From an antiques trail in Crewkerne in 2015 to a much-loved annual guide connecting independent antiques businesses and visitors across the South West.
EXPLORE OUR HISTORY ↓The Antiques Tourist began in 2015 as a simple idea to help people discover the independent antiques businesses around Crewkerne, Somerset.
Having established his own antiques centre in Crewkerne, founder Anthony Bucke recognised a thriving network of antique shops and centres regularly visited by dealers, collectors and browsers. Yet there was no single printed guide bringing them all together.
Anthony saw an opportunity to create something useful: a printed antiques trail that would introduce visitors to businesses they might otherwise never find.
He approached local dealers and antiques centres with the idea, and the response was encouraging. The first edition of The Antiques Tourist was published in 2015, establishing the foundations of the guide we know today.
What began around Crewkerne soon grew into a publication connecting antiques businesses and visitors across a much wider area.
The original guide covered Somerset, Devon and Dorset. Businesses were grouped by county, each with its own advertisement, while a map in the centre pages helped readers locate every featured destination.
Copies were distributed to advertisers, tourist information centres and visitor attractions. Readers began using the guide just as intended — to discover their next place to visit.
Following the success of the first edition, more businesses joined the guide. A wider distribution network followed, with copies made available at garden centres, farm shops, tourist attractions and information centres.
The guide has since expanded beyond its original three counties, reaching Wiltshire, Hampshire and the New Forest alongside Somerset, Dorset and Devon.
The Antiques Tourist has always been designed to inspire a journey, not simply provide a list of businesses.
Each year, a featured antiques road trip explores a different county, taking readers between advertisers and offering practical suggestions along the way. Fresh local photography adds another glimpse of the places and people behind the guide.
The idea remains much the same as it was in 2015: helping people find interesting places to explore while supporting the independent businesses that make The Antiques Tourist possible.
