Shopping in England

One of the things we love to do in England (and Wales and Scotland) is to shop. We rummage through antique shops, boot sales, vintage shops, just about anywhere items unique to the UK are sold. We have been in bookstores, pottery shops, souvenir shops, cathedral shops, castle shops, manor shops, city shops, village shops, large stores, small stores and street vendor locations. The things you can find in those locations can be unique or common and may be new or old, handmade or mass produced. In this section, we’ll cover where to shop, what to look for and how to shop in hopes of getting the best deal. With just a little work, there are some really fantastic buys to be had!

First off, some quick definitions for you. A “boot sale” is what in the US we call a rummage sale, flea sale, or a yard sale. Basically, it comes from the practice of selling out of the boot of a car, what we in the US call the trunk. At a boot sale, some of the sellers are professionals, some are homeowners selling surplus household items. Churches in villages often sponsor boot sales to make money for maintenance and upkeep. We’ll delve deeper into boot sales in a later post.

The second definition is for “antique” and “vintage.” The two terms have a business definition that shops in the UK follow closely. “Antique” items must be at least 100 years old. So, when you see a sign for an “Antique” shop, you can expect to see really old pieces in the shop. “Vintage” is younger, between 50 and 99 years old. Some shops mix antique and vintage objects together, but the label should show either the date of manufacture or use antique and vintage as defined here.

The third definition is “market town.” Certain towns in the UK are designated as market towns and have a “market square” where on “market day” the vendors set up shop in tents, marquees and booths to peddle their wares. The practice began in the twelfth and thirteenth century but began to decline in importance in the mid-16th century. Prior to that date, the market town was key to the bartering economy. The rise of fixed stores has diminished the economic importance of markets and market day. But if you are in a market town on market day, it is a real treat to stroll the market square to peruse the stalls for bargains and sample the edible goodies for sale as well. We’ll cover some of the market towns we have visited in later posts.

Wherever you shop for silver and gold objects, including “plated” objects, items should have markings on them to identify the manufacturer and content of the piece. These marks can also give the age of the pieces. There are numerous reference manuals and other ways to do the research of those marks, which we will also cover later on.

Bottom line? Don’t miss out on the adventure of shopping in all of Great Britain! It can be fruitful and fun!