In photos: BBC Antiques Roadshow star cuts ribbon at ‘shop full of wonderful objects’ in Burgess Hill

Mark Hill, who stars in both the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow and Antiques Road Trip, opened The Rocking Horse in Church Walk on Saturday morning (October 11).

Owner and proprietor Christopher Martin told the Middy: “The shop is full of everything you never knew you always wanted.”

“We’re a shop full of curiosities,” he said, describing antiques as ‘the ultimate recycling’.

“We see ourselves as people who find new homes for interesting things,” he added, saying that he is excited the business will now be visible to more people.

Chris explained that The Rocking Horse has existed in many forms since the 1990s.

He said: “It travelled from Ardingly under one managership and moved to Hassocks. We were there for several years until that shop got taken over by Sainsbury’s. Then we moved into the building that is now the (Burgess Hill) library. Then we got moved out of there.”

Chris said they then moved into a former fabric shop in Burgess Hill, next to Lidl, where they stayed for eight years. He said: “We’ve now moved the whole operation down to a more central high street location and given it a new lick of paint and a new lease of life.”

Chris said he is ‘feeling positive’ about the new store and is looking forward to the long-awaited Martlets redevelopment too. He added that Church Walk feels like it has ‘a bit of a buzz’ once again.

He said The Rocking Horse is an antiques and collectables shop that also incorporates vintage vinyl records in a ‘shop within a shop’ called Valentine’s Vinyl.

Chris explained that the BBC have filmed parts of the Antiques Road Trip at the business so he contacted Mark Hill about the new shop opening. He called Mark ‘a lovely guy’, saying he ‘very happily agreed to come down and open the shop up’.

At the opening on Saturday, Mark thanked everyone for attending. He said The Rocking Horse sells ‘soul’ in a world where people can go to megastores and buy something ‘soulless’ with no history.

Mark said: “Or you can fill your home with something that means something.

“This isn’t just an emporium and shop full of wonderful objects, it’s an emporium and shop full of wonderful stories and history. Learn from dealers – like my colleague here and my friend – and you’ll learn so much more. But the most important thing is to buy something you love, because if you love it you’ll never regret buying it. And believe me, there is plenty to find in here that you'll love.”