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Absolutely Fabulous The V&A recreates Whistler’s infamous Peacock Room
Heritage hideaways Amazing escapes with a difference
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RITA KONIG’S STYLE SECRETS LUKE HONEY ON FIREWORKS PRUE LEITH’S WINTER WARMERS
COLOUR STORY Five bold and beautiful homes, from a tiny terrace to a stately manor house
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Portrait: Beatrice Berger Wallpaper: Willow Bough from the Morris & Co x Ben Pentreath collection
Editor’s Letter
elcome to the November issue of H&A. Filled with our usual mix of fascinating features and stylish interiors, we hope it provides a cheering distraction from the prospect of another lockdown – news of which is now unfolding. I apologise if our listings (p135) are woefully out of date by the time you receive your copy. Do check the organisers’ websites, all of which are listed, as we know they are doing all they can to adapt to this challenging situation, hoping to balance safety with a desire to continue trading and meeting you, their customers. Much has been written about the way colour can affect our moods, and this month’s houses were chosen for their uplifting use of vibrant paints and richly patterned wallpapers: from the classical elegance of Deans Court in Dorset, to the monochromatic restraint of a Cornish townhouse, there is much to admire and inspire from page 53. Bold and brilliant colour runs through our features, too. Turn to page 36 to read the story
Tell us what inspires you in this issue of H&A. Tag @homes_antiques on Instagram or use the addresses overleaf
of Whistler’s infamous Peacock Room, a vision in gold and teal, and discover the glorious designs that make up the Crowson Archive on page 49. And, finally, fans of fireworks and Bonfire Night should turn to Luke Honey’s wonderful Cabinet of Curiosities (p29) for a comforting dose of nostalgia.
Charlotte Packer, Acting Editor
AN UPDATE ON MAY’S HOUSE IN BEIRUT Many readers have been in touch expressing concern for May Daouk, whose beautiful house (on the cover of our July issue) was destroyed by the Beirut blast in August. Filled with a wonderful mix of art and antiques, the 19th-century villa was a rare survivor of Lebanon’s civil war, and May’s exuberant style encapsulated everything we admire here at H&A. As you can see from these photographs, May’s home is now in ruins and she is living with a friend. Via email she says: ‘I have just finished putting the things rescued from the blast into storage – no home left. It’s heartbreaking and difficult. My son had stitches in his head from the ceiling literally falling on him. I guess we were lucky, but no house.’ The architectural charity windowsforbeirut.org is raising funds to help rebuild this historic city
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 3
THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS (and the heritage property that has made the biggest impact on them)
Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited, Eagle House, Colston Avenue, Bristol, BS1 4ST Editorial homesandantiques@immediate.co.uk; 0117 300 8620 Advertising 0117 300 8805 Subscriptions 0333 016 2117
Anna Tobin wrote about Mairead Turner’s house page
Editorial Acting Editor Charlotte Packer Senior Production Editor Rachel Nott Features Editor Katie Pike Senior Staff Writer Sophie Hannam Shopping Editor Rosanna Morris Antiques Writer Caroline Wheater
Anna has been writing about homes and interiors and styling interior shoots for the best part of 20 years. Her work is found in magazines worldwide. She also runs a blog (dontcrampourstyle.com).
Design Art Director Christianne Raymer Deputy Art Editor Kirsty Lyons
‘I appreciate all styles of architecture, but have a particular fondness for Arts and Crafts, providing it’s given a colourful twist. I love William Morris’s Red House in Bexleyheath in particular.’
Advertising Group Advertising Manager Laura Jones Advertising Manager Heather Golden Business Development Manager Sophie North Brand Sales Executives James Beckett, Phil Wallington Classified Sales Executive Alex Armstrong, Sophie Roberts Advertising Designer Alfie Martin
Darcie is a freelance portraiture photographer based in Gloucestershire with an interest in interiors, craftsmanship and people.
Steven is an auctioneer, author and curator with a passion for ceramics. He’s also a regular expert on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow.
‘The most notable property for me is Whitby Abbey. My great-grandparents had a dairy farm and you could see this iconic landmark from across the North York Moors. It’s a real spectacle and has brought me to this part of the world since I was little.’
‘Middleport Pottery, Stokeon-Trent. Built in 1888, it still works as a pottery. As an ambassador for The Prince’s Regeneration Trust (now The Prince’s Foundation) I have welcomed HRH The Prince of Wales there on a number of occasions.’
Chris Stocker and Katy Layton
Subscriptions Director Jacky Perales-Morris Junior Direct Marketing Executive Gemma Balding Director of Licensing and Syndication Tim Hudson Syndication Manager Richard Bentley Production Director Sarah Powell Junior Production Coordinator Georgia Tolley PR Manager Toby Hicks
Managing Director Marie Davies Promotions and Partnerships Manager Rosa Sherwood Publishing Assistant Lara Von Weber Group Managing Director Andy Marshall CEO Tom Bureau
Steven Moore answers your antiques queries for ‘Ask the Expert’ page
Additional thanks to
Marketing & Production
Publishing
Darcie Judson photographed Susan Early for ‘Meet the Maker’ page
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Homes & Antiques is also available on your smartphone or tablet – visit buysubscriptions.com/ homesandantiques on your digital device, and choose the ‘Digital Edition’ tab. You can buy single issues or take out a subscription so you always have H&A to hand. ON THE COVER Photograph Rachael Smith
© Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited, , member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Unsolicited manuscripts and transparencies are accepted on the understanding that the publisher incurs no liability for their storage or return. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced without permission. All prices are correct at the time of going to press. The publisher, editor and authors accept no responsibility in respect of any products, goods or services which may be advertised or referred to in this issue or for any errors, omissions, misstatements or mistakes in any such advertisements or references. Homes & Antiques (ISSN 68) (USPS ) is published times a year (monthly with a special issue in March) by Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited, Eagle House, Colston Avenue, Bristol, BS ST, UK. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material. In the event of any material being used inadvertently, or where it proved impossible to trace the copyright owner, acknowledgement will be made in a future issue. Immediate Media Co Ltd is working to ensure that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests. This magazine can be recycled. We abide by IPSO’s rules and regulations. To give feedback about our magazines, please visit immediate.co.uk, email editorialcomplaints@immediate.co.uk or write to Katherine Conlon, Immediate Media Co, Vineyard House, Brook Green, London, W6 BT.
Talking H&A For information on an accessible version of Homes & Antiques for blind or partially sighted people, please call RNIB Newsagent on
4 Homes & Antiques November 2020
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E
A L I TT LE Say hello to new Gourmet Nature’s Creations, an exquisitely delicious meal range made just for your feline foodie hether you’ve been treating yourself to that expensive cheese or splashing out on silk cushions, as a nation we’ve really come to appreciate those little home luxuries over the last few months. And cats feel the same way! They love a bit of indulgence – especially when it comes to their food. New Gourmet Nature’s Creations is a collection of delectable recipes that are expertly cooked and rich in poultry or fish, plus other high-quality selected natural ingredients. What’s more, there are no added artificial colourants, flavourings or preservatives. Each recipe is so carefully crafted, it will make even the most discerning cat savour every bite with pleasure and purr with delight. So, go on, spoil your furry friend with the finest food inspired by nature. Gourmet Nature’s Creations is available at supermarkets and pet stores nationwide.
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DISCOVER GOURMET NATURE’S CREATIONS This new cat food range features an exquisite selection of slow-cooked mini fillet meals inspired by nature. Highlights include… • Gourmet Nature’s Creations Fish, which offers succulent Rich in OceanFish and Rich in Tuna, both garnished with selected natural ingredients. • Gourmet Nature’s Creations Poultry, which gives your cat the choice of tasty Rich in Chicken and Rich in Turkey, both of which also come with garnishes.
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® Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.
CONTENTS Homes A TWIST ON TRADITION Q
The past and present stand side by side in this palatial Dorset home
Page
Enjoy
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COMING HOME Fine artist Hannah Woodman has blended beautiful paintings with antiques that span the eras in her 18th-century Cornish home
PURE THEATRE Cassie Nicholas’s dramatic Bristol home is the perfect backdrop for her antiques business
VIBRANT VINTAGE Mairead Turner’s mix of pattern and colour blends with retro furniture in her Anglesey home + Little black book 89
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Elegant wallpapers and well-chosen antiques are the touchstones of Gavin Hough London residence
T
MONTH k
Q
exhibition and auction, plus buying que table lamps
STYLE.NOW.
Eye-catching textiles, exquisite embroidery and this season’s trends
HLISTS
& dlesticks, soup tureens and throws
6 Homes & Antiques November 2020
Vintage & Antique
��
IN THE SPOTLIGHT �� Treasure beneath a Tudor floor Q
COLUMN: LUKE HONEY ��
Our columnist on fireworks ephemera
COLLECTING BITOSSI �� Q
PROFILE: RITA KONIG ��
���
MATERIAL MATTERS ���
��
The extraordinary history of brass
STAR SALES ��� ASK AN EXPERT ��� Our antiques experts answer your queries
COLLECTING TEAPOTS ��� Q
FAIRS & AUCTIONS ���
Features
��
MEET THE MAKER �� Susan Early shows us her handwoven baskets
FRIENDSHIP, FEUDS & FANTASY �� Q
Revisiting Whistler’s infamous Peacock Room
A PASSION FOR PATTERN �� We delve into the Crowson Archive of fabrics
THE EDIT �� Latest home trends, plus focus on heating
SHADOWS OF THE PAST ���
��
We consider antiques with a colonial legacy Q
FOOD NEWS & RECIPES ���
Vegetarian dishes from Prue Leith Q
HERITAGE GETAWAYS ���
Self-catering properties with a difference
Regulars LETTERS � READER OFFER �� COMING NEXT ISSUE �� SUBSCRIPTIONS �� STOCKISTS ���
ROOM WITH A CLUE ���
���
Q ON THE COVER
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 7
Letters Send us a tweet, ask advice on Facebook, tag us on Instagram or write to the H&A team with good old pen and paper – we’d love to hear from you…
Homes & Antiques, Eagle House, Colston Avenue, Bristol, BS1 4ST homesandantiques@immediate.co.uk facebook.com/homesantiques twitter.com/homes_antiques instagram.com/homes_antiques pinterest.co.uk/homesantiques
the money slot replaced with a circular hole to take the lamp fitting, and latterly the moneybox moulds were decorated with incongruous transfers. I have a Noah’s Ark-shaped money box adorned with a transfer of tropical fruit including a pineapple! Thank you for producing such a wonderfully varied magazine each month. Catherine Davies, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
articles, the glossy photos and inspiration you provide. It’s like a friend popping in. If you are ever in the Ribble Valley, do stop by! Mandy Brennan, Birds in the Barn, Ribble Valley
Star Letter
Lucky Find Collecting Carlton I became interested in Carlton Ware many years ago after I inherited a small salad dish from my grandmother. It was in the shape of a lettuce leaf and decorated with two three-dimensional tomatoes at one end. Over the years I have collected a lot of Carlton Ware, but my particular favourites are the money boxes, and so I was delighted to see a small collection of them beautifully displayed in the September issue of your magazine (page 91) in the mid-century-themed home of Mark Hampshire and Keith Stephenson. My collection is a bit more extensive than theirs, and includes one or two oddities. For example, some of the moulds were adapted to make table lamps, with
8 Homes & Antiques November 2020
ABOVE Catherine’s impressive collection of Carlton Ware is a colourful feast for the eyes. BELOW Primed by a feature in H&A, John bought this bowl at a bargain price, and it’s worth £2,000!
