Welcome once again to another instalment of your favourite weekly read, 'Blog Post Monday'.
My aim this year is to get out and about a bit more, discover new antiques shops and buy more quality pieces for you lovely lot to enjoy. This week I decided to hop on a train and head over to South Yorkshire, to Sheffield, to explore the antiques scene there. I had a wonderful time, chatted with some lovely people and found some great pieces! And, I've decided to dedicate this week's blog post to this wonderful city.
So, as always, get that kettle on, get your railcards out and join me on my antiques rail trip to the lovely city of Sheffield...
Well, my rail trip started in quintessentially British fashion with a few technical problems on the train. No, it wasn't "slippery rail conditions" or "leaves on the line", this time it was an issue with the overhead power cables... Having rolled a matter of 200 metres out of York station, the train came to a holt and we were stuck indefinitely in no mans land.
Fear not, 40 minutes later, thanks to the engineers on hand, we were on the move once again. Approximately 20 minutes later I jumped off the train in Doncaster only to miss my connecting train by a matter of seconds, meaning I was stuck there for another 45 minutes! Not the best of starts, but I could almost smell the antiques in Sheffield so I was still filled with excitement and anticipation!
Image: Sheffield Antiques Centre
I finally arrived in Sheffield and headed straight for 'Sheffield Antiques Centre'. They are home to a fantastic array of architectural salvage, homewares, as well as cabinets filled with smalls and there are even some rails of vintage clothing. It is an absolute rabbit warren of treasure and the staff there are happy to do a deal on any pieces you find, with the industry standard 10% discount on offer.
The shop is spread out over different floors and it can get a little confusing at times with so many different routes to the different floors. But, I mean, who wouldn't want to get lost in acres of antiques, right...!? I was in there for around two hours in total and I found some fun pieces which included a prosthetic glass eye and novelty inkwell in the form of a french fireman's helmet, both from the early 20th century, as well as a rather fascinating scratch built solar eclipse viewer, which got snapped up straight away and is on its way to its new home in New York.
Overall, 'Sheffield Antiques Centre' is definitely a shop that gets added to my list of places to visit regularly. A wonderful maze of unusual treasures and I can't wait to head back for another look!
Sheffield Antiques Centre
Address: 178 Broadfield Rd, Heeley, Sheffield S8 0XL
Tel: 0114 258 4994
Socials:
Image: Sheffield Antiques Centre
Next on my itinerary was 'Sheffield Antiques Emporium' which just so happened to be directly over the road. Now, I thought 'Sheffield Antiques Centre' was a rabbit warren... Well, this was quite literally like falling down a rabbit hole. Again, set out over numerous floors, with an eclectic mix of, well, absolutely everything you could possibly have an interest in.
Image: Sheffield Antiques Emporium
Lovely staff who were happy to assist and again, were willing to do a deal on the pieces I found, with the industry standard 10% discount being offered. You really need to allow ample time to get around this enormous centre. I had quite a hurried look, just so that I could see the entire shop, and that still took me a couple of hours. So much to see!
I picked up a couple of nice pieces from here. A lovely sterling silver albert chain hallmarked Birmingham 1900 and an unusual piece of prisoner of war art from the second Boer War dated 1901. There were also a couple of other interesting pieces I saw and I'll likely be popping back for them very soon!
This is another shop that gets added to my list of places to visit regularly. A really friendly place full of so many interesting pieces. Just make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to look around! Also, whilst I was there I learnt that they are linked to the huge antiques centre in Elsecar too! So, I guess it would rude of me not to visit there on my next trip!
Sheffield Antiques Emporium
Address: 15 Clyde Rd, Sheffield S8 0YD
Tel: 0114 255 0055
Socials:
Image: Langton's Antiques & Collectibles
Next up on my itinerary was 'Langton's Antiques & Collectibles', a five minute walk just down the road. Another huge property packed to the rafters with all kinds of antique and vintage pieces, particularly militaria. Again, so much to see so you'll need to allow yourself a good couple of hours to get around, you don't want to miss anything!
Image: Langton's Antiques & Collectibles
Image: Langton's Antiques & Collectibles
They're a nice friendly bunch in here and seem happy enough to negotiate on prices if something does tickle your fancy. It's one of those places that you will either love or hate because there are piles of stock to sift through. It just so happens that I love to dig for my treasures so it's an enjoyable day out for me, but I appreciate that for some, it can be a bit daunting or over whelming.
Image: Langton's Antiques & Collectibles
Image: Langton's Antiques & Collectibles
Well worth a visit though as there were some fascinating pieces and I am in no doubt there are treasures to be found.
Langton's Antiques & Collectibles
Address: 443 London Road, Heeley Bottom, S2 4HJ
Tel: 0114 258 1791
Socials:
Image: Heeley Bank Antiques Centre
And, my final stop, before I ran out of time, was 'Heeley Bank Antiques Centre', which was literally a two minute walk from Langton's. Very much a smaller centre compared to the previous three, but being a man, I'm fully aware that size doesn't matter...
Image: Heeley Bank Antiques Centre
This one is set out over two floors of a stunning grade II listed old Bank. There was more of a vintage and collectibles vibe to this one. Lots of modern pieces made to look old, some nice pieces of furniture, lamps made from old petrol cans and instruments, that sort of thing. I guess it isn't really geared up for the kind of things I look for, but that doesn't mean it's not a shop that you wouldn't find treasures in.
Image: Heeley Bank Antiques Centre
It's certainly a shop I'd pop into for a brief look in passing, but I suggest you pay it a visit yourself to make up your own minds.
Heeley Bank Antiques Centre
Address: 635 Queens Rd, Lowfield, S2 4DX
Tel: 0114 327 0835
Socials:
So, there you have it, my antiques rail trip adventure to a few of the antique shops in Sheffield. Let me know what you think in the comments section below, particularly if you've had the pleasure of visiting any of these fine establishments. Also, do let me know if you can recommend any other shops for me to visit.
Image: Heeley Bank Antiques Centre
Remember, if you enjoy my posts, please show your support by subscribing to my 'Source Social' membership, which you can do via the 'Home' page. It's free and gives you a weekly blog post and a fortnightly YouTube video delivered directly to your inbox, as well as exclusive discounts and first dibs on new items before they are added to our website.
And, speaking of my YouTube channel, if you're into antiques and haven't seen any of my videos yet, you can find them HERE. Head on over and subscribe to that too for your dose of finds, fairs, stories and reviews.
So, until next week, stay safe, keep buying those antiques and keep spreading that Source Vintage love!
Cheerio!
Stephen
Owner Source Vintage
Shop from Source Vintage here
Hi Stephen
Apart from recommending Elsecar Antiques centre ( where I have a unit 👍🏼)… I highly recommend Harrison’s Antiques and Auctions at Thurnscoe .