Explore our Legacy

Shoulder of Mutton: A Haven for Antique Lovers

Discover a world where history and charm converge, and every item tells a story at the Shoulder of Mutton, your premier antiques and events venue.

the shoulder of mutton, essex antiques, essex tea room

Located in Fordham on the banks of the river Colne

is owned and operated by the Neill family. Amy and Sam run the antiques centre with Lorry the antiques dog. You’ll often see him sneaking into the tearoom to eat some crumbs off the floor.

We’ve been lucky enough to have the BBC filming with us three times for Antiques Roadtrip so if we look a little familiar – you might have spotted us on TV!

Sam, Amy & Lorry. The Shoulder of Mutton antiques

Relax with antiques and just let the world go by

antiques shop picture

The whole family have a shared love and passion for antiques, vintage and collectibles and have travelled as far as Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Europe and many other places to find unique antiques.

The Neill Family also have a love for old buildings, history and a project! So naturally, when a local disused and empty 750 year old pub came up for sale…it was the ideal place to set our antiques centre. It had been empty for a number of years and had been left to ruin. What was a flooded beer cellar is now a glorious Aladdin’s cave of antiques!

Find out more about our venue

The Shoulder has a large garden that is safe for children with a play area, it has a courtyard with seating, river views and dogs are welcome in the Antique centre and the tearooms.

And what’s even better is that all of this is right on the doorstep of the Essex way! Making it an ideal location to come and have lunch or an afternoon tea by the river while browsing for a hidden treasure. There is currently an archaeological dig happening in the field behind the shoulder too which has found Roman remains!”

lorry our lovely, friendly dog