A massive thank you to Homes & Antiques. I read an article in H&A on Chinese export pottery featuring hunting scenes. I recognised a Chinese bowl in a car boot sale in York and bought it for £8. It has since been valued at over £2,000 by Bonhams. Thank you again. John Stuart, Haddington, East Lothian
Confidence Boost Well done H&A, thank you for giving me confidence with my new business venture. Last April I opened a shop in my barn selling antiques, vintage and curios. I had been nursing for 42 years and retired early to look after my husband, who had been ill with sepsis. Each month you feature items that I have for sale, so I know I’m on the right track. I love the
STAR LETTER Our star letter winner* will receive a bottle of Taittinger Brut Réserve worth £ – taittinger.com
* UK readers aged 18 or over only. Please include a daytime phone number. Tea towel pattern may differ from example shown. Please note that there may be a delay on the shipping of prizes due to the current situation with Covid-19. Prizes will be posted as soon as possible.
4
ECTING Paperweights
5 8
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If Antiques Could Talk...
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2
To the Lighthouse
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GL PA P E R W E I G H T S Lydia Blundell explores this fascinating and aesthetically pleasing collecting area and discovers the names to look for 1
George Kulles’ 1996 thriller, The Curse of the Imperial Paperweights, weaves a tale about a world-famous collection of paperweights, which disappears from Sotheby’s New York. An investigation into their previous owners ensues. This fictional murder mystery spins on one factual axis: the real individuals within the pages – Empress Eugenie of France, Oscar Wilde, Truman Capote and Eva Peron – all collected paperweights. These glass orbs were coveted additions for the desks of grand houses and many early collectors were writers. Capote once described them as: ‘rather like frozen snowflakes, dazzling patterns frozen forever’. Paperweights found popularity after a series of expositions, including the Great Exhibition of 1851 at London’s Crystal Palace. The most sought-after
classical paperweights stemmed primarily from three French factories, whose names have excited collectors past and present: Baccarat, Clichy and St Louis.
Three Key Forms Most antique glass paperweights were created in three styles: millefiori, lampwork and sulphide. The iconic millefiori, or ‘thousand flowers’ technique is achieved by layering molten glass, then manipulating it into a thin rod shape and slicing horizontally to create a pattern in the cross section. These patterned canes can create a multitude of designs and commonly feature botanical themes. An individual cane will sometimes identify the maker, such as the distinctive ‘dancing devil’ of St Louis paperweights, or the small ‘B’ for Baccarat. Lampwork refers
to the hot flame used to heat a glass cane, while sulphide paperweights are those containing cast animals, people and flowers. These antique paperweights were originally manufactured over a short period. Production ceased around 1860, which is when collecting began with a vengeance, especially among the wealthy. The glass paperweight enjoyed a renaissance after the Second World War and they are still made by modern glassmakers today, with weights by artists such as Paul J Stankard commanding high prices. According to Jim Peake, Specialist in Glass at Bonhams, paperweights have proved resilient in the current market. ‘While some fields of glass collecting have experienced fluctuations in value as a result of
11
a a g paperweights have lly held their value and ue to prove popular.’ s paperweights still attract on among both serious and e’ collectors, who might e just because they like it. rkets fluctuate, and there tainly been a general shift om academic collecting s collecting focused n aesthetics,’ Jim says. weights lend themselves to this because they ually appealing and the attracts a range of people.’
fying Quality nature can identify the or date, the value is ed. ‘With the exception iature paperweights, size s, and bigger is better,’ m M wee , wit as a r da a po r ch rall he aw i ce e, c
bu a e p e e a genuine antique. However, more serious issues such as an off-kilter design or large air bubbles within the glass will affect value. Thankfully, once you’ve purchased a paperweight, it’s fairly easy to keep it safe ‘They are difficult things to break,’ Jim says. ‘The cat will have a hard time knocking a paperweight off a shelf and, if it does, the worst that can be expected is a nasty chip or bruise, whereas a treasured collection of porcelain will not be so forgiving.’ The sale of a highly anticipated collection can fetch record prices, showing the continuity of paperweights’ appeal. Jim recalls some of Bonhams’ successes: ‘One of the landmark sales of recent years was that of the celebrated collection belonging h late Baroness de Bellet in
1. Baccarat rondello, £295, The Paperweight People. 2. This exceptional Baccarat paperweight c1850 sold at Bonhams in 2018 for £8,750. 3. Bacchus concentric millefiori, £2,750, The Paperweight People. 4. St Louis clematis on a double spiral ground, £850, The Paperweight People. 5. Baccarat garlanded clematis, £650, Fileman Antiques. 6. Baccarat carpet ground, £6,000, Fileman Antiques. 7. Baccarat interlaced garlands, £795, The Paperweight People. 8. Baccarat B1848, £1,800, Fileman Antiques. 9. This rare Mount Washington Glass
WHERE TO BUY BONHAMS
London, New Bond Street & Knightsbridge 020 7447 7447 bonhams.com FILEMAN ANTIQUES
Squirrels, Bayards, Horsham Road, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3AA 01903 813229 filemanantiques.co.uk LH SELMAN
Chicago, USA theglassgallery.com MAYFAIR GALLERY
39 South Audley Street, London, WIK 2PP 020 7491 3435 mayfairgallery.com THE PAPERWEIGHT
104 Homes & Antiques August 2020
ABOVE & RIGHT Our feature on paperweights in the August issue demonstrates how beguiling they can be, as Sarah knows only too well.
Precious Memories Luke Honey is so right about collecting being compulsive! In 1977 we were moving to a new house and our then-bank manager gave us a paperweight as a gift with the comment, ‘This will either sit in the back of a long-lost cupboard or will become an obsession with you!’ I have to say the latter was true and we have filled two cabinets in the hall, covered the study table, a shelf in the living room and overflowed onto the stairs! Wherever we travelled we bought a paperweight, so we have better reminders of trips than photos, and I can look at the various paperweights and remember exactly when and where we bought them (including Prague, where I had to buy a vase to get the colour blue to show the factory the shade I wanted for the paperweight!) There are examples from the USA, Canada and most of Europe, and each one not only gives me pleasure – more so now my husband has passed away – but also it’s a chance for the kids to learn about locations around the globe. Some of them are one-offs and designer pieces, but most are moderate in cost but great in pleasure! Sarah Adler, London
nding ‘The On I’ve been searching for a while for a mid-century sideboard. I know what I want – dark wood, rosewood or walnut, not teak, and strict dimensions to fit a particular space. And there it was, the perfect piece in the September issue. But oh, the irony! It was the very sideboard my parents bought in the late 1950s. It exists in the background of many family photos. Sadly, it has long since gone. If only I’d had the foresight to rescue it! Alison Townley, Lancaster
We were very interested to read your article about Bidston Lighthouse, especially as we were both born in Liverpool and have collected Liverpool pottery for some years. In 2015 we bought a rare Herculaneum creamware jug c1793 commemorating the earlier Bidston Lighthouse. Besides showing the lighthouse, it has a list of 58 merchant ship owners, a list of the different types of ship – brig or man-of-war – and a long line of colourful flags. Each flag is different so the owner in Liverpool could see his vessel was nearing the Mersey estuary. On the reverse, beneath a fine Liver Bird, is information about special signals. How often does history come alive in a piece of pottery? Margaret & Richar Moss, Staffordshire
DO YOU HAVE AN ANTIQUE WITH AN INTERESTING PAST? Tell us all about your piece with provenance and take a good picture of it, then send it to us (see addresses, left). If your letter is printed, we’ll send you a Teacup Tea Towel worth £12 from Thornback & Peel. (thornbackandpeel.co.uk)
Vessel wallpaper, £65 per roll, Mini Moderns. LEFT Pluto starburst gold wall clock, £140, Heal’s.
Str ng Pocket £122 Utility Des gn BEHIND P L U T O wallpaper £55 per oll Mini Moderns
Mid-century walnut sideboard, £595, Mustard Vintage.
LEFT Wooden dolls, from £95 each, Vitra.
Railings Estate Emulsion, £47.95 per 2.5l, Farrow & Ball.
Eames RAR rocking chair by Vitra, £515, Heal’s
WIN!
Get the Look
A FINE VINTAGE 1960s Orange and brown fat lava ceramic table lamp, £524, Via Antica at Pamono.
Mid-century style takes centre stage with design classics and bold wallpaper
String cabinet in oak, £318, Utility Design.
West German pottery vase, £75, Agapanthus Interiors. RIGHT Green vintage sadler coffee pot, £20, Vinterior.
A pretty tea towel worth £ *
LEFT Pavil on cush on £35 Mini Moderns
September 2020 Homes & Antiques 93
A Call off the search! A is dream sideboard looks familiar…
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 9
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ith a love of vibrant colour, bold pattern and playful prints, Pooky is all about beautiful lighting design and, this month, we’re over the moon to be teaming up to offer H&A readers 20 per cent off the full collection. From candlesticks and sculptural bases, to lampshades and mirrors, Pooky is known for designing elegant and affordable
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Terms and conditions 1 The promoter of this offer is Pooky Lighting Ltd (the ‘Promoter’). 2 This offer is for 20% off the entire Pooky range. The code can be used online at www.pooky.com and must be entered at the checkout. The offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or promotional codes. 3 This offer opens at 00:01am on 14th October 2020 and runs until 23:59pm on 17th November 2020. Offers redeemed outside the offer period will not be accepted. 4 The promotional offer is not for resale, is non-refundable and non-transferable and will not be replaced if lost or stolen. No cash refunds can be given under any circumstances. 5 The Promoter’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 6 This offer may be amended or withdrawn at any time at the Promoter’s discretion. 7 The terms and conditions https://www.pooky.com/terms-conditions will apply to all purchases made from the website. 8 Terms and conditions governed by English Law.
10 Homes & Antiques November 2020
T HE M ON T H NOVEMBER The auction, exhibition and antique to focus on this month (continuing on page 135 with more auctions and fairs happening online and near you)
This Arts and Crafts-style copper and brass table lamp, c1900, with leafy motifs, was designed by WAS Benson and sold for £1,125 at Lyon & Turnbull’s quarterly sale Decorative Arts: Design Since 1860.
the ANTIQUE
WAS BENSON TABLE LAMP As a 23-year-old trainee architect, William Arthur Smith (WAS) Benson had the good fortune to meet the Arts and Crafts luminary, artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones, in London. The encounter, in 1877, marked a turning point in his life and, a year later, encouraged by Burne-Jones and William Morris, Benson began designing domestic furniture and metalwork, including lighting, opening a workshop in 1880. A decade on, he’d become successful enough to open a large factory in Hammersmith, simultaneously working on projects to wire up large houses, hotels and churches, including Standen in East Sussex (now run by the National Trust) which still has all its original WAS Benson light fixtures. Today, Benson’s classic Arts and Craftsstyle lamps, with their flowing, organic designs and motifs taken from nature, are extremely collectable and, like treasure, becoming harder to find. If you’re buying at auction and condition is good, prepare to spend £550 upwards for a simple brass and copper table lamp, and over £1,000 for a more decorative example.
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 11
the EXHIBITION
MID-CENTURY ART & DESIGN FROM CONRAN TO QUANT RIGHT Sir Terence Conran photographed in 1952, the same year he opened Conran & Company in Notting Hill. BELOW Iconic fashion designer Mary Quant; outside her boutique, Bazaar, which she opened in 1955.
