Twenty Two Years Ago, After 80 Years Trading in Brighton, We Were Honoured by Being Nominated & Awarded by BACA, In The Best Antique & Collectables Shop In Britain Awards 2001

Presented by MILLER'S Antiques Guide, THE BBC, HOMES & ANTIQUES MAGAZINE, for the British Antique & Collectables Awards. The version of the antique dealers ‘Oscars’ of Britain.

It was a great honour for Mark and David, especially considering at the beginning of the new millennium, in the year 2000, there was once over 7,000 established antique and collectors shops in the UK. According to the official Guide to the Antique Shops of Britain 1999-2000, and we were nominated and voted into in the top four.

Since first opening our doors early in the last century, for over 52 years as mine host by Mark and 42 years by David, they have personally greeted hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and likely tens of millions in over half a century, to their galleries. To every single one we have tried our utmost to provide our renown five star service of courtesy, respect, assistance, help, and advice.

New stock latest!

We have more from our Waterloo recovered souvenirs to add this coming week. Some very small, amazing yet most inexpensive pieces, and a few absolute beauties, shrapnel, cannon balls, grenades, etc, swords French and British, and, including, an iron fire back that bears an unknown family crest that was likely ripped out from a fire place at La Haye-Sainte farm house, to use just like sniper shield’s were a hundred years later in the trenches of WW1 {now sold}. The rear, of the very heavy iron plate, 20 x 27 inches, shows likely impact marks of ball and shrapnel. We also have just lately arrived, several Japanese swords, helmets and armour, and some are truly museum pieces, plus, many other intriguing items as usual that arrived every single day.

Our family’s merchant history {abridged}

Our family have been involved as merchants in the South of England and the West Country since the 16th century. Our ‘Hawkins’ ancestors, then based in Plymouth, in the county of Devon, were sea farers, and some of the very earliest traders regularly sailing their merchant ships across the Atlantic to the New World, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st. Taking emigrating English pilgrims and settlers West, and returning with new and exotic cargo from the Americas such as tobacco and potatoes from the Andes, East, to England.
By the 19th century the family had re-located to Brighton and the local shellfish trade, and from then part of the Hawkins family ‘migrated’ to more land based pursuits, of merchant traders, primarily as shop-keepers in Brighton, other Hawkins’ though emigrated, and settled to trade in America and Canada.
David Hawkins senior {Mark and David’s father} lovingly maintained his ancient family maritime roots, with his deep-sea-fishing sailing ship, a 1930’s gaff rigged schooner. Moored at Newhaven port’s Cresta Marine, but it was only used strictly for pleasure, until the late 1970’s. Offering frequent complimentary recreational therapy fishing trips to blind former servicemen from St Dunstans Hospital in the 1960’s.
Photo in the gallery of portraits of two sea faring Plymouth Hawkins, John and Richard, John was cousin to Sir Francis Drake who became one of England’s foremost naval commanders and, scourge of King Philip of Spain and father of Richard. Another photo is of heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins named in John’s honour, it was the lead ship of five Hawkins-class heavy-cruisers, named after our esteemed forebears. In 1944 HMS Hawkins returned home from the East Indies fleet to participate in the Normandy landings. Initially assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet, she was detached to the Western Task Force Gunfire Support Bombardment Force U to support American troops landing at Utah Beach.

Scholars think it is likely Francis Drake was illegitimate, and that is probably why he was placed at an early age into the household of William Hawkins of Plymouth. Drake thus began his seagoing training as an apprentice for the Hawkins family.

Please note however, we never open our gallery on Sundays or Bank Holidays. A tradition of just a single day of rest every week we have tried our best to maintain for 100 years. Here’s wishing a healthy and happy well-being to us all.
Gloria Antika!

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of trading

Code: 23577