APR 2021 Issue 101
Lets Get social www.look-localmagazine.co.uk |
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Local knowledge! local offices! In search to find you the perfect buyer or tenant! Chancellors are growing! one of the UK’s leading independent Estate Agents now has 16 branches across Oxfordshire.
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April 2021
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18
20 CONTENTS 07. Home & Garden Loft Ladders you can trust from Home County Loft Ladders. 14. home & Garden Look locally over the garden gate, by Lucie Ponsford of Mimosa Garden Design. 18. Get the Look The Best of British with Coulon Stone. 20/21. News News from our region. 22/23. Sound of music Simon Markland talks us through this months music scene and upcoming events.
Hello Readers, A whole year has now passed since the pandemic started and Covid 19 took over the way we live our life’s! But, the future is looking brighter once again as we’ve already seen the reopening of schools as well as outdoor organised sports resuming, the ‘stay at home’ rule being dropped, UK travel restrictions loosened and socialising with family and friends (up to 6 people or one other household) in our back gardens is allowed just in time for BBQ season. This month we reach the next stop along the governments roadmap as we come out of lockdown and welcome the reopening of many of our much-loved and most-missed businesses including non-essential retail outlets, hairdressers, beauty salons and gyms. ‘Self-contained accommodation’ will be available to rent, such as cottages, Airbnb rentals and campsites meaning a little stay-cation with your household could well be on the cards and other areas of the hospitality sector are also allowed to trade once again with pubs and restaurants serving food and drinks outside. Covid guidelines are still firmly in play of course but there is definitely a sense of positivity in the air. One local pub that’s seen a huge makeover during this years lockdown is The Boot in Bledlow Ridge and it’s been a real labour of love from the villagers to get it to the stage it is, ready for reopening on 12th April. It’s a story of true community spirit and comradery - turn to page 20 to read more. Another uplifting local story this month comes from Coulon Stone who were recently involved in a project at RAF High Wycombe. Turn to page 18 to read the article.
24..Business Chris Harris of Harris Consultancy continue with his top tips for small businesses.
And as always, stay safe, respect the rules and lets all support our local businesses and community as best we can...
25. Childcare ????? . With Lara Chaplin of LaLa's House.
For Advertising contact 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk W: www.look-localmagazine.co.uk : Look Local Magazine
26. health & Wellbeing Andy Roscoe of Thame Therpy Clinic explains the effects of Long Covid and how complementary therapy may help. BOOKING DEADLINE for May 2021 issue:
Friday 16th April 04
Love Emma x
: Look_Local_Mag 7,100 copies of Look Local Magazine are printed on a monthly basis and delivered to households in, Aston Rowant, Bledlow Ridge, Chalgrove, Chinnor, Crowell, Cuxham, Great Haseley, Great Milton, Henton, Kingston Blount, Kingston Stert, Lewknor, Little Milton, Milton Common, Postcombe, Sydenham, Tetsworth, Towersey and Watlington. In addition, the magazine can also be picked up from businesses in these areas and also Thame & Wheatley. All material appearing in this publication is reproduced as supplied. Although every care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publishers/printers cannot accept responsibility for the content of this publication. All artwork is accepted on the understanding that the description of goods and services are fair and accurate and permission has been given for use in this publication. Inclusion of advertisements does not imply endorsement by the publisher or printer. No part of this publication may be reproduced.
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April 2021
SPECIALISING IN LOW INSURANCE | LOW TAX LOW EMISSION CARS A small family run business with over 30 years’ experience in the motor trade, providing exceptionally good value and customer service. CURRENT VEHICLES FOR SALE: 2010 White Fiat 500 pop 1.2L 71000 miles, £2995 2011 Red Peugeot 107 urban 1L 5Dr 57000 miles, £2595 2012 White Nissan Qashqai 1.6L 63,000 miles, £4795 2010 Red Vauxhall Corsa SXi 1.2L 5Dr 50,000 miles, £2895 2009 Red Fiat Lounge 1.2L 35000 miles, £3695
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Home & Garden
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Editorial Feature
Home Counties Loft Ladders, Quality You Can Trust! These days most homeowners suffer from a lack of storage space. So many precious items that need to be kept – but where to store it all? That’s where Home Counties Loft Ladders come in.
watchwords are Quality, Integrity and Value. Quality in the materials that we use for all our installations and the fact that all our loft packages are fitted by time served tradesmen, so our customers are assured of the best job.