When we think of mid-century modern, thoughts naturally turn to the Eames Lounge chair or Ercol Loveseat, but it’s not just furniture that underwent a radical rebirth. The worlds of fashion, photography, textiles and art also enjoyed a renaissance. If you missed this exhibition first time around at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum last year, head to Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios to follow the story of young revolutionaries Mary Quant, Terence Conran, and Bernard and Laura Ashley. Buoyed by the teachings of Eduardo Paolozzi and the Independent Group, these trendsetters helped to reshape the design landscape in Britain and beyond. ‘Mid-Century Modern: Art & Design from Conran to Quant’ runs until 9th January 2021. dovecotstudios.com
AROUND THE UK 5 more exhibitions to visit this month… ‘Hogarth: London Voices, London Lives’ at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, London pitzhanger.org.uk ‘Portsmouth Revisited II’ at Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery portsmouthmuseum.co.uk ‘Raphael: Prince Albert’s Passion’ at The Lightbox, Woking thelightbox.org.uk ‘Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection Route’ at Barbara Hepworth Museum and Tate St Ives tate.org.uk ‘Huma Bhabha’ at the BALTIC, Gateshead baltic.art
12 Homes & Antiques November 2020
T HE MONTH
the AUCTION
Michael Wickham; Vic Singh
THE PATTERN SALE, 20TH NOVEMBER
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE French fabric sample book, c1920s, est £800 to £1,200; a design from the John Barker Archive, which is estimated to fetch between £3,000 and £5,000 for the entire archive; an album of original French wallpaper prints 1930–31, est £200–£300.
Until 2nd November you’ll be able to view an exhibition of lots featuring in Tennants’ The Pattern Sale. The unique auction comprises two wonderful private collections. The first, amassed by the owner over 30 years, is a selection of 170 French fabric and textile sample books of nearly 130,000 samples dating from 1880 to 1920. Estimates for the books range from £150 to £5,000. Next up is the John Barker Archive, a collection of over 800 sketches and designs for fabric and wallpaper executed between 1860 and 1872. The archive, consigned by Barker’s greatgreat-grandson, will be sold as a single lot with an estimate of £3,000–£5,000. *The free exhibition is open Mon to Sat, 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm. tennants.co.uk
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 13
ANTIQUES News
In the Spotlight
While working alone during lockdown, an archaeologist made an extraordinary discovery. Carefully lifting the floorboards of Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, he found thousands of rare items hidden amongst the dust and grime – one of the largest underfloor caches of its kind to be recovered from a National Trust property. The finds span the eras: from an empty box of Terry’s chocolates (possibly snaffled during the Second World War), to a rats’ nest incorporating Tudor textiles and 16th-century handwritten scraps. The star, however, was a 15th-century manuscript fragment decorated with vivid blue ink and gold leaf from the Latin Vulgate Psalm 39. It’s believed to have belonged to Sir Edmund Bedingfeld, who refused to sign the 1559 Act of Uniformity and remained a devout Catholic. If only walls (or floorboards) could talk…
©National Trust Images/Ian Ward; ©National Trust Images/Mike Hodgson
RARE ITEMS DISCOVERED IN TUDOR HOUSE
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 15
S T Y L E . N O W. Our monthly guide to DECORATIVE accessories, unique ANTIQUES and beautiful textiles that will add CHARACTER and colour to your home E DI T E D BY RO S ANNA M O R R IS & CAR O L INE W H EATE R
The future’s bright Designer Ben Pentreath is today’s William Morris – a visionary of our time and an arbiter of exceptional design. He even lives in the same Bloomsbury neighbourhood where Morris had a London workshop and home. So it is fitting that he has recoloured a selection of Morris’s original wallpaper and fabric designs for a collection with Morris & Co, named Queen Square. The result is a joyous reimagining of designs such as Blackthorn, Daffodil, Willow Bough and Bachelors Button in rich, saturated colours. stylelibrary.com
S T Y L E . N O W.
Buying handmade is all the more special with pieces from Memòri Studio. The hand-built plates and jars are made of clay collected from the potters’ surroundings and fired in an open fire, while the textiles are spun and woven by hand using wool and vegetable dyes. conranshop.co.uk
Antiques Housekeeping
Caring for antique pewter Wash antique pewter in warm water using a mild detergent, then dry thoroughly before applying a microcrystalline wax polish such as Renaissance.
Textile Renaissance Founded in the silk-weaving centre of London’s Spitalfields in 1870, Warner produced fabrics for embassies, palaces and stately homes around the world. The company became a Royal Warrant holder and even wove the coronation robes for Elizabeth II. By the 1980s it was producing chintzes for London decorators such as Colefax & Fowler and Jean Monro, and the Warner Textile Archive had been established. But many changes of ownership eclipsed the name over the years. Happily, in its 150th anniversary year, Warner is relaunching as Warner House, having been acquired by Lee and Emma Clarke of Clarke & Clarke. The new ranges of woven and printed fabrics, wallpapers, paints, furniture and home accessories draw on the extraordinary archive. Fabrics from £55 per metre and wallpaper from £80 to £95 per roll. warner-house.com
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 17
James McDonald
What to Buy Now
ANTIQUITIES Neil Grenyer at Lawrences on why you should invest
de Gournay: HandPainted Interiors
CLOCKWISE FROM T A room papered in Japanese Garden; Abbotsford hand-painted wallpaper; Sarus Cranes wall.
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Claud Cecil Gurney’s interest in the history, artworks and culture of China led him to found the hand-painted wallpaper and fabric company de Gournay nearly 30 years ago. In this book, he gives us the story behind why he established de Gournay, now famous for its new interpretations of 18th and 19th-century chinoiserie papers. Around 200 photographs take us side incredible houses adorned in the ompany’s glorious designs, from trees and cherry blossom to peacocks and cranes. Rizzoli New York, 2020 (£59.95)
Ancient art is finding new appeal at auction – these things have a history that spans centuries, even millennia, and they speak of long-lost historic civilizations where such pieces were treasured or even venerated by their owners. A simple piece of art from antiquity can be a fascinating focal point in a room and complements the vogue for modern simplicity of design. In Lawrences’ summer auction, a Persian tinned copper bowl, probably from the time of the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736), tripled expectations to make £1,060. While an Egyptian wooden and painted ushabti figure, dating from the second millennium BC, exceeded hopes to make £1,750.
S T Y L E . N O W.
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Flame Academy Candleholders of dreams ) Pair of Scottish Arts and Crafts oak candlesticks, £550, Georgian Antiques. ) Pols Potten Hands Up candleholder, £45, John Lewis & Partners. ) Enamel candlestick, £22, General Store No.2 at The Hoarde. ) Amira taper holder, £23, Anthropologie. ) Orion candlestick, £20, Pooky. ) Pair of mid-century hooped chrome candlesticks c1950, £88, The Old Cinema. ) Ceramic candlestick, £75, Ceraudo.
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November 2020 Homes & Antiques 19
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EXQUISITE EMBROIDERY Tactile, luxurious and exquisitely crafted, intricately embroidered textiles are something to cherish, whether old or new, and bring focus points to a room.
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� Cinchona fabric, £196 per m, George Spencer Designs � Sotherton fabric, £95 per m, Osborne & Little � Bookend fabric by Kit Kemp, £270 per m, Christopher Farr Cloth � Elizabeth in Red/Blue from the Gardyne Collection, £115 per m, James Hare � Rocket by Neisha Crosland, £1,102 per m (minimum order 10m), Turnell & Gigon � Tenga embroidered border in Azalea, £39 per m, Samuel & Sons � Embroidered cushion on sofa in Dazzle by Mulberry Home, £125 per m, GP&J Baker
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fabric h t or w h s u R e l Osborne & Litt
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All in the detail These embroidered fabrics and accessories will give your home a unique character
� Rushworth fabric, £115 per m, Osborne & Little � Ondine Crescent fabric, £485 per sq m, Vanderhurd � Tudor braid, £47 per m, James Hare � African Palmier Khaki velvet cushion, £50, Elizabeth Scarlett � Embroidered trim made from vintage saris, £12 per m, Cloth House Studio � Hand-embroidered Blithfield Circles cushion, £95, Fine Cell Work � Polly Fern x Host Home hand-embroidered Romantic Vase napkins, £42 for four, Host Home � Ashbourne sofa in Cumatz & Luna brocade, £5,500, A Rum Fellow � Oak Leaf lampshade, £650, Lora Avedian at The New Craftsmen 22 Homes & Antiques November 2020
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FAITHFUL RECREATION In the mid 17th century, what was known as bobbin or spool furniture was made using off-cuts from factories producing sewing bobbins. Cue a collaboration between Chelsea Textiles and interior design studio Turner Pocock to create the Bobbin collection, comprising a bed, bedside tables and a console, all of which are handmade and painted. From £832 for a bedside table. chelseatextiles.com
Crafts Heritage Delightful new pieces by textile artist Louisa Loakes are inspired by the history and legacy of the Little Gallery. Located close to Sloane Square in London and open from 1928 to 1939, the gallery was a space where the work of craft makers, especially women, could be celebrated. Louisa’s hand-block-printed quilts and cushions are influenced by the patterns, palette and spirit of female block-print artists Phyllis Barron, Dorothy Larcher and Enid Marx, whose works would have been shown alongside the likes of Bernard Leach and Hans Coper. thenewcraftsmen.com
What to Sell Now
MODERN BRITISH PRINTS Vicki Wonfor of Roseberys on why you should cash in… The market is buoyant for limited-edition prints by modern British artists. And there’s a buzz around the work of abstract artist Victor Pasmore (1908–1998), the subject of a new retrospective at the Hastings Contemporary gallery. Prices can vary depending on the year of production, size of work, edition size and composition. Recent results at Roseberys include £5,500 for a large print entitled The World in Space and Time I, 1992 (right) from an edition of 90. A smaller work called Untitled Abstract (top), from the Rothko Memorial Portfolio of 1972, part of an edition of 75, made £750.
24 Homes & Antiques November 2020
PHOTOGRAPH: JESSE WILD
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Starter for 10 Tureens to serve simple soups in style ) French antique transferware tureen, £65, Restored2BLoved. ) George III soup tureen, £POA, Mary Cooke Antiques Ltd at BADA. ) Renaissance gold soup tureen, £385, Wedgwood. ) Bing & Grondahl fluted large soup tureen, £508, Vinterior. ) Spode blue soup tureen, £288, Spode. ) Mason’s Ironstone China soup tureen, £750, Clive Payne Antiques at Selling Antiques.
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Talking Shop
CHOOSING KEEPING Julia Jeuvell talks to us about her nostalgic stationery store What is your background? I’m a French national but spent my childhood in Asia and now call myself a Londoner of over 25 years. Broadly, my background is in contemporary art but for the last eight years I’ve been running Choosing Keeping. Academically, I was a history major at university and I think this features heavily in the Choosing Keeping vision. What was the inspiration behind Choosing Keeping? As an undergrad, I began imagining a department store like Selfridges or La Samaritaine in Paris, but where everything would be vintage. Having always felt a huge amount of joy in the discovery of small old shops and personal interactions with their owners, I decided I might try my hand at creating a place that would hold all the things I treasure and sustain those who create them.
shop is at its best with a narrow remit. Stationery was a natural candidate – it feeds into so many areas of craft and materials – but I also recognised its limitless creative power. No matter how digital this world becomes, there will always be artists and they will always need pencils. What is your price range? We sell a £1 marbled pencil from India but we also sell a £6,000 collector’s fine binding book containing 100 original sheets of marbled paper. Our shop prices are a reflection of the true value of things when you act responsibly in your sourcing and shopping. choosingkeeping.com
Mother and daughter Established textiles dealer Su Mason has teamed up with her daughter Romilly to launch Mason Taylor, purveying antique and vintage linens, workwear and fabrics, including tickings and toiles, embroideries and crewel work as well as other objects that catch their eye. Su has been working with textiles for 20 years, while Romilly works in the fashion industry, and both wish to create something that represents mindful use of existing materials. Small interior pieces may also be added to the mix soon. masontaylor.co.uk
What do you sell and what can we expect to find? On paper (no puns intended) we are a specialist stationery shop. I often joke that I could just as well have a toy shop but it dawned on me early on that a
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 27
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Snuggle Up Wrap yourself up in a striking throw
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) French blue stripe throw, £45, Cox & Cox. ) Linnea Andersson Blanket, £69, Arket. ) Niitty patchwork quilt, £270, Liberty. ) Duart wool blanket, £110, Stag & Bruce. ) Hazel throw, £108, Anthropologie. ) Merino and cashmere herringbone throw, £149, Heal’s. ) Bronte by Moon Mottisfont throw, £90, National Trust Shop.
