AN ACTOR from Settle has turned his passion for all things antique into a business venture.

Bretten Lord is one of the two men behind Lords Antiques & Salvage in Ingleton.

Housing 65 traders as well as a new salvage yard selling flagstones, cobbles and other reclaimed items, the new establishment opened its doors on Sunday (August 5).

Bretten, who is just 20, started to collect antiques when he was only 17-years-old.

“I quit college after a term and a half and started spending my money like there was no tomorrow,” he said. “So I needed to get a job.

“I was a child actor and so it was very difficult to get a 9 to 5 job as I had to keep going off for auditions and acting work so I rented a stand at an antiques centre and finally decided that buying and selling salvage and antiques was my passion.”

He found he liked to find things that were a little bit different, joking that his love for the industrial look meant that ‘if it’s got woodworm and rust’ then he liked it.

“I have always been into interior design,” he said. explaining that his parents also used to sell antiques and his sister sells china tea sets. “I just started buying stuff that caught my eye.”

Bretten is working with business partner Dean Ingram who specialises in the salvage side of the business.

And Bretten, who began working as an actor as a child, is still pursuing his acting career and will continue to attend auditions.

He explained that there was a huge range of items on offer at the new business, including his sister’s china, rocks, minerals, fossils and items sourced by some of the country’s top dealers.

“We have got people coming from as far as Battersea and Edinburgh,” he explained. “There’s literally something for everyone.”

The 20-year-old said that he has found lots of great things over the past three years and had recently sourced a classic Mini with a Honda engine that could go from 0-60 in ‘about two seconds’.

“I like to change things up a little bit,” he said. “I like to find something that you would not expect to have inside and tell people to put it inside their homes and give them some inspiration. I’ve also made things for customers.”

Bretten and Dean held an open day at the New Road business at the weekend, giving customers the chance to browse the stalls, enjoy a classic car show, music, food and drink.