The company, based locally, offers homeowners the opportunity to maximise their storage space with a loft ladder, 50sqft of boarding and a light - all fully fitted in less than a day from just £355! But it’s not just the affordability of the package that makes Home Counties Loft Ladders stand out, as manager Jamie Oakley explains: ‘Our
Integrity in that we will turn up at the time we say and make sure the house is spotless when we leave, and value in that we offer our services at a price people can afford.
us by our existing customers - that simply wouldn’t happen if we didn’t adhere to our overriding principles. At the end of the day the old adage that happy customers lead to more happy customers is true and we work hard to make
that happen for every installation we carry out!’ So, if you want to make use of your loft space, call Jamie free on 0808 301 9558 and he’ll be happy to pop round and give you a no obligation quote so you too can make use of your loft!
Our business relies on referrals and we get a huge amount of our calls from people who have been referred to
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Home & Garden
Hardy Plant Specialists
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Home & Garden
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Home & Gardens
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Home & Garden
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Home & Garden
Look locally over the garden gate with Lucie Giselle Ponsford
I am excited about spring, but I am thrilled about Tulips and sharing some real insights that can get you on the right track with your bulbs in bloom. For gardeners used to the allure of the many and varied forms of the tulip you will be aware of their disappointing disappearing act come year 2 or thereafter. Why? Well, It’s back to my usual adage: that the plant will give you all the information you need. We start with where tulips come from, the Asian mountain range: the Himalayas. Here the climate dictates and plants have adapted to very cold winters with spring rains and a fabulous blooming period, with fast & free draining substrate and baking heat in long summers. This is the key to best performance, and conditions we don’t naturally have in the UK. However species tulips or miniatures; Darwin cultivars in red, orange, yellow, apricot, pink & twotone colours, Emperor & Triumph cultivars are called in the trade perennializers and these will perform readily year on year. They are closer to the original, naturally evolved bulbs sourced in the wild. Parrot, and ‘Broken’ tulips, Feathered and Doubles, in fact all those amazing exotics like icecreams or peonies are engineered by breeding and have a hybrid vigour that exists only in that original cultivar. Every one of these flowers is a clone, originating from one parent plant, (a completely fascinating concept. Think of the thousands of bulbs all vegatively propagated). As such they are fussy and vulnerable. They need special treatment. In the village foothills of Nepal they would flower on and on year on year no problem. However in our climate there are cultural methods we can use to prolong the potential for flowering. For instance lifting to keep dry & warm in summer & ensuring 14 weeks of cold by planting in Nov*. But I couldn’t leave you without this top insight into the tulip & their biology. Because of the freezing temperatures in the Eastern Mountain’s the tulip has a fascinating adaption and one we can manipulate in order to plant these bulbs in spring!! What? But it’s November for planting, spring for flowering! Well to avoid the damage of the devastating frosts the tulip mobilises its stored starches into glucose actively growing (sending out roots in the coldest months), as water filled with sugars is less likely to freeze. We can speed this vernalisation by potting up and putting in the fridge! Cover with plastic until there is top growth (check regularly to prevent rot) and then plant outdoors in a shady spot, more likely to keep cool for longer as spring progresses. However I don’t know many of us who have a spare spot in our fridge for a load of tulips! Still an interesting fact.
With love, Lucie
More top tips on planting are on my Facebook page Mimosa Design, or you can email info.mimosadesign@gmail.com or call 07737 286784.