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H&A Column
LUKE HONEY’S
Cabinet of Curiosities Our columnist considers the compulsion to collect and shares his latest obsession This Month: Fireworks Ephemera
Morphy Auctions
B
onfire Night is very much part of the British psyche. Every year, just before the State Opening of Parliament, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster. It’s a ceremonial tradition that goes back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and Guy Fawkes’ failed attempt to blow up James I and all parliament with him. From 1606 to 1859, the Thanksgiving Act made it obligatory to celebrate ‘the deliverance of the King of England’ on the 5th November. Until the end of the last century, children used to make their own ‘Guys’ from old rags and stuffing, and drag them around on makeshift sledges, asking for ‘Penny for the Guy’. The traditional Bonfire Night celebration (now in decline due to a renewed enthusiasm for Halloween), was very much a family affair. A delightful advertising poster for Brock’s fireworks shows a typical party in a suburban back garden of the 1950s: excited children, parents in trilby,
Mackintosh, headscarf and beret, the night sky alight with rockets, bangers and Catherine Wheels. Many years on, I’ve fond memories of my poor, long-suffering father running around the front lawn, lighting one precarious rocket after another from a series of empty milk bottles, as we watched from the safety of an upstairs window. Which brings me to the wonderful world of antique fireworks: posters, Chinese firecrackers, firework labels and pyrotechnic ephemera. It never ceases to amaze me what people collect. In 2012, a packet of Balfour’s upercharged Flashlight crackers below) fetched a taggering $3,835 at Morphy Auctions in the United States – a highlight from a ‘spectacular array of vintage firecrackers
ABOVE A 1950s poster for Brock’s fireworks. LEFT This acket of Balfour’s Super harged Flashlight crackers made $3,835 at auction in 2012.
and pyrotechnic rarities’, the hoard of George Moyer, an American fireman, collected over 40 years. It’s thought that fireworks originated in ancient China in the second century, when somebody threw a bamboo stick into a fire and invented firecrackers by mistake. In the spring of 1749, Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks accompanied a dazzling display in London’s Green Park to celebrate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession. The event ended in chaos when a stray rocket hit the wooden Temple of Peace, where 10,000 fireworks were stored. The temple exploded, killing three people. By the 19th century, European scientists had finally worked out how to create intense colour in fireworks by the miracle of oxidation. For, of course, it’s the vibrant nature of fireworks that gave the 19th and 20th-century manufacturers the excuse to use the chromolithographic (and, later, off-set) printing process to its full glory. Occasionally old fireworks posters come up at auction, often featuring British brands of years gone by: Pain’s, Wessex, Brock’s, Standard and Wilder’s. Standard Fireworks of Huddersfield produced a marvellous range of colourful advertising posters over the years. I’m also a sucker for the graphics of Chinese firecracker labels. These are eminently collectable, especially in America. From the 1910s, Chinese manufacturers began to package their fireworks with imaginative and highly decorative lithographed labels. The earliest designs featured exotic beasts from mythology and legend: dragons, tigers, giraffes, camels and black cats for luck. As the century progressed, images from American pop culture and the Space Age began to appear. Intact fireworks packages are, of course, rare. Manufacturers designed their fireworks to be blown up, rather than collected. And genuine rarity is the reason why collectors will pay seemingly crazy prices for prized items: a point worth thinking about if you’re a novice collector.
Luke Honey is an antiques dealer and writer. Find out more at lukehoney.co.uk
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 29
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On sale Wednesday November
Meet the Maker
SUSAN EARLY Creating both functional baskets and decorative sculptures, willow artist Susan Early finds stillness in the rhythmic, meditative process of weaving and the connection it gives her to Gloucestershire’s hedgerows and woodlands F EAT U R E SO P H IE HA N N A M & KAT Y L AY TO N PHOTOG R APHS DA R C I E J UD S O N
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 31
Meet the Maker SUSAN EARLY
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Susan sorts through her stash of willow to find pieces of the correct size. It is then soaked for several days; loops of natural materials hanging in her workshop; Susan often has several pieces on the go at a time.
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hat’s your background? I studied Art at university and graduated with a degree in Visual Arts. While studying, I missed the process of weaving baskets, as I had previously enjoyed basket making as a hobby. During this time, I realised that I wanted to weave and work with willow full time. In 2012, I completed a two-year City & Guilds creative basketry course and was delighted to be awarded the Queen Elizabeth
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Scholarship, which allowed me to study with master basket maker David Drew in France. I’m also a member of The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, which is dedicated to promoting contemporary designer makers. What inspires you? I often draw upon the natural forms that I see and find in the woods and countryside around me. Old and traditional basketry also influences my work. I am most content when working with willow – I love the rhythmic process of weaving with natural
materials and the connection with my work. What materials do you use? I mainly use willow in my work, but I often add in hazel and materials collected from my local hedgerows and woods. I like to use willow for its uniformity and other materials for their textures, strength, colour and shapes. Broadly, what is your process? When making a piece, if it is to be a functional basket, I plan the shape and design, and choose and sort the willow into different sizes appropriate for
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Susan finds the weaving process meditative; her studio is cool and damp, which is perfect for working with willow; Susan’s baskets are inspired by traditional shapes.
the purpose of the basket. The willow is soaked for a number of days, and allowed to mellow until it’s pliable and ready to use. I begin by weaving the basket base, stake up, before weaving the sides and finishing with a border using different weaves depending on the design. I prefer to work on one basket at a time, but sometimes I have a number on the go. Is this process different when you create a sculpture? When making a sculptural piece, I start with an idea and a plan. Choosing and sorting the
willow is largely the same but, depending on the design, I will often spend a number of days working on the piece: weaving as it grows and evolves. I like to constantly return to it and analyse its shape and form. Describe your workshop My workshop is actually in the coldest room in our house, which suits me very well as the old tiled floor has no dampproofing and willow loves to stay cool and damp! I like to work outside if possible as I love the natural light and space that working in the garden allows.
What are you working on at the moment? I am currently working on a sculpture to be exhibited at Painswick Rococo Garden in Gloucestershire in 2021. The piece is very large, so it is great to be able to work on it outside. You can see more of Susan’s work at guildcrafts.org.uk
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 33
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Friendship, Feuds and
FANTASY Janet Gleeson enjoys the colourful story of Whistler’s Peacock Room and Darren Waterston’s haunting recreation, ‘Filthy Lucre’, on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum
HERITAGE Design
V&A/Amber Gray/@mz_amber_gray; Harry Bedford Lemere, ‘The Peacock Room, 49 Princes Gate’, 1892 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The mural of two fighting peacocks symbolises the feud between artist and patron. Darren has altered Whistler‘s original, showing the peacocks with feathers flying and each other’s entrails in their beaks.
sit drunkenly glazes seep on g shelves that drip with gilded stalactites, a decayed painting dissolves into the shelf beneath, broken shards of china are strewn across the floor, as melancholy music plays over gossiping voices. Welcome to ‘Filthy Lucre: Whistler’s Peacock Room Reimagined’, an immersive installation by contemporary American artist Darren Waterston, who has cleverly recreated James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s most famous, and scandalous, interior – in a state of disrepair, haunted by those who created, lived and squabbled in it. Whistler’s original Peacock Room was the jaw-droppingly lavish dining room in the Kensington home of shipping
LEFT Darren Waterston’s installation, ‘Filthy Lucre’, shows Whistler’s interior collapsing and decayed to highlight the destructive egos involved in its creation. BELOW An 1892 photograph of the original room.
magnate Frederick R Leyland. Designed in 1876, in the cutting- edge Aesthetic style, it showcased Leyland’s dazzling collection of oriental blue and white porcelain, with a masterpiece by Whistler, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain as its focus. ‘To my mind it is the most important Aesthetic interior in the world – the only complete one that still exists by Whistler. It marks a turning point in his career, the moment he sees a pace for art as something mmersive, that surrounded ou entirely,’ says Kerry Roeder, Curatorial Fellow at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC, where the original room is now housed. Sensuous and sophisticated, the Aesthetic Movement flowered in the last decades
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 37
ABOVE The original Peacock Room, now in Washington DC. RIGHT Darren Waterston’s version of Whistler’s central masterpiece, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain, shows the subject grotesquely disfigured. FACING PAGE The window shutters elaborately decorated with gilded peacocks. As Whistler lost track of his brief, he overpainted every surface to create his harmony in blue and gold.
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of the 19th century. It claimed to celebrate art for art’s sake and flourished in a world at odds with the glamour and gloss it revered. ‘We are in the orbit of bons mots, of Wildean satire, of everyone trying to be clever and witty,’ explains James Robinson, Keeper of Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass at the V&A. Little surprise, then, that when you dig deeper, beneath the Peacock Room’s refinement you find a story of a friendship that soured. ‘What Darren is doing is excavating Aesthetic Movement values and looking at the toxicity that develops between Leyland and Whistler evidenced in the room. Darren’s title, Filthy Lucre, highlights the bad blood. It comes from a hideous 1879 Whistler portrait called The Gold Scab: Eruption in Frilthy Lucre (The Creditor) showing Leyland as a monstrous peacock.’ Whistler’s part in the unsettling tale begins when the architect, Thomas
V&A/Amber Gray/@mz_amber_gray; Colleen Dugan; James McNeill Whistler/Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.: Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61
HERITAGE Design
The Aesthetic Movement flowered in the last decades of the 19th century. It claimed to celebrate art for art’s sake and flourished in a world at odds with the glamour and gloss it revered
ABOVE When Leyland refused to pay Whistler’s exorbitant bill, the artist painted this fighting peacock mural and bitterly entitled it, ‘Art and Money; or the Story of the Room’. BELOW Broken shelving and shattered pots in the V&A installation symbolise the tensions that resulted from Whistler’s unsanctioned work.
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Jeckyll, who Leyland had commissioned to design his dining room, was taken ill. ‘Whistler was working in the house at the time, so Leyland asked him for suggestions for painting the door and shutters,’ says Kerry. Leyland authorised a few minor embellishments but, while he was away, Whistler overstepped his brief, covering the ceiling with gold and a pattern of peacock feathers, gilding the shelving, overpainting the antique leather wallpaper in Prussian blue and painting peacocks on the shutters. ‘I just painted on... I forgot everything in my joy in it,’ he later wrote. Tensions between artist and patron are nothing new, James says. ‘But when you delve into the detail, Whistler is out of order. He more or less locks himself in the room, does what he wants and then charges Leyland 2,000 guineas.’ Kerry agrees: ‘Whistler’s life is a series of close
relationships that end in a dramatic falling out. He wasn’t keen on respecting the opinions of anyone else, including patrons.’ When an infuriated Leyland quibbled about the bill, Whistler responded, predictably in paint. A mural of two sparring peacocks, cruelly entitled: ‘Art and Money; or the Story of the Room’ appeared on one wall. ‘One peacock symbolises Whistler and the other Leyland, with coins pouring from his breast,’ says James. Yet, despite the acrimony, Leyland kept the room unchanged. ‘There was a recognition that this was something new and different, worth preserving,’ says Kerry. In 1904, after Leyland’s death, the porcelain collection was dispersed and the room sold to the American industrialist, Charles Lang Freer, who installed it in his Detroit home. ‘He wanted to be the definitive Whistler
V&A/Amber Gray/@mz_amber_gray; Colleen Dugan; James McNeill Whistler/Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.: Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.6; Heritage Art/ Heritage Images via Getty Images
When an infuriated Leyland quibbled about the bill, Whistler responded, predictably in paint. A mural of two sparring peacocks appeared on one wall
HERITAGE Design
Oriental ceramics displayed on gilded shelves: Japanese art was a key source of inspiration for the Aesthetic Movement.
