IN WITH THE OLD

A 14th-century town house in historic Rye provides the perfect backdrop for an antiques dealer’s favourite finds

- SARA EMSLIE

SITTING ROOM The neutral palette and wealth of light showcase beautifully the eclectic collection of antiques. Sofas in fabrics from Merchant & Mills

The naïve painting of the house and vegetable garden is one of my favourites,’ says Jackie Harris about the simplistic but charming picture that takes pride of place by her kitchen window. ‘I bought it from the famous La Grande Braderie de Lille and it cost the princely sum of a tenner!’ She pauses, before adding, ‘but it actually dates from the early 19th century’. Without giving much away, one can only assume that it is one of those lucky bargain finds whose current value would outsmart its flea market price tag several times over.

But while most of us would just put it down to beginner’s luck, for Jackie it is the culmination of more than 30 years’ experience as a professional antiques dealer. Now in partnership with her son Martyn, the duo run Puckhaber, which specialises in country primitive, Swedish and French decorative antiques from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Martyn heads up the original showroom in west London, while Jackie bases herself at the new space in the historic Cinque Port town of Rye in East Sussex, a stone’s throw away from her characterful home. Rye, with its labyrinth of winding cobbled streets and half-timbered medieval buildings seemed the ideal place to set up home and business.