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Home & Garden
- Extensions - Renovations - Loft Conversions - Kitchens - Bathrooms - Landscaping - Driveways - Windows & Doors - Conservatories Tel: 07967 991770
E: lpbbuilders@hotmail.com www.lpbbuilders.co.uk
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Wheatley Farm Shop x Small Bedma f the ro Retaile 20 0 Year 2
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Melcourt Farmyard Manure, Topsoil & Ornamental Barks Opening Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm Saturday, 9:00am - 4:00pm Tel No: 01865
874636
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Large selection of Home Grown Perennials ready to plant NOW! Beautify your garden this Spring!
Home & Garden
The best of British stone at RAF High Wycombe... Coulon Stone recently created a beautiful memorial at RAF High Wycombe made from two of Britain’s most infamous rocks. The memorial is made predominately from a sarsen stone. These ancient blocks of sandstone are typically found across southern England, in particular Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and are the remains of a glacier that swept across the area 66 million years ago. The countries most famous sarsen stones can be found at Stonehenge. The sarsen stone used for this memorial was uncovered at RAF High Wycombe whilst digging on the grounds. Coulon Stone collected the stone and bought it back to their factory in Stokenchurch where they cut away sections and made some inserts using a limestone called Portland Stone, another British rock quarried in Portland, Dorset. Coulon Stone partnered with Matt Cook of Martin Cook Studios who hand carved the RAF High Wycombe Crest, along with lines from Laurence Binyon’s famous remembrance poem, For The Fallen, “At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.” Coulon Stone prepared the groundworks for where the memorial now sits and lay a limestone path around the memorial where people can gather to pay their respects. The finished memorial was then delivered and gently placed in position using a crane. RAF High Wycombe said, “it’s important to have a fitting memorial in place for people to reflect and pay their respects,” and thanked Coulon Stone for their “hardwork and commitment” to making it happen. Coulon Stone have been involved in creating memorials, statues and restoration projects locally in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, as well as further afield in London, and beyond for 30 years. Previous projects include a statue of footballer Tony ‘Bomber’ Brown at West Bromwich Football Stadium, a memorial at RAF Northolt and the restoration of Holy Trinity Church in Bledlow.
If you’re thinking of adding a stone memorial or statue to a space, or need some restoration work done to a stone surface, no project is too big or small, so please get in touch with Coulon Stone using the contact details here. Email info@coulonstone.com | Showroom (Social Distancing measures are in place): Wycombe Road, Stokenchurch, HP14 3RP | Call: 01494 484333
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April 2021
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NEWS & EVENTS Help on the Doorstep...
in our region
We have all relied on local support in the last year as challenges have hit us all from many angles. None more so than Community owned pub, The Boot, in Bledlow Ridge. As the first lockdown hit new tenants were suddenly needed, otherwise the Ridge would have lost one of its key assets. Villagers Adele and Jaap Schram de Jong stepped into the breach to take over the pub and put a lot of effort into adding their personal touch, getting it ready to re-open once lockdown finished last July, as well as investing for the longer term. This is where the locals came to the fore with much needed help to redecorate the inside and also carry out key maintenance and improvements outside. It was a fantastic effort that meant when Eat Out to Help Out kicked off The Boot was able to welcome many visitors from far and wide. There has also been a new logo for the pub designed in the last year with the boot represented by a graphic in a more unique and modern style, reflecting the approach of the new tenants. The logo creators, Sly Design from West Wycombe, moved away from the traditional, old fashioned boot and developed a design with individuality and character to catch the eye and better reflect the The Boot’s more contemporary interior, atmosphere and food. But as we all know the hospitality industry has had massive challenges over the last year and the new tenants found the momentum in mid to late 2020 suddenly stopped when another lockdown struck. That is when the current pub sign was in danger of falling over and needed replacing. Once again help came from just down the road with local handyman Ian Darkins offer to make a unique replacement. “I just liked the idea of making something that will be part of a village I’ve been happy to call home,” said Ian. After over 100 hours of hard work, creativity and a damaged hand he has fashioned a wonderful addition to The Boot and village with a unique 3D designed pub sign. Even the pole for the sign was sourced and erected by Roy Boddy from the village, as well as important support from the Parish Council. So, with the impending re-opening, Adele and her team have been working like trojans to get things ready for customers to return. That has meant hard work sanding down and repainting tables to many mundane tasks such as removing lots of candle wax from the fireplace!!! There is no doubt The Boot and its new sign will stand out when customers pull up for a drink or something to eat. It is also a reflection on how the locals have added their help and expertise to the new tenants to make sure The Boot keeps going when so many other pubs are closing.