More art-inspired
INTERIORS Our pick of the most opulently decorated rooms in the UK
ABOVE A portrait of Whistler with the White Lock, undated. Artist Thomas Robert Way.
THE DOUBLE CUBE ROOM WILTON HOUSE, WILTSHIRE It’s hard to think of a more extravagant room than this one at the ancestral home of the Earls of Pembroke. So-called because of its classical proportions: the Double Cube Room is 18m long, by 9m high and wide, and said to be the grandest 17th-century state room in England. Designed by Inigo Jones and John Webb c1653, it has white painted panelled walls, decorated with gilded swags of fruit and foliage. These provide a sumptuous framework for a collection of portraits by Van Dyck.
THE BANQUETING ROOM THE ROYAL PAVILION, BRIGHTON Robert Jones designed and painted this theatrical chinoiserie decorative scheme c1815. There’s a central dome from which copper leaves sprout, and a huge silvered dragon holds a chandelier that incorporates a phalanx of smaller dragons with lotus glass shades held in their jaws. Concealed within its fantastical scenes are some unexpected symbols: stars, moon and sun and the All-Seeing Eye set in a triangle within a circle, that reflect the Prince Regent’s involvement in Freemasonry.
THE SALOON BUSCOT PARK, OXFORDSHIRE Burne-Jones’ obsession with Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty inspired the artist’s Legend of the Briar Rose series, which now adorns the Saloon at Buscot Park. The series (completed in 1890) was applauded when it was exhibited at Agnews in London but, when Lord Faringdon bought the works for his Palladian mansion, and invited Burne-Jones to see them, the artist wasn’t happy with the effect. So, he extended the frames to fill up the wall space and inserted 10 smaller canvases that continue the theme.
Ingolf Pompe 75/Alamy Stock Photo; Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo; Martin Beddall/Alamy Stock Photo
collector, and he’d already bought The Princess from the Land of Porcelain, so he had the entire room shipped across the Atlantic in 27 crates.’ What did he think when he saw the room painstakingly rebuilt? ‘He was initially underwhelmed – by then it was somewhat disfigured by grime and cigar smoke. But he came to love it,’ says Kerry. ‘And when he decided to create a museum for Whistler’s work, The Peacock Room was the focal point.’ At the time of writing, Whistler’s masterpiece, restored to its former glory, is inaccessible due to Covid restrictions. But, while the shutters are closed on the original, there’s Darren Waterston’s brilliant version, newly reopened, to relish at the V&A. Just beware of falling pots and fighting ghosts. Filthy Lucre: Whistler’s Peacock Room Reimagined is on display until 29th November at the V&A (vam.ac.uk)
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THE BRILLIANCE OF BITOSSI From towering chalices to quirky animals, Emma Longstaff considers the enduring charm of Bitossi Ceramiche
P
Bitossi Ceramiche is a family-run firm, which traces its involvement in the creation of ceramics over many generations. Before the Second World War, the company’s output was mainly utilitarian – cookware, floor and roof tiles. Many of their competitors’ factories were destroyed during the invasion of Italy, but the Bitossi works survived, mostly
©Delfino SistoLegnani
hotos never do justice to the beauty of Bitossi,’ explains collector Laura Cowling. ‘It’s incredibly tactile pottery. All Bitossi pieces are hand-thrown and hand-painted. I love the individual grooves pressed into the surface of the clay, the slight grittiness in the glaze, the way the dribbles of colour merge together. Each piece is unique.’
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 43
COLLECTING Bitossi
intact, which enabled the family to expand their business activities after the war. As well as supplying glazes and raw materials to other Italian producers, Bitossi’s own art pottery business grew rapidly. Undoubtedly, the appointment of designer Aldo Londi – responsible for some of the company’s boldest, most stylish and innovative output – explains the success of the pottery from the 1950s onwards. Born in 1911, Londi became an apprentice at a ceramics manufacturer aged 11 and joined Bitossi in 1946 where he was soon appointed artistic director. Many items from the Rimini Blu range, one of Londi’s most famous creations, have been in more or less continuous production since their introduction in 1959. Mark Hill has carried out extensive research into the history of Bitossi and, in his book Alla Moda, he explains how to spot older Rimini Blu examples – items made in the 1960s and 70s tend to have greater depth and range in their colouring, and the glaze is heavier and more viscous. Prices range from £30 for small mid-century pieces to hundreds for hard-to-find pristine original models. Although Aldo Londi is Bitossi’s best known and most influential ‘name’, for decades the company has collaborated with other designers, architects and artists, seeking to be at the forefront of exciting ceramic design. A glimpse at the company’s private archive reveals its eclectic output: bulbous vases swimming with pastel-coloured fish; lustreglazed trinket dishes; delicate elliptical bowls; and gravitydefying vases.
44 Homes & Antiques November 2020
Undoubtedly, the appointment of designer Aldo Londi explains the success of Bitossi from the 1950s onwards Since the early 2000s, the company has reissued some of the iconic mid-century pieces in its archive, such as Ettore Sottsass’s oversized monochrome chalices and bold table centrepieces. Bitossi’s striking animal designs, especially the earlier pieces, are highly sought after. Collectors love the playful, naïve quality of the menagerie, which includes cats, dachshunds, hedgehogs, horses, bulls, lions, elephants, owls, doves, ducks, hippos and turtles. The variety of Bitossi creatures is something that appeals to collectors, who are always thrilled to discover one of the more unusual models, and willing to pay for their rarity. Unsurprisingly, midcentury mint condition, signed animals in the more unusual
ABOVE Aldo Londi with one of his Rimini Blu pieces. He was a creative powerhouse at Bitossi for over 50 years.
colours (red, yellow and orange) fetch the highest prices. Over the years, Bitossi used a range of different markings, which can be confusing to the novice collector. The earliest examples, produced until the early 1950s, are identified on the base with a letter B, with or without a full stop and sometimes underlined. From the 1950s to 70s, the company’s products were marked in several ways, usually incorporating a handwritten design number and ‘Made in Italy’ or just ‘Italy’. Contemporary pieces are impressed with the Bitossi name and family crest. However, some authentic Bitossi pieces aren’t marked at all. Bitossi produced thousands of items for export, often to the United States. Sometimes they reproduced existing Bitossi designs, and sometimes they made special new commissions. Occasionally, the sticker of the secondary retailer survives on the base – collectors look for the names of American importers Rosenthal Netter and Raymor. But it’s not unusual for the sticker to have been lost or deliberately removed, making attribution more challenging. Like other successful pottery makers, Bitossi’s work has been widely copied, but sometimes pieces that are confused with Bitossi aren’t deliberate fakes. As Bitossi supplied the raw materials required for the manufacture of ceramics, items made by other Italian producers can appear superficially similar, although they tend to lack the characteristic Bitossi panache, and are generally of lower quality. Walter Del Pellegrino, who runs an online Italian ceramics forum, is inundated with
©Delfino SistoLegnani
THIS IMAGE & OPENING IMAGE Although he tends to be associated with the Rimini Blu range, from the 1950s to 1970s Aldo Londi designed a diverse range of ceramics for Bitossi. These have recently been reissued as limited-edition pieces, as illustrated here. BELOW Many of Aldo Londi’s famous Rimini Blu ceramics are still in production today.
requests to help identify Bitossi. He estimates that roughly 65 per cent of so-called Bitossi pieces sold in online auctions are wrongly attributed. Despite some of the mysteries involved with identifying Bitossi, collector Laura Cowling neatly sums up its enduring appeal: ‘Ten years ago, I was really into mid-century design, but we moved to the countryside and gradually I’ve bought older furniture and got a lot chintzier. Because it’s handcrafted, and echoes some of the shapes and colours of traditional Italian maiolica, Bitossi fits well with both looks. I still use my Bitossi – it doesn’t just sit on a shelf gathering dust. Arranging dahlias in my favourite Chartreuse yellow ‘Spagnolo’ jugs always makes me smile!’
WHERE TO BUY BITOSSI Alex Stone instagram.com/snyggstyle Amara amara.com Bitossi Ceramiche bitossiceramiche.it/en The End of History instagram.com/ theendofhistory Pamono pamono.co.uk Vinterior vinterior.co 1st Dibs 1stdibs.co.uk
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 45
PROF ILE
Rita Konig The interior designer reveals her ‘undone’ style secrets
ABOVE Rita curated the London series of Collector sales as tastemaker for Christie’s last winter, creating a series of styled vignettes at Burghley House with pieces from the auction. She brought a grand and imposing Boulle cabinet to life by filling it with drinks bottles and glasses.
I N T ERV I E W RO SA N N A M O R R I S
ouses take so many lamps, tables and chairs,’ says Rita Konig, discussing the merits of online shopping, particularly antiquing on Instagram. ‘I buy a lot of antiques on Instagram. It’s such a great way to find dealers and a great way for dealers to sell. I use it all the time, especially when I’m not looking for something specific.’ Speaking on the phone from her farmhouse in the Durham Dales during lockdown, Rita recalls how she was destined for a career in interiors growing up with Nina Campbell as her mother. ‘When you look back, you can
46 Homes & Antiques November 2020
see the path was there. Of all three children, I was the one who spent the most time in the shop and I really liked having my bedroom decorated. Mum and I shopped together and I really enjoyed working with her.’ Today, a highly regarded and sought-after interior designer herself, Rita is known for her relaxed, ‘undone’ style layered with antiques. She began her career in writing, starting out as a research assistant for the European editor of Harper’s Bazaar while also working for her mother in her shop buying and merchandising. She published a book, Domestic Bliss, in 2002 and went on to write for Vogue, Telegraph Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and
House & Garden imparting advice on interior design. In 2005 she moved to New York where she worked on the newly launched Domino magazine with Deborah Needleman. ‘I adored Deborah and we became great friends,’ she says. ‘I saw America in this amazing way.’ Rita travelled around the States finding the best independent shops to feature. ‘At first, I would go into shops and people would not have heard of Domino. After a while, when I turned up, people would scream and burst into tears at the thought of their little shop being featured in such a big magazine.’ Rita returned to London in 2012 and started her own interior decoration
PROFILE Rita Konig
Ben Draper Photography; © Paul Raeside
ABOVE Rita styled a Japanese coffer for the Christie’s sale; the green drawing room at her beautifully decorated farmhouse in the Durham Dales, also a holiday let (northfarmdurham. com). BELOW One of the bedrooms at the farmhouse with a headboard designed by Rita and matching walls and curtains.
