Twenty-five years ago a group of Cotswold Art and Antiques dealers sat around a table to formalise an unspoken arrangement that had long existed amongst them. They had been recommending each other’s shops to visitors, not only as friends, but also in the belief that if a buyer finds what they are looking for in the area they are more likely to come back. In doing this they created The Cotswold Art and Antique Dealers’ Association.

A sprung ash bar underneath the top keeps the legs in place and releasing the spring enables the legs to fold underneath the top. Circa1860.


 

The CADA was the first such regional association and its aims were to promote its members both at home and abroad, offering a high standard of goods and services. Now the Cotswolds are home to the largest concentration of serious art and antique dealers outside London, the nucleus of which have been established upwards of 25 years. The dealers have found by experience that people appreciate being able to see a wide range of goods with a minimum of travel.
Visitors to the Cotswolds have the opportunity to see CADA dealers with businesses both large and small, specialist and general. It is this diversity that makes the Cotswolds a hunting ground for both the collector and connoisseur. CADA members and their staff are experienced in dealing with customers from around the world and will help with advice about the choice of purchase, carriage and shipping and insurance. Their professional interests cover a wide field of subjects, furniture from the sixteenth to early twentieth century, carpets and rare rugs, tapestries, the Arts and Crafts movement, clocks, jewellery, maps, silver, garden furniture, sporting antiques, porcelain, metal works, samplers, oil paintings, watercolours and works of art. Most members in themselves are collectors and specialists in their own field and therefore welcome the opportunity to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with like-minded people.
The year 2003 sees the 25th Anniversary of The Cotswold Art and Antique Dealers’ Association with the membership now represented in most major towns throughout the area. Although members base their business round their shop or gallery, they can also be found at the more prestigious antique fairs in London, Europe and America, confirming the leading role of the CADA members in the wider art and antique community. This importance of the art and antiques trade to the Cotswolds coupled with the professionalism of the dealers has led to strong relations with the local Tourist Authorities and the association is active in hosting events and organising tours for visiting journalists. The CADA does not purely look inward but also holds strong ties with the other regional and national art and antiques associations. Indeed over the years a good number of members have held important positions on the councils of both LAPADA and BADA.