London's local hero: meet antique shop owner of 60 years Keith Fawkes

Introduce yourself...

My name is Keith Fawkes. I’ve had this shop on Flask Walk for around 60 years. I live in Hampstead and I’m very happy to be here.

What do you do?

I run the shop which deals with books, antiques and bric-a-brac. I’ve done this all my life and nothing else.

What sparked your curiosity in antiques?

I suppose I was always interested and old things. And really, one thing led to another. I left school just before I turned 16 and went to work for a dealer for a couple of years in West Hampstead before deciding to go on my own. Of course, that meant working in a van back in those days. A couple of years later I moved to Hampstead.