business, holding workshops at her home and undertaking large projects. ‘A lot of people wanted to decorate themselves. They wanted their house to be their own with their own taste.’ This year, Rita has launched an online interior design course with Create Academy so anyone can learn how to decorate an interior. As part of it, she reveals where best to shop for antiques. ‘Shopping in independent shops is always more interesting. I’m always amazed by how much it costs to buy something in an ordinary highstreet shop compared to what buying an antique costs. It’s so much cheaper, better value, better made and, if you get bored of it, you can sell it. ‘Antiques bring warmth and individuality. Sometimes your granny leaves you a table. It’s not what you would have bought yourself, but you’ve seen it all your life and it fits in a corner and it works. That’s a good piece of furniture as far as I’m concerned and it has some meaning. I think it’s more important it works in a corner than whether it’s beautiful or not. ‘I love going to auctions at Tennants and I’m always looking on the-saleroom.com for bits of china. Wherever you are, you will always find
an antiques shop. You might just find a plate but what I love is that plate could become a soap dish in the bathroom or used on a bedside table for drinks. It’s extraordinary that you can buy a chest of drawers for £150 if you look. ‘You can fill a house very cleverly. Brown furniture brings a lot to a room – you get traction and weight with proper bits of furniture. If a room is filled with all new pieces, it feels light. It doesn’t have to be all antiques. You need to crisp it up with a pretty lampshade and new pieces. When I bought my first antiques and first went to Kempton, I came away with small things. Be careful of buying too many small things otherwise you end up with a whole load of nothing. When I need something specific, I’ll go to Decorative Collective, Vinterior and Lorfords.’ In the last year, as well as numerous projects, Rita has designed a paint collection for Plain English kitchens and curated an interior sale as tastemaker for Christie’s. ‘We styled and photographed the catalogue at Burghley House – it was so much fun hopping over the ropes. I also styled the room set at Christie’s for the sale. I decided it would be a bedsit as I had
this long narrow room – the most amazing bedsit with a four-poster bed. I imagined a girl who inherited all this furniture she had to fit in one room.’ While Rita and her beautifully rich interiors are endlessly inspiring, she too continues to be influenced by designers past and present. ‘I adore Bunny Mellon interiors. I always look to a John Fowler interior when I want to learn something. My mum trained with him so it’s part of my background. I’m also inspired by friends – Henrietta Channon has wonderful taste – it’s the undecorated room that is much more exciting. I learn as much from my friends who have lovely taste and style as I do from other decorators. When it comes to decorators, their own house is always the best.’
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 47
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HERITAGE Design
Some of the 5,000 or so designs held in The Crowson Archive.
A PASSION FOR PATTERN Crowson Fabrics Ltd was a household name in the textiles industry for over 50 years, says Amanda Harling. Now, Sharon Crowson is ensuring the family legacy lives on through its wonderful archive November 2020 Homes & Antiques 49
HERITAGE Design
S
haron Crowson is not a professional designer, she insists, as she reveals her latest collection for The Design Archives. But, having been immersed in the textile industry all her life, she concedes that design is part of her DNA. Sharon’s father is Derek Crowson, founder of the hugely successful textile company Crowson Fabrics Ltd. Launched in 1978 on a hunch, it went on to become a household name. ‘My father was about to turn 40 and, like many men, it was a turning point in his life,’ Sharon recalls. ‘Having worked for Moygashel, a leading textile company, for many years, he decided his days of being an employee were over.’ Convinced there was a market for affordable and stylish textiles based on historic designs, he took the leap and, before long, Crowson Fabrics Ltd was selling upwards of 10,000,000 yards of fabric a year. Sharon joined the family firm in the 1980s, abandoning her A-levels to do so. ‘I couldn’t wait to leave school and start work,’ she says. Over the next 30 years she worked in every department, from the reception desk up. The company had its own design studio, at times employing as many as 20
50 Homes & Antiques November 2020
designers and colourists. ‘Talented graduates were spotted at degree shows and given their first job,’ she recalls. ‘We have a couple of early designs by Neisha Crosland – my father had a good eye!’ It was his discerning eye, she says, on which the business was built. ‘He could tell at a glance whether a design was balanced, if it flowed, if it would sell. He had a passion for creative pattern design, and over the years he acquired some 5,000 examples.’ Travelling widely on business, wherever he went, from France to Japan, Derek Crowson would visit specialist dealers, textile designers and creative design studios in order to trawl through their portfolios, searching for textile artwork designs he could envisage being future ranges. When he finally decided to retire and wind down the company, Derek Crowson’s vast archive was moved to the family home in Sussex. It is now housed in the old squash court: plan chests stacked one on top of the other, each one a trove of wonderful designs. In 2016, like her father before her, Sharon felt it was time to set up on her own. ‘He gave me the experience, the breadth of knowledge and, ultimately, the confidence to start The Design
Archives,’ she says, explaining that the name was taken from one of several companies that Crowson Fabrics Ltd bought during a period of expansion in the 1980s. The name felt apt, she says, because the fabrics and now also wallcoverings the company produces are all based on historic, archive designs. Some, such as the classic scrolling Tree of Life and the bestselling Amadour, have recently been reworked from the original 19thcentury documents. ‘I’ve changed the scale and introduced new colourways,’ Sharon explains. The latest collection includes vintage designs from the historic archival brand, such as the Shala stripe, which is based on a classic Indian floral motif. Over the last four years, the archive has been an invaluable source of inspiration for Sharon and, as such, she felt it was a resource that was too important to keep to herself. In 2019, after discussing it with her father, they took the decision to make the archive available on a wider basis. ‘The whole collection has been curated and digitised,’ she says. ‘It was a massive undertaking by digitalisation officers Teo Ormond-Skeaping and his partner Lena Dobrowolska, who moved into the coach house next to my parents’ home on their Sussex estate in order to catalogue the entire collection so even the tiniest fragment is recorded.’ It has taken over a year, but now The Crowson Archive website is active and, once a designer has registered, they can search through the varied genres, from Jacobean to Abstract, and license a design for a fee. ‘Knowing that this eclectic collection can be accessed as a design resource gives my father enormous pride and pleasure, almost equal to the pleasure he derived from travelling the world and acquiring each and every example.’ crowsonarchive.com; thedesignarchives.com
© Andreas von Einsiedel 2020
LEFT Sharon Crowson and Teo OrmondSkeaping look at documents from The Crowson Archive. RIGHT A small selection of the vast collection of some 5,000 design documents amassed by Derek Crowson.
The Beauty of Bespoke
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Book a consultation: 0800 688 8118 or visit thomas-sanderson.co.uk
LIVING WITH ANTIQUES Five INSPIRING homes (from p54), STYLISH woodburners (p101), the legacy of EMPIRE (p107), plus the beauty of BRASS (p110)
Decorated in the 1930s, the elegant eau de nil drawing room at Deans Court remains unchanged. ‘We haven’t touched a thing in here,’ says owner Ali Hanham. ‘Why would you?’ Read more about this extraordinary family home from page 54.
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 53
Living with Antiques
A twist on
tradition Ali and William Hanham celebrate the past alongside the present at Deans Court, their Dorset home FE AT U R E J O L EE VERS
PH OTO G R A PH S R ACH A EL SM IT H
LEFT In 1725, fine red-brick façades were added to the north side of Deans Court (shown here) and to the east, enclosing the Saxon hall. RIGHT The library now serves as the family’s living room, painted in Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball to update the mood. Family heirlooms mix with 20th-century paintings and the scheme is lifted with colourful fabrics and lampshades added by Ali. The armchair to the right is covered in a Lewis & Wood fabric.
54 Homes & Antiques November 2020
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 55
The oak-panelled great hall is the oldest part of the house. The Chinese plates over the fireplace are 18th-century.
ABOVE William and Ali Hanham with Bunnie and Buster, two of their three dogs, in their kitchen window seat.
56 Homes & Antiques November 2020
he drawing room of Deans Court serves as an untouched time capsule of 1930s elegance, while its kitchen reflects a more modern aesthetic, with vintage mementoes, patchwork cushions and Indian flatweave rugs. This coexistence of styles reflects the approach of its owners, Sir William and Lady Ali Hanham, who manage to celebrate the house’s past while also making it a welcoming family home. Deans Court in Wimborne, Dorset has been in the Hanham family since 1548, although the core dates back to the 8th century, when it was part of the
town’s Saxon monastery. Notable later additions include 16th-century stainedglass windows, Georgian panelling, a Victorian wing and vestiges of immaculate 1930s style. ‘This is a house that has been formed by layers of history and each generation has left its mark,’ says Ali. The couple moved to this house 11 years ago, when William inherited the estate from his father who, in turn, was bequeathed it by a cousin in the 1970s. ‘Although William had often visited the house, he didn’t grow up here,’ explains Ali. In many ways, this meant that both Ali and William could approach reviving the house and estate with their own vision. And they’ve
Living with Antiques
RIGHT The wide entrance hall leads into the 8th-century great hall, which was later panelled in Georgian oak. BELOW Parts of the stainedglass windows date from the 16th century, while cushions and linen upholstery add more contemporary touches.
been busy: innovations include nurturing the organic kitchen garden founded by William’s mother, establishing a cafe, opening a homewares shop and converting and decorating several holiday cottages within the grounds. During the summer months, the lawns of Deans Court become the setting for marquee weddings. But when it came to redecorating the house, Ali took a softly-softly approach. What was once a gentleman’s library ‘with a rather dull green colour scheme and nondescript Victorian furniture’ now functions as the couple’s living room and has been given a subtle refresh. Oil portraits and marble
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 57
When it came to redecorating the house, Ali took a softly-softly approach
A Victorian dresser in the kitchen is home to a collection of copper pans and vintage curios. The bench and table were made of oak from the Deans Court estate. The flatweave rug is Indian.
Living with Antiques
busts now mix with ikat cushions in jewel colours, linen stripes and more modern paintings, all set against walls painted in Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball. Meanwhile, the dining room is painted in Blazer, another Farrow & Ball shade. Ali and William have established a good relationship with Farrow & Ball, which is a local company. In fact, they are such close neighbours that the paint brand sometimes brings clients here to view its heritage colours in a quintessentially English setting. Ali has an expert eye for fabrics, colour and vintage pieces (before moving to Dorset she co-ran the Cotswolds vintage and antique interiors shop Sharland & Lewis), while William was a dealer in Old Master paintings. So each, in their own way, was well placed to bring out different aspects of the property’s distinctive character. However, the decorative style of Deans Court also dates from
ABOVE The kitchen has a relaxed, contemporary feel owing to its paint shade, mix of textiles and ceiling lights. William found the portrait of Louis XIV’s wife, Maria Theresa of Spain, in the attic and hung it over the fireplace. RIGHT The formal dining room has been redecorated in Blazer, which acts as a warm backdrop for ancestral portraits through the centuries.
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 59
William’s great-aunt, Cordelia Hanham, who lived here in the 1930s. ‘She was the last person to devote a great deal of time and money to decorating the house before we arrived,’ says Ali. Cordelia was the widow of Sir John Hanham, 9th baronet, and was by all accounts an indomitable woman. ‘A local lady remembers Cordelia as a ‘stern presence’,’ smiles Ali. A fat folder full of papers relating to the decor of a twin bedroom demonstrates how Cordelia took decorating very seriously. It is
60 Homes & Antiques November 2020
crammed with handwritten bills of sale from Liberty in 1938, plus sketches of mahogany furniture and fabric swatches. ‘War was about to break out, but Cordelia was undaunted and commissioned Liberty to come down and design this bedroom in apricot shades,’ reflects Ali. A second bedroom was decorated by Cordelia with a chinoiserie theme. Portraits of William’s ancestors in earlier centuries line the walls of the imposing dining room, which the couple use for family gatherings such
Living with Antiques
LEFT A canopy and a mix of fabrics in pinks and reds make this a welcoming master bedroom. It was originally decorated in the 1980s by William’s parents. RIGHT The Edwardian dressing table was already in the house. BELOW This cloakroom was redecorated in the 1990s with a timeless toile wallpaper.
