The Cambridge Art Fair enjoyed 4 successful years at Chilford Hall, Linton, and in that time we made a lot of friends and introduced a large amount of local art enthusiasts to a great many galleries and artists of national and international standing.
The fair made art accessible in a way the region had never seen before and threw away all preconceived fears of art viewing and buying as being an elitist activity.

At our height we had 50 galleries, some who had travelled from France, Spain, Serbia and closer to home The Republic of Ireland.

We of course also had an eclectic mix of galleries from throughout the UK, while the artists that these galleries introduced us to hailed from all four corners of the world with works which were truly diverse and dynamic.

Unfortunately due to underlying economic pressures, and a sudden illness, we had to postpone the 2011 show, and whilst it was always just a postponement and never a cancellation, the fair would almost certainly never manage to again achieve the number of visitors or indeed sales to justify a large format, 50 gallery art fair in the region.

Sadly the original venue, which we had made our home for the 4 years that the fair ran, was razed to the ground in an arson attack in 2012 and we were therefore forced into looking at alternative venues which could offer the same space, be of the same calibre, and which more importantly can create the same atmosphere and ambience as Chilford Hall had.

We ruled out the centre of Cambridge itself because of a number of factors including heavy parking restrictions, which would be a concern for not only visitors to the fair but also the exhibiting galleries and also the fact that whilst there are a number of venues which on the surface seem plausible, simply do not have the capacity or infrastructure required for such an event.

Any proposed venue would also have to attract visitors from all around East Anglia and not just Cambridge itself and be readily accessible for those travelling from the likes of Bury St. Edmunds as well as Newmarket, Huntingdon, Saffron Walden, Bishop’s Stortford and even as far as Ipswich and Chelmsford where we had regular visitors from to Chilford Hall.

We had many happy years in Cambridgeshire and we will continue to search for a suitable venue and location.
In the meantime we are concentrating all our efforts on the Edinburgh Art Fair, which celebrates its 9th anniversary from 15th to 17th November 2013.

We are aware that a small art fair is tentatively planned to coincide with these dates in Cambridge but would like it known that we are in no way affiliated with that event and based on our own knowledge of the venue and location as well as the art market in the area will be surprised should it come to fruition with anywhere near the number of galleries, visitors or sales required to operate a successful, professional and long term art fair.

Further information on the Edinburgh Art Fair can be found at www.artedinburgh.com or by following us on facebook and twitter