Two weeks ago there was a story in Rye News which focused on what we can see from our windows at home and we were asked to send in our photos and a few words about our rooms with a view.
Living in Rope Walk, the view one way is of the dance studio, in the opposite direction we look towards the market carpark and level crossing but virtually opposite we look out onto Glass etc, owned by star of stage and screen, the one and only Andy McConnell.
Best known for his appearances on BBC TV’s Antiques Roadshow, Andy started life as a music journalist but began buying and selling antiques when he was 14. He is now a specialised glass dealer, running Britain’s largest antique and vintage glass shop, right here in Rye.
Andy is an authority on glass and has written several books as well as lecturing and writing for various journals including The Times, Country Life and Glass Circle News.
Andy is a local and is often in his shop when he’s not working abroad and around the country and gives regular talks to various groups and organisations and is a regular favourite at the Rye Arts Festival.
As the photo shows, the stock inside his shop is not only an Aladdin’s cave of vintage glassware but also has something for everyone to suit all budgets. The shop was converted from a former Salvation Army Chapel and now with an adjacent exhibition gallery where Andy boasts a collection of around 30,000 pieces together with ironmongery and more, spanning from c1750 to the late early 1980s.
From my front window, the view is of the outside of the building. The sign on the side wall reads “antiques and high class junk” but it’s really so much more – a museum, arts centre and education facility as much as a shop. Once the current movement restrictions are lifted come and have a peep inside, parking couldn’t be easier or closer, the market carpark is literally next door and at £2 for 24 hours must be one of the cheapest in the county.
Image Credits: Nick Forman , Sue Forman , Andy McConnel .