BELOW LEFT The fabric for the canopy and curtains dates from the 1980s.
as Christmas. ‘It has a wonderful atmosphere,’ says Ali. The medieval great hall, which lies directly ahead of the front entrance of the house, is the oldest part of the building and centres around a huge fireplace. Sunlight flows through stained-glass windows; some date from the 16th century, while others were added in 1868, all set amid Georgian oak panelling. The large family kitchen in the Victorian wing is a relaxed room that shows best how Ali and William deftly combine past and present at Deans
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 61
ABOVE This twin bedroom was redecorated in 1938 in shades of soft apricot with fabrics and furniture from Liberty. Plump, silky eiderdowns are folded at the end of each bed and a collection of porcelain is displayed in an alcove. BELOW 1930s chinoiserie wallpaper in the guest bedroom provides an uplifting backdrop for the dark Jacobean furniture. The cushion is in vintage Sanderson fabric; quirky period details in the twin bedroom.
Living with Antiques
Deans Court
HOMESTORE & CAFE
‘War was about to break out, but Cordelia was undaunted and commissioned Liberty to design this bedroom’ Court. The dresser is Victorian but the long table and benches are made from oak from their estate. On the dresser’s shelves, copper pans hang alongside Ali’s quirky vintage finds and pastel sketches, while cushions and lampshades in her favourite fabrics add colour and character. The portrait over the range cooker is of Maria Theresa of Spain, a work that caught William’s eye when he was going through stacks of paintings up in the attic. Today, she is at the heart of 21st-century family life, exemplifying how Ali and William preserve the past while at the same time giving Deans Court a fresh future. ‘The work here never stops, but being a part of the house’s history is a huge pleasure,’ says Ali. To find out more about Deans Court, visit deanscourt.org
ABOVE Ali and William kept the en suite’s 1930s bath and updated the room with a rug and Farrow & Ball shades, using Arsenic below the dado rail, Shaded White above and Down Pipe on the outside of the bath.
Situated in the extensive grounds that surround the main house, Deans Court Homestore and neighbouring Cafe are firmly established as destinations in their own right – as popular with the residents of nearby Wimborne as they are with holidaymakers from further afield. And it’s easy to see why: the shop, which is based in what was an old squash court, built in 1932 for one of William’s forebears, is filled with a winning mix of quirky, decorative and useful antiques (think French enamelware dishes, heavy table linen and weathered leather armchairs) alongside contemporary homewares, such as traditional brushes, scented candles and classic glassware and ceramics. Having previously run a successful antiques shop in Tetbury, Ali was keen to set up something similar in Wimborne. But, this time, she decided to offer a wider range of stock, travelling to India and Morocco to source clothes and decorative items. A cafe was the obvious next step and, a year later, a pretty eaterie serving delicious meals made using produce from the kitchen garden opened in the 1930s garage opposite the Homestore. The Homestore & Cafe are open 10am to 4.30pm (3.30pm in winter). deanscourt.org
The front façade is Georgian, with Victorian additions visible to the rear.
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 63
Living with Antiques
Coming home Influences from distinctly different eras, together with exceptional artwork, combine beautifully in this artist’s elegant 18th-century Cornish townhouse FE AT U R E SH A RO N PA RS O N S PH OTO G R A PH S RI CH A R D GA DSBY
igh above the River Fal in Cornwall, the elegant sweep of a gracefully appointed terrace in Falmouth’s conservation area had long intrigued fine artist Hannah Woodman. A well-known architectural landmark, it was built between 1830 and 1850 for the sea merchants and captains who resided in the historic maritime town. ‘I’d driven by the terrace for years and was always reminded of the big Georgian house in Exeter I’d grown up in,’ says Hannah. ‘When I discovered that one of the houses here was for sale, I couldn’t wait to view it.’ The moment she walked into the hall, light streaming in through the huge fanlight above the door, she had no doubt that this was the family home she wanted for herself and her three daughters. ‘It was like coming home – I loved the generous proportions and sense of space and, of course, its
LEFT The front façade of the 18th-century house boasts original features, from the sash windows and architectural detail to the intricate iron balustrade on the first floor. Below the wonderfully preserved fanlight, the front door is painted in Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball.
64 Homes & Antiques November 2020
A gentle colour scheme provides a backdrop to an eclectic mix of furniture and objects in the main sitting room. The original black marble fireplace surround in the downstairs reception room remained, but the insert had been removed, so Hannah replaced it with this cast-iron square version from The Fireplace and Stove Centre. The painting above it is by Graham Sutherland and was bought in a Bonhams sale. The Eames Lounge chair and stool were bought at Phillips auction house in the 1990s, ‘It’s the most comfortable chair I own!’ says Hannah.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT The elegant hall has been sympathetically renovated with a chequered marble floor from Mandarin Stone. The artwork is by Scottish artist Joan Eardley; the original alcove frames a striking painting of a hare after Dürer’s original. The artist is Stephen Bitterolf, and it was purchased at the Long and Ryle Gallery at the London Art Fair many years ago; specially made box shelves display some of Hannah’s treasured collections of pottery, etchings and artwork.
‘I love looking through the panes of original glass that have a slight ripple, and imagining all those people who lived here before me’ position overlooking the river was amazing,’ she says. Some original features were in situ, and the wide door and windows at the front were just as they’d always been. ‘Even now, I love looking through the panes of original glass that have a slight ripple, and imagine the people who lived here before me, gazing at the same view…’ ‘However, I was still well aware I’d be taking on a major renovation – decades of unsympathetic alterations had definitely taken their toll. The house had been through various guises: at one point it had even been converted into flats, and had also been tenanted by previous owners, so part of the upstairs had been made into a bedsit.’ After rigorous planning, work on the Grade II-listed property could begin. ‘The house had to work for the way we live today, but I wanted to update it without obliterating the past,’ says Hannah. ‘I worked with the original footprint too, rather than making any extensive changes.’
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Living with Antiques
The second reception room – probably once a dining room – is a masterclass in mixing styles from different eras. The two Børge Mogensen Spanish chairs were a gift. ‘They once had an accident with an exploding pressure cooker, but somehow survived!’ recalls Hannah. Both the glass coffee table from Habitat and the low black leather vintage sofa are perfectly in proportion with the chairs’ height. The Georgian bureau is from Topsham Quay Antiques Centre, while the painting above the fireplace is by Samuel John Lamorna Birch and was bought at Bonhams.
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 67
What would once have been back-to-back fireplaces in two rooms had already been reconfigured, and is now the perfect spot for this dual woodburner from Woodwarm Stoves. It links the snug area to the kitchen beyond. The neat vintage-style chairs both came from Habitat – the one with the black seat, Jed, is still available. The fish painting is an early work by Judy Buxton.
Living with Antiques
ABOVE & BELOW In contrast to the rest of the house, the light-filled kitchen is contemporary, sleek and practical. The white Eames-style chairs were found on eBay, as was the classic G Plan Fresco sideboard. The bold seascape above it is by Hannah; the vintage coffee set on the top right-hand shelf is Bronte from Hornsea Pottery.
The renovation took six months, during which time Hannah researched everything, from fittings to finishes. Once the bones had been made good, Hannah turned her attention to the decor. Much of the furniture had been bought over the years, or are heirlooms, while other pieces have been carefully sourced. ‘I thought a lot about what would work where, and what I really needed to invest in,’ she explains. ‘I always do my research and rarely buy on spec. In my twenties, I’d save up to buy Georgian furniture, like little tables, blanket boxes and chests, as they were more affordable at the time. I used to enjoy pottering around antiques shops like Topsham Quay Antiques Centre: I bought an oak chest there when I was 22, which sits at the bottom of my bed. I’d never be without it.’ Along with classic Georgian pieces which, not unsurprisingly, are perfectly at home here, mid-century
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Living with Antiques
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE In the main bedroom, the walls are painted in Antimony by Fired Earth. The black and white artwork above the original fireplace is by Hannah. The mid-century bookshelf is from West Elm, and the little wooden chest was bought by Hannah many years ago; she turned a small room adjoining her own bedroom into a cosy study; the family bathroom is sleek and simple.
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‘I love the idea of items being slowly collected and treasured over the years. It means a home is layered with pieces imbued with stories and memories’ items and decorative objects from the 1960s and 70s have a strong presence. Here, again, Hannah’s childhood home proved a definitive influence. ‘My mum loved antiques – 18th and early 19thcentury – while my dad was a huge fan of mid-century design. It resulted in a very eclectic mix of styles, though, at the time, it didn’t seem unusual at all,’ says Hannah. ‘I think there are real design parallels between both eras, which is why nothing seems to jar. Both have an underlying simplicity and symmetry, which is unfussy and clean.’ It’s not only the furniture that brings such a sense of individuality to Hannah’s home. As an artist, she is highly attuned to creativity in all its
forms and, in every room, paintings, etchings, ceramics and sculptures are on display. ‘My parents really appreciated art and would often visit artists’ studios at the weekend: our family home was full of modernist paintings, ceramics and textiles,’ she says. ‘I inherited their enthusiasm for beautiful things, but it’s more than that. I love the idea of items being slowly collected and treasured over the years. It means a home is layered with pieces imbued with stories and memories. They really help to make a home, and that’s certainly been the case here.’ Hannah’s work can be viewed by appointment at her studio in Penryn, hannahwoodman.co.uk
Hannah’s daughter Rosa’s room has a bohemian feel. The bed is from Loaf, and the bedcover and curtains are both from Anthropologie. The old pine chest has been in the family for many years, as has the small antique rug. The larger one is from Urban Outfitters.
The front room is painted in Rippled Jade by Johnstone’s and creates a striking backdrop for Cassie’s artworks. The fire surround was sourced from The Giant Shepton Flea, and the armchair is from Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors Fair.
Living with Antiques
Pure theatre Interior designer Cassie Nicholas has filled her Bristol home with dramatic colours, quirky artworks and characterful antiques, transforming it into the perfect framework for her online antiques business FE AT U R E S O PH I E H A N N A M
PH OTO G R A PH S CL A I RE BI N G H A M
nly recently I was thinking about my childhood bedroom, and how similar it was to my bedroom now,’ says antiques dealer and interior designer Cassie Nicholas, gesturing to the swathes of plum linen that now top an ornate, carved Victorian bed in the master bedroom of her Bristol home. ‘My dad had panelled it in a kind of stained plywood with a scalloped edge, and I had this four-poster bed with a ruched lace curtain and pink bedding,’ she smiles. ‘I can’t think of anything more over the top – I suppose I’ve always had a slightly dramatic style!’
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Cassie added picture rails throughout the house so she can rotate her collection of paintings (most of which are stock for her business); Victorian double doors split the living room from the kitchen-diner, making the space feel cosy; ‘I’m drawn to anything with an eccentric vibe,’ says Cassie.
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Living with Antiques
ABOVE A taxidermy crow perched on an antique telephone by artist Polly Morgan was a wedding present and takes pride of place in Cassie’s hallway. RIGHT This calming corner of Cassie’s kitchen-diner also acts as her office space. It features a zinc-topped antique dining table, a sofa from Sofa Workshop and a dramatic artwork by Conor Harrington.
ABOVE Cassie indulges her love of old textiles throughout the house, layering colours and textures. LEFT The quirky lean-to, watched over by a taxidermy flamingo, doubles as Edd’s art studio.