The Boot re-opens on 12th April under Covid restrictions with much of the garden set up to allow eating and drinking outside even if it rains.
20 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk
News & Events Chinnor and Thame Friends of the Earth are bringing to Chinnor and surrounding villages, an exciting scheme - Solar Streets - bringing renewable energy to your rooftop.... Solar Streets is a discounted Solar PV Scheme, installing solar panels on your roof at a reduced rate. This is possible because, rather than individually ordering solar panels, bulk buying and close proximity installations enables discounted rates to apply. With solar panels, you save on your electricity bill and reduce your carbon footprint, so reducing your impact on climate change. At the same time, you will be helping to build a community fund for local projects, as Solar Streets will donate £50 for every household who signs up. Ever thought about installing solar panels, well now is a good time, as we come out of lockdown and summer is just around the corner. The Solar Streets project has grown and is currently running 13 schemes across the South of England including other local communities such as Wallingford, Thame, Marlow, Henley on Thames and small villages. A standard solar package with Solar Streets starts at £4,000 and this should produce enough power for an average 3-4 bedroom house. Join us at our zoom Q&A session on Thursday 22 April to find out more and how you can benefit from this community initiative. Chinnor plus includes Henton, Sydenham, Emmington, Kingston Blount, Aston Rowant, Bledlow, Crowell and Bledlow Ridge. Register your interest via the website www.SolarStreets.co.uk/ChinnorPlus or contact Chinnor & Thame FOE via email: chinnorthamefoe@gmail.com or Facebook: chinnorthameFOE supported by Chinnor Parish Council, Greening Chinnor, and Mill Lane Community Garden
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21
Sound of Music
elcome to our April music page. Here you will find information on local musical events, upcoming concerts and where to find the best music tuition in the area.
W
Thame has a variety of fantastic opportunities for budding musicians who wish to join together with other like-minded people. From bands to choirs to bell ringing! We also host a huge variety of annual musical events which we are all looking forward to welcoming the return of - when it is safe to do so. Thame Music Academy TMA is excited to let you know that they will be RE-OPENING from MONDAY 12TH APRIL 2021! They can’t wait to open their doors again (hopefully for good!) and continue to provide professional, creative and innovative musical instrument lessons for all! Their fantastic teaching facility based in the centre of Thame will be welcoming back their existing students along with meeting many new faces! The Academy has 3 large, well equipped, professional teaching rooms, a waiting area and the usual amenities. Their convenient location means it is just a short walk from the town centre with free parking available directly opposite. TMA will have all the required temporary Covid-19 measures and procedures in place in order to provide a
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safe, clean and friendly teaching environment. More information regarding their measures and procedures can be found via the TMA website and their social media platforms. Thame Music Academy provides lessons in a large variety of instruments including; Piano, Keyboard, Singing, Guitar (Acoustic or Electric), Ukulele, Bass Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Violin, Strings, Brass and Music Theory. For further information regarding lessons and to make a booking please contact the academy via the details at the end of this article
Char Char Chimps - This wonderful
local group is aimed at providing musical fun for babies up to toddler age, they are pleased to announce that sessions are now back up and running in various locations across the county and you can check out their website in order to find one which works for you! The group’s aim is to encourage preschool children to be interactive with music, lights and sounds along with various different props and themes each week. As well as having lots of fun Cha Char Chimps aims to encourage; Language skills, Co-ordination, Co-operation, Confidence and Concentration in order to enhance
Entertainment young children’s learning as they enjoy the journey of their first few years, gaining skills which will be used later on in life. For further information regarding classes and to make a booking please visit For further information regarding classes and to make a booking please visit: www.ccchimps.com/thame
Musical Mayhem - is an award-
