Valentine's Day

Valentine's day is nearly upon us once again and it's time to start thinking about how to celebrate..

We are offering a special prosecco afternoon tea for two at the Rooftop Kitchen, plus £100 in Alfies gift vouchers in a special Valentine's giveaway! To be in with the chance to win, keep an eye on the Alfies Instagram account (@alfiesantiques), tag a friend in our promotional post and DM (direct message) the Alfies account with your email address*. Simple! The winner will be announced Saturday 10th February. 

*Entrants will be added to the Alfies mailing list

Of course it's also time to start thinking about what you might gift your loved one. With the holiday symbolising all that it does, it's a perfect time to express appreciation for those who are important to us. Traditionally, Valentine's day is the holiday representing the Roman saint and has been associated with love and romance since the Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love and chivalry flourished. Over time this has evolved into the practice of card and gift giving. 

There are the usual gifts that are given at this time of year, such as flowers and chocolates, but how about something a little more unique? Read on to see some of our favourite pieces from around the store that we think would be perfect for the occasion.

Early 20th century oil painting, oil on board. Available from Robert McKoy Fine Arts

A 1950s Aurora Borealis heart carriage brooch. Available from Tony Durante

A 1960s gilded cupid brooch. Available from Good Time Antiques 

A 20th century signed floral painting, oil on canvas. Available from i Fine & Contemporary Art

An American 1940s floral brooch. Available from Tony Durante

A selection of antique gold and silver charms. Available from Good Time Antiques

Animalistic!

Oh, we love a bit of animal action here at Alfies, and we do mean this most innocently!
Recent trips to the beautiful and impressively well kept London Zoo, as well to the adorable and equally impressive Horniman Museum inspired me to look for animal (and generally nature) related items here at Alfies. I found some lovely pieces, and the following items are a rather small selection, so do come by to find more yourself!

White glazed equestrian horse with rider, offered by Gloria Sinclair

'Watercolour of Monkey', ca. 1900, offered by Barry Landsman

Pair of French 1940s wrought iron stools, offered by Louise Verber Antiques

Silver gilt snake necklace with heart pendant and garnet eyes, offered by Gareth Brooks

The first very exciting and highly recommended adventure we undertook is London Zoo Lates - throughout summer the zoo stays open until 10pm on Fridays and is jam packed with cool stuff to do. So not only do you get to see all the beautiful animals, you can also have a (pre-ordered) picnic, a little boogie at the silent disco, enjoy some cabaret, listen to talks about specific animals often during feeding time, enjoy a Pimm's/champagne/Mojito or two, and generally just have a grand night out!


We went last week and although the weather was not great, we still had an awesome time. To be honest, I was almost glad it rained as it provided me with a perfect excuse to put on my new wellies and raincoat! We found the atmosphere was very relaxed and the zoo keepers were really approachable and understanding when I couldn't drag myself away from the large rainforest area upon closing time.


The crowd - quite a pleasant mix of old and young-ish (no kids around which is a rare thing for zoo visits) - all seemingly enjoyed themselves, and it was quite entertaining to listen to some of the visitors' amazed (and perhaps slightly drunk) comments about the animals!


Admittedly, the zoo is simply too large to see everything in one evening, and with all the above entertainment options it is hard to follow the well designed maps to find your favourite creatures without being tempted away by the prospect of some cold beverages. But given that the majority of the animals do go to sleep at 9pm, there is still enough time to take advantage of the bar menu after 9pm!
It is definitely well worth a visit and makes a highly enjoyable change to the usual Friday night down the pub.



Another inspirational trip took me to the fantastic Horniman Museum in Forest Hill - I am so in love with it!


Being a busy tea trader travelling the world, Fredrick John Horniman began collecting curios and artefacts from far away countries to bring them back to London as he wanted to share all the interesting things the world had to offer with the people of London who might have not been able to travel as much or at all. In the end he gave his collections as a gift to the Londoners and the museum was born! Many items have been added to the collections over the years so do go there to check them out. The Horniman has various collections on display: an array of astounding musical instruments, a massive selection of beautiful taxidermy animals, African artefacts and the mesmerising aquarium in the lovely building's basement. A current exhibition features items of Balinese culture, and the lovely grand gardens are the icing on the cake!