will they?
Most centres automatically capitulate 10 per cent when asked for the best price on sales.  Some more than that.  Then take an extra 10 per cent on card sales.  And then as much as 20 per cent commission.  Plus VAT.  And all that on top of eye-watering cabinet rentals.  So, dealers in some centres have to double their ticket prices just to break even.  On a good day.
But not at Cawthorne.  Depending on the size, cabinet rental there is somewhere between £25 and £70 per month.  With no commission on sales.  None whatsoever.  So, in theory at least, visitors there can expect to find deals keener than at most other places.
Other centres opening with zero commission have had to reconsider their position after a short while.  But Cawthorne has been living with theirs for over two years.  Nice if they are able to continue.

Opening and Contact
Cawthorne Antiques Centre, 
2 Church Street Cawthorne 
S75 4HP.  
Mon – Fri 10-4 (closed Weds), Sat/Sun 10-5.  cawthorneantiques.co.uk and 
01226 792237/index.html

It’s a Sunday morning and hundreds of eager shoppers (mostly female) are making their way to Chelsea Town Hall in the King’s Road, the venue for London’s premier vintage fashion fair, Frock Me! – an event that attracts huge
interest.
The fair accommodates a multitude of specialist dealers selling everything from frocks and footwear to hats and handbags and a whole lot more.  By mid-morning the hall is really buzzing, with the much-coveted designer wear from the 1930s to the 1970s flying off the stalls.
“Frock Me! is the place to find clothes from every era: from 1920s ‘flapper’ style to Fifties glamour, Eighties retro-chic or classic 1960s trends, with prices ranging from one or two pounds up to several hundred,” says organiser Matthew Adams.
The vogue for vintage clothes attracts fashionistas, stylists, models, fashion students, collectors and costume designers for stage and screen. Celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Laura Bailey and Kate Moss can often be spotted among the crowds searching for one-off fashion finds.
Devotees of burlesque can pick up gorgeous basques, corsets, fans, feather boas and original ‘50s seamed stockings!
Frock Me! is an exciting and often rewarding experience for the visiting public. Keeping in the vintage mood, they can enjoy the fair’s tastefully decorated Tea Room, which has become as 
popular as the fair itself.
“We have created a delightful room decorated with potted palms and antique screens with music playing on a gramophone in the corner. We sell fabulous scrummy cakes, cream teas and delicious sandwiches all served on antique china,” says Matthew.
And to whet the appetite of vintage lovers just that little bit more, on 30 September this year, Matthew will be returning to his earlier roots and staging a Frock Me! extravaganza on all three floors of Kensington Town Hall.  Don’t miss it!
For more details of Frock Me events go to: frockme@gmail.com or call 020 7254 4054.