The Russell Exchange

Believed to be the oldest surviving auction house in Asia, working just off Park Street since 1940 and once a regular stop for Satyajit Ray. Sunday auctions start around 11:00 and move through colonial furniture, gramophones, chandeliers, cameras and entirely unpredictable bric-a-brac; on other days you can browse the vintage stock and buy directly. A documentary, 'The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers', was made about the place, and it still feels like a room the century forgot to clear out.

Asia's oldest auction room still takes bids on a Sunday morning