European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The Wes t count r y Honiton s main thoroughfare is a delightful assortment of Tea shops lace outlets Ana antique emporiums. By Dave d1dio staff photographer on vacation the shortest. Distance Between Home and a Pood time is not always a straight line. Sometimes you just have Roget Oft the beaten path and wander around the Back roads a bit for no other reason than to see what turns up. Honiton in Southern Devon is one of those nondescript Little dots on the Road map that has the misfortune of being bypassed. By the a30 and is the two major highways which slice through Devon. Nothing alongside either Highway gives any indication that this Market town of 9,000 inhabitants and Well preserved georgian architecture is an antique Hunter s Paradise. More than 30 antique shops line both sides of the High Street a delightful half mile walk among relics of another  the West end of the High Street is Bramble Cross Antiques with nine showrooms of 18th and 19th-Century mahogany Oak and Walnut furniture. At the opposite end of the Street lies King Sway House Antiques with a Large Stock of mirrors and other decorative items. Between the two almost every imaginable Type of collectible can be found. The Abingdon House Antiques Centre near the Middle of town houses 20 dealers who handle furniture pictures porcelain sporting items and tools while the Honiton lace shop near the Northeast Edge of town specializes in Fine antique lace shawls and quilts. A. Honiton lace known As Quot Bone lace Quot in the 17th Century  the firmest lace of its time and it became so popular during that period that the town had antique Paradise nestled in Southern Devon More than 1,300 lace makers. Today the lace Trade continues albeit on a much smaller scale so those who can t quite afford the antique variety can still buy a Quot new Quot Honiton lace doily for As Little As 2 pounds about $3made in the Honiton tradition at the Honiton lace shop the Only remaining specialist lace shop in the town. Rare Book lovers vill probably get no farther than the Honiton old bookshop at the East end of High Street although several other shops catering to the Sale of paintings prints and coins handle rare books on specialized subjects As Well. Just about anything that s collectible can be found in Honiton but be forewarned a if you plan to take a Side trip through this antiquarian Paradise you might want to bring a Van. You could have trouble getting that 18th-Century Chest of drawers you fall in love with strapped to the top of the family Sedan. A a Ltd Honiton about 12 Miles Northeast of Exeter just off a30. A Honiton tourist information Telephone 040443716. Shop opening hours vary but most Are open from 10 . To 5 p.m., monday through saturday. J r i i r a e i a or a a a a t Ltd m t i 2, if i f 1 a i m. Vex 9 a 1 i i Baa 1 a. In a  l Quot i is pm pc nothing s Bexter on a hot Day than an ice Cream Cone. 10 stripes Magazine september 8, 1394