Canonbury Antiques was founded by Martin Worster senior in 1964 at the world famous Friday morning market in Bermondsey. He started with one stall selling bric a brac objects and small items. This market was known as the New Caledonian Market which succeeded the "Old" Caledonian market which started in Islington in the 19th century. Martin Worster's grandmother May Worster sold items of clothing and bric a brac there for 30 years until its closure in the 1950's - this is where Martin learned about buying and selling and developed his eye for a good bargain! In 1966 the stall progressed to a shop - the very first Canonbury Antiques was at 94 Highbury Park next to the Arsenal football ground. At the same time several other antique shops opened in the area and a group of 10 shops formed, making this area and Blackstock Road a mecca for dealers from all over the world. The traditional dealers day would be Wednesday when all the traders trucks would return from buying trips all over the UK. Dealers would queue from first thing in the morning to get the best pick of the goodies! In 1968 a gentleman from Houston, Texas called Bill Peyton visited Canonbury Antiques and purchased a large volume of items for his auction house. It was at that this point that Martin offered to fill 20ft containers with his purchases and complete the remainder of the space (12ft) with antiques on consignment to be auctioned in Houston. This then led to four 40 ft containers a week being packed and shipped to Mr Peyton and other customers in the USA throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Sadly in the mid-1970s the demand for British goods in the USA diminished as the fashions changed and goods in the UK became less plentiful.