winning live music experience giving babies and toddlers in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire a lively introduction to traditional, modern and original children’s songs. The group will be taking bookings for indoor face to face classes from Wednesday 7th April, please visit their website to make a booking from this date onwards! They run regular term-time drop-in classes in Princes Risborough, Haddenham, Chinnor, Thame and High Wycombe and we are also available to hire for private bookings and toddler parties (current restrictions apply). They are called Musical Mayhem for a reason - embracing the chaos that comes with little people! The children don’t have to sit still on your lap - let them wriggle, dance and express themselves and the session teachers do love a bit of cheeky heckling from the audience. The classes are suitable from birth up to school age and are highly interactive with colourful props, hand puppets, masks, scarves and parachute games to bring the songs to life. The children get to try different percussion instruments including egg shakers, tapping sticks and jingly bells. There is also a different theme every week. As well as stimulating the cognitive development of babies and young children, they aim to make Musical Mayhem a special, shared experience for you and your little ones that will inspire in them a lifelong love of music and give you many
happy memories of singing together. For further information on current classes and to make a booking please visit: www.musicalmayhemuk.co.uk
R
egular local live music?
We are hopful that the latter end of 2021 will bring back all the wonderful local and regular live music events which we all really enjoy, but in the meantime don’t forget these brilliant online sessions so you can get your musical fix!... Oxford Coffee Concerts This excellent group are releasing brand new performances via their website and YouTube page every Sunday morning! If you would love to start off your relaxing Sunday with some wonderful live music whilst you enjoy a nice hot drink please visit their website for further details: www.coffeeconcerts.com Folk in Oxford! - This fantastic group have set up a website to promote live, recorded and of course online music which is coming up in December! For further information and to find out more please visit: www.folkinoxford.co.uk Open Micsolate! is a must for any performer who is missing their local music scene. It is all totally free of course and you can join them by searching ‘Open Micsolate’ via Facebook! They are also now running ‘Open Micsolate Live!’ once a month, this gives performers the opportunity to sign up for an online slot and perform live in the comfort of their own homes! Along with appreciating a whole array of fantastic artists at the same time.
This feature is brought to you by Simon Markland of Thame Music Academy Tel: 07743 032292 Email: info@thamemusicacademy.com Web page: www.thamemusicacademy.com
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23
Business Support
My Top Business Tips cont....
Continued from the previous edition we published 5 of our top ten business tips for new and existing businesses, here are our remaining 5 with an opportunity for you to tell us yours and win a free social media review! A record-breaking number of businesses have been created during the COVID pandemic. Statistics show an increase of 44,500 and counting… new businesses registered during the months of the pandemic compared to the previous year. So, we thought it was an ideal time to publish our recommendations to help get your business off the ground!
6. Manage Expectations Setting up a family run/small business gives the opportunity to really get to know your clients and customers. Unlike high street brands or enterprise retailers where the customer is a statistic, you can offer a relationship. That is warm and recognisable time and time again. Use this advantage to take the time to help your customers and surpass expectation.
7. Networking Networking is so crucial in a business particularly a start-up, now I don’t mean physical networking groups and of course this cannot be done during this time. But, online networking groups on social media are brilliant to throw ideas around, see what other businesses are doing. They are a great source of ideas and support when you need it. Also, it allows you to keep tabs on any upcoming trends that you may be able to incorporate into your business.
8. Adjust as Needed This is really important particularly during the current climate. Mike Tyson, once said “Everybody has a plan until they get hit”, So let’s just think about that for a moment, any business needs to embrace change, always being ready to try new things. Of course, that is scary and it can be challenging, but offering new services that are more relevant to your customer at that point in time, which may be out of the ordinary for you, is far more likely to result in sales. Being able to pivot your business at short notice, will ensure the longer-term survival and growth which is what you want to achieve. Embracing change and adjusting as needed will ensure you always stay relevant.
