Build The Ultimate Man Cave: Discover Antiques at Bygone Times | Bygone Times

Warning: this post may contain excessive reminiscing.

For most modern men, your home is likely a masterpiece shaped by shared decisions and practicality, but the Man Cave – whether a home office, basement bar, garage, attic, spare room or summerhouse – is different. This is the place where you have total creative jurisdiction to carve out a space that offers an escape from the rigours and realities of life.

A Man Cave is a room generally reserved for male household members to pursue their hobbies and interests in private, and for many, it’s an essential psychological and creative retreat, providing men with a sense of autonomy.

Life, work and the domestic grind can entail a lot of pressure, and having access to a “third space” allows men to decompress by preserving their identity and focus on their productivity.

Whether your thing is 1970s vinyl, gaming, sports or pubs and taverns, you won’t need to ask anyone for permission to bring your man cave to life, and Bygone Times offers a wonderous range of antiques, retro, memorabilia and vintage to create something unique.

Industrial & Workshop Antiques

Bygone Times offer rugged, historic mechanical pieces that add grit and go hard. Helping to create a man cave that’s a homage to working class Britain or the hardworking iron and steel of the Industrial Revolution, Bygone Times’ stallholders retail a huge selection of industrial and workshop antiques that offer both functionality, style, history and charm.

Must-Have Industrial & Workshop Antiques

• Factory Carts
• Machinist Tool Chests
• Cast-Iron Vises
• Workbenches
• Antique Lockers & Metal Cabinets

Best for: Industrial, Steampunk & Maker-Style Man Caves

Sports Memorabilia (Antique/Vintage)

For many men, sport is more than just a few hours of fun on a Saturday at 3pm – it’s in your blood and it’s with you for life, whether you like it or not. Whether you’re info football, rugby, cricket, boxing, golf or F1, Bygone Times offers an array of stalls to connect a man to the glory days.

Moving away from modern mass-produced plastic replicas, Bygone Times selection or vintage and retro sports antiques adds a touch of nostalgia and authenticity to sports-themed mancaves and home bars.

Must-Have Sports Memorabilia Antiques & Vintage

• Framed Vintage Sports Programmes
• Ticket Stubs
• Old Gym Lockers
• Trophies, Cups & Plaques

Best for: Sports Bars, Fan Caves

Vintage Entertainment & Tech

A far-cry from phone apps and social media, Bygone Times offers tactile and mechanical vintage entertainment and tech, from mid-century radios and décor that’s a monument of engineering. Perfect for man cave centrepieces, transporting guests to another period and aesthetic, Bygone Times’ selection of vintage entertainment and tech will draw everybody in with classic flip switches and turn dials.

Must-Have Vintage Entertainment & Tech

• Slot Machines
• Jukeboxes & Gramophones
• Antique Radios & TVs
• Arcade Cabinets

Mid-Century & Early 20^th Century Furniture

Visit Bygone Times for a huge range of functional, stylish and affordable antique furniture items for a refined, gentlemanly and sophisticated touch to man caves. Great for gentleman’s studies, home libraries, reading rooms and lounges, there’s no mass-produced modern furniture that touches a leather club chair or solid oak desk.

Must-Have Mid-Century & Early 20^th Century Furniture

• Leather Club Chairs
• Barber Chairs
• Roll Top & Partner Desks
• Library Tables
• Card Tables
• Globe Bars
• Spirit Cabinets

Best For: Lounges, Studies & Home Libraries

Bar & Tavern Antiques

For Lancastrians & tourists alike looking to create a home social space inspired by classic British pubs and taverns, authenticity is crucial. From Victorian bar mirrors and classic Whiskey glasses and pint glasses to crates, brass pumps, ashtrays and branded memorabilia, Bygone Times’ selection of bar and tavern antiques carry the faint scent of history and the atmosphere of a good old Sunday session.

Must-Have Bar & Tavern Antiques

• Antique Bar Pumps
• Decanters
• Siphons
• Advertising Mirrors

Best For: Home Bars, Pub-Themed Caves

Military & Americana Antiques

Making a strong, visual impact with historical relevance and significance, military & Americana antiques make a man cave a private museum for history buffs. From famous world war trench arts to preserve navigation tools, masks and equipment, military & Americana antiques from Bygone Times’ stallholders tell enduring stories of adventure and bravery that still resonate today.

Must-Have Military & Americana Antiques

• WWI/WWII Gear & Equipment
• Medals & Relics
• Flags
• Maps

Best For: Patriotic Mancaves & History Enthusiasts

Automotive, Aviation & Transportation

Symbolic of machinery that’s bold and built for speed, celebrate the golden age of travel with heavy duty materials, signage and equipment at Bygone Times. Bringing the spirit of the open road indoors, Bygone Times offers nostalgic and high-energy ‘garage lounge’ vibes.

Must Have Automotive, Aviation & Transportation Antiques

• Garage Signs
• Railway Clocks
• Aviation Instruments

Best For: Gearhead Caves & Garage Lounges

Hunting, Outdoors & Lodge Antiques

Earthy, rustic and masculine, Bygone Times’ stallholders offer those beautiful textures of the forest and field to transform interiors. With heavy timber, warm lanterns and ethically sourced antique taxidermy, Bygone Times help to create a space that feels like a secluded cabin in the woods, irrespective of your postcode.

Must-Have Hunting, Outdoors & Lodge Antiques

• Lodge Furniture
• Lanterns
• Rustic Sporting Gear

Best For: Cabins, Lodges & Rustic Mancaves

Advertising & Signage

Every man cave needs a focal point, and advertising and signage can offer antique enamel or neon signs that add a flamboyant burst of colour and nostalgia that makes a man cave something unique. With porcelain signs from iconic brand like Coca-Cola, Guinness or vintage tobacco companies, discover timeless aesthetics at Bygone Times to make a manly statement.

Must-Have Advertising & Signage

• Porcelain Signs
• Neon Lights
• Branded Tins

Best For: Creating eye-catching focal points, displays and fills man cave wall space

Why Visit Bygone Times to Complete Your Mancave?

With over 500 independent stallholders comprised of local entrepreneurs and suppliers, Bygone Times welcomes Lancastrians and tourists alike to curate their personality in person at our historic Grove Mill, rather than ‘adding-to-cart’ on a generic website.

Providing a great day out for the whole family, Bygone Times isn’t limited to a single style or niche, but is the home of authentic antiques from all time periods, giving man cave-shopper access to a huge volume of inventory with personality, sustainability and longevity.