9. Involve your Family Involving your family in your business is so important. They can understand your current workload and what you do but I think families have an even more interesting and important role and I believe that is feedback. The nature of a family is that you’ll have different age groups, therefore different generations with opinion. So, use their life experiences and ask them what they think of your product/service or a generic question about a new idea you have. I guess its market research on your doorstep likely to be approached differently by each family member due to the age difference and generational change.
10. Plan to Succeed Now you may not have an elaborate business plan but you need a plan. Think about where you want to be in 6 months. What you need to do to get there and remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take a step a day or a few steps a week to those goals and this will all add up in a positive way. It’s likely the plan will change as you progress, learn more about your customers and your target market all of which will help you stay focused and headed in the right direction. So, here’s my top 10 tips, why don’t you share yours with me by emailing yours to hello@harrisconsultancy.co.uk all entries received will be entered into a draw to win a free social media review! M: 07799 282042 | E: hello@harris-consultancy.co.uk | W: www.harris-consultancy.co.uk
24 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk
Health & Wellbeing
LONG COVID: What is it and can anyone help?... By Andy Roscoe, Acupuncturist and Director at Thame Therapy Clinic
A
substantial number of people never properly recover from Covid 19 and continue to suffer symptoms more than 12 weeks after getting Covid, which has been labelled ‘long Covid’. The most common symptoms, according to the British Medical Journal are:- profound fatigue, cough, breathlessness, brain fog, muscle and body aches, chest pressure, and to a lesser extent, skin rashes, palpitations, fever, headache, diarrhoea, and pins and needles. A common feature of all of these is the relapsing well/not well cycle of the symptoms. Although Covid 19 is not the same as ordinary flu (in so far as it attacks more of the organs than just the lungs), the persistence of debilitating symptoms long after the illness has passed is something we have seen before in the Clinic in people who have had serious flu or suffered multiple system failure such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia or Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Clearly there are no simple solutions to whole body shutdowns and chronic symptoms, but we have a lot of experience in the Clinic treating people who have had similar symptoms before Covid came on the scene. There is no one-way to get better. Each person’s situation will require careful assessment using insights from acupuncture, osteopathy, physiotherapy, homeopathy, massage, nutritional therapy and counselling. You are welcome to call Thame Therapy Clinic for an informal discussion and speak to Andy Roscoe or Kieren Spencer if you would like to have another opinion on your health and treatment options.
Stay safe, Andy Roscoe
Thame Therapy Clinic High Quality Complementary Health Therapies from Experienced Practitioners
Therapies include • Physiotherapy • Reflexology • Osteopathy • Homeopathy • Acupuncture • Holistic Massage • Counselling • Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy and more... 01844 215555 / 261592 23 Upper High Street, Thame, OX9 3EX
www.thametherapyclinic.co.uk
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Voted the Best Antique Centre in the UK High Street, Tetsworth, Oxon, OX9 7AB
01844 281777 www.theswan.co.uk antiques@theswan.co.uk
WE ARE MAKING OUR VENDORS THOUSANDS OF POUNDS! Our next auction which takes place on 6th May 2021. Here are some upcoming Auction highlights... A Qing Dynasty Blue and White Five Spouted Vase £120 – £200
Laurence Stephen Lowry, The Level Crossing, Burton On Trent, Lithograph £2,000 – £3,000 A 22ct Gold Queen Victoria 200th Anniversary Sovereign Five Coin Proof Set £2,500 – £3,000
An Impressive 18ct White Gold Bracelet Set with 13.44Ct of round brilliant Cut Diamonds £13,000 – 15,000 Large collection of porcelain and china including Clarice Cliff in our upcoming auction including this exceptionally rare Art Deco Subway Sadie Comport (right). £4,000 – £7,000
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For all enquiries T: 01844 281777 | E: antiques@theswan.co.uk