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When Cassie and her husband Edd first looked around the 1920s midterrace in Bristol three years ago, it had been stripped of all period details by the previous owners. But, after almost a year of house hunting, it was exactly what they’d been looking for. ‘The ceilings were really high and it gave us the opportunity to add features,’ she explains. Spread across two floors, the house is full of surprises, with a lofty entrance hall, open-plan kitchen-diner, utility room lean-to (which doubles as Edd’s art studio) and a forest-green sitting room, which is pure Victoriana. ‘Initially, the ground floor was totally open plan,’ says Cassie, ‘which is why we chose to close off the living room with a pair of Victorian, glazed doors. I like cosy spaces.’ Upstairs there are two bedrooms: a cool bohemian double with sisal flooring, and the boudoirstyle master – a theatrical study in shades of claret. There’s also a small dressing room and a family bathroom. The house is a testament to Cassie and Edd’s DIY skills – they undertook most of the work themselves. ‘It was the only way we could afford to do it,’ she explains. ‘It’s been a learning
Cassie and Edd built the entire kitchen themselves using reclaimed materials. The cupboard shells came from Bristol Wood Recycling Project, vintage parquet flooring was recycled as worktops and they used old fabric to create curtains instead of doors – even the appliances and sink came from Gumtree.
The master bedroom is painted in Sunset Rose by Valspar. The lace-trimmed curtain pelmet is antique and casts a dramatic pink haze across the room.
Cassie’s personal style is entirely unique, and it’s a look she honed when she competed on (and won) the BBC and Netflix series Interior Design Masters in 2019
Living with Antiques
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Cassie changed the smallest bedroom in her home into a dressing room, leaving the plaster ceiling exposed and watering down a tester pot of pink paint to wash across the walls: ‘It’s a way to create a nice look for not a lot of money,’ she says; an antique textile hanging makes a statement in the master bedroom; a decorative lamp table with a ruched shade adds drama.
curve – fitting plaster ceiling roses, plumbing a bathroom and learning to tile – but we weren’t afraid to give things a go.’ The kitchen is their finest work. Built entirely by hand from reclaimed materials, it sets the carefree, bohemian tone for the rest of the house. The patinated worktops are crafted from old parquet flooring and the curtains were run up from vintage fabrics. Even the sink, dishwasher and fridge (which Cassie spruced up with chalkboard paint) came from Gumtree. ‘It was a big deal for us to make sure we weren’t using too many new products, as we wanted the project to be as eco-friendly as possible,’ she says. ‘It also became a bit of a challenge – to see what we could find second-hand!’ Cassie’s personal style is entirely unique, and it’s a look that she honed when she competed on (and won) the BBC and Netflix series Interior Design Masters in 2019, receiving a contract to overhaul the bar at London’s Dorsett hotel as a prize. ‘I’m drawn to anything with an eccentric English kind of vibe,’ she says, citing the Bloomsbury Group’s Charleston Farmhouse as a point of inspiration. And, when it comes to antiques, she has no loyalty to a particular period. ‘Victorian and Aesthetic movement furniture looks great with mid-century pottery and Georgian embroideries – I’d never say that a piece from one era can’t
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The spare bedroom is packed with bohemian charm and filled with houseplants, retro pottery and mid-century paintings. The white walls allow Cassie’s displays to shine; an antique shelving unit is perfect for her ever-changing stock; a fluted marble goblet atop a mosaiced table.
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work with something from another,’ she muses. Furnishing her home in a bespoke way gave Cassie ample opportunity to create a backdrop for her antiques business, Dig Haüshizzle. While renovating, she lined the walls with Victorian-style picture rails so that her supply of artworks can constantly rotate, and displays of vintage china, framed needlepoints, taxidermy and lace curtains come and go as stock changes. However, though her clients often ask when they visit by appointment, she assures us that not everything in the house is for sale. ‘It’s not about something being mine,’ she says, ‘because everything I own has already been somebody else’s, and eventually it’ll belong to someone else again. It’s just that some pieces are too special!’ Her favourite piece – a naïve plaster sculpture of a leaping horse that she sourced from the attic of a stately home in Monmouthshire – is a case in point. ‘The number of people who have asked if they can buy that horse!’ Cassie laughs. ‘It’s worth nothing, but I think it’s just the coolest thing. I’m always moving it around the house!’
Elle Decoration by Crown Enchanted Ivy, £37.99 for 2.5l, Crown Paints.
Victorian aesthetic pitch pine dressing table, £1,195, Prior & Willis Antiques at The Hoarde.
19th-century French pink armchair, £850, Doe & Hope.
BELOW Raspberry bed linen bundle, £261, Piglet in Bed. ABOVE Vintage Swedish rug, £840, Joshua Lumley at Decorative Collective. LEFT Seletti Waiting Bird lamp, £115, Red Candy.
Get t e oo LEFT Mey Meh Oriel standard lampshade in Sienna, £415; Serpentis floor lampstand, £895, both House of Hackney.
MARVELLOUS MÉLANGE Channel the drama of Cassie’s unique scheme with moody paint shades, faded florals and characterful ceramics BELOW Antique French armchair in original fabric, £295, Vinterior. RIGHT Large 19th-century astral glazed cabinet, £1,700, Vinterior. LEFT Swiss cheese plant, from £17.99, Crocus. Large Coates planter, £65, Garden Trading.
Eating Room Red, £47.95 for 2.5l, Farrow & Ball.
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Living with Antiques
Vibrant
vintage
A jungle of colours, texture and pattern bring new life to the vintage furniture in the living room. Mairead bought the German cocktail chairs from an importer on eBay, and had them re-covered. The Habitat Hendricks sofa was another eBay find and the coffee table came from a charity shop in Menai Bridge.
Mairead Turner’s trademark mix of pattern and paint provides a vivid backdrop for her constantly evolving collection of retro furniture and accessories in her Victorian home on the Isle of Anglesey FE AT U R E A N N A TO BI N PH OTO G R A PH S R ACH A EL SM ITH
ABOVE The entrance hallway was a lockdown project. Mairead wanted to emphasise the Victorian features and used Hencroft Azure wallpaper above the dado rail teamed with Yellow-Pink paint below and woodwork in Pleat, all by Little Greene. The unsigned painting came from Annie’s Orphans charity shop in Beaumaris.
airead Turner and her husband Robin Hodgson are drawn like magpies to beautiful objects of design, particularly pieces that have already been wellloved. While most people buy to fulfil a need in their home, Mairead and Robin buy what they love, and then find a use for it later. And so, seven years ago, when they got the keys to their Victorian cottage on the Isle of Anglesey, they arrived with lorry loads of furniture and accessories they had accumulated but never used. All they were missing was the kitchen sink, because they did, in fact, bring the kitchen. ‘I came across the units years ago on eBay,’ laughs Mairead. ‘It was boxes of pieces from a massive freestanding solid oak Habitat kitchen. I saw it and fell in love with it and I bought it. It’s been dragged around with us from truck to truck ever since, until we finally found a home for it here.’ Mairead found the house in much the same way as she discovers all of her favourite things. ‘We moved to Anglesey from Leeds, when our eldest daughter Marnie, now eight, was a baby. Robin is in the restaurant
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‘We’re a very sociable family, and because Robin runs restaurants, we also recognise how nice it is to have lots of places to sit, eat and hangout’
Mairead bought the 1950s table from Vintage Boutique in Leeds, while the French school chairs come from Retro Boutique in the same city. Robin found the vintage metal pendant lights from an old rag mill in Batley. RIGHT The Arkana Tulip chairs and vintage ship bulkhead wall lights were bought from a fair in Ardingly. The wall behind is painted in Canton by Little Greene. The original lithograph is by Irma Henson.
Living with Antiques
ABOVE Mairead chanced upon the solid oak Habitat kitchen on eBay and her builder adapted it for the space. The ladder, which is used as a pot rack, came from Hawthorn Yard Antiques in Menai Bridge. The original Kaiser Idell scissor wall light came from a fair. LEFT Mairead pays as much attention to ceilings as she does to walls and floors and in the hall the ceiling is painted Hellebore by Little Greene, which chimes with the other colours.
business and he was in the process of setting up a chain of restaurants in north Wales. ‘Initially, we rented while we decided whether we were going to settle here.’ On maternity leave at the time, Mairead would take long walks along the coast with Marnie and, while out one morning, she spotted their future home. ‘It’s not the prettiest building, but it has the most incredible views. I thought, I have to live here, just to be able to look out over the deer park and the sea beyond every day.’ As soon as they moved in, Mairead and Robin began working on making the inside of the cottage as beautiful as the scenery that surrounded it. ‘It was very old-fashioned,’ explains Mairead. ‘It hadn’t been touched since the 1970s, which was when it was extended. We first set about knocking down walls in the extension to create one big living space and a final resting place for our eBay kitchen!’ Some of the kitchen units were left freestanding and
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Living with Antiques
TOP LEFT Mairead uses her office as an ongoing experiment with pattern and paint. The wallpaper is Vine by Little Greene. The chest of drawers is from Ikea and Mairead painted it in Adventurer by Little Greene, the armchair is upholstered in Harlequin’s Florica. ABOVE The tapestry was made by Ann Davis in 1890. The vases and candlesticks are all vintage finds. LEFT The print on the stairs is by Rachel Khan.
some were adapted by a local builder to create a more fitted look with a breakfast bar. ‘We’re a very sociable family, and because Robin runs restaurants, we also recognise how nice it is to have lots of places to sit, eat and hangout,’ says Mairead. ‘We have a kooky, practical 1950s Formica table on one side of the kitchen for painting and messy play and then a more formal dining table on the other side.’ Seating that Mairead and Robin have picked up on their travels is dotted all over the house. ‘Most of our furniture and accessories and even the lighting is picked up from antiques markets, eBay, junk shops and charity shops,’ says Mairead. ‘Robin is a regular at the Arthur Swallow Fairs and we find quite a bit at car boot sales too.’ Fortunately, the couple are dab hands at restoring and painting furniture. Followers of Mairead’s Instagram account (@maireadturner) will see that she regularly rearranges her finds, reupholsters furniture and redecorates everything from
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The Peacock chair on the upstairs landing came from Chris Holmes Antiques, and Mairead has used this to create an informal extra workspace. The bench is from an Arthur Swallow Fair, and the stag’s head came from Vintage Boutique in Leeds. The tapestry is from a fireguard that Mairead found in a charity shop.
A pair of midcentury cabinets sit either side of the bed – Mairead found them in a local charity shop. The vintage JieldÊ wall lights were an eBay discovery. The framed tapestry fragment came from Vintage Boutique in Leeds.
Living with Antiques
The colourful Hollyhocks fabric by Sanderson used on the window dressings inspired the happy 1950s feel Mairead wanted to create in the master bedroom. The walls are painted in Rhubarb by Paint & Paper Library and Turquoise Blue by Little Greene. The chair is from Swiss Cottage Antiques in Leeds.
walls to window frames in colourful new patterns and shades. It’s obvious to anyone who visits the house that Mairead loves bold pattern, texture and colour. ‘I spend a lot of time working out how to balance the different colours and patterns, so that every space is joyous, but also restful. I tend to start with an amazing patterned wallpaper that works well with the proportions of a room and work everything else around that.’ Mairead’s striking designs quickly won praise from visitors and soon people were asking for help with their own schemes. ‘I’ve never had any formal design training,’ she says. ‘I used to work for the Arts Council and before that as a producer of contemporary dance, but I couldn’t continue with that while living out here and being a mum. I’ve always loved renovating houses and when friends started asking me to help with their projects I jumped at it.’ Mairead & Co Interiors now has about 10 clients on the go at any
ABOVE The vintage scales and candle-sconce wall mirror in the bathroom came from Hawthorn Yard Antiques. LEFT The dress maker’s dummy came from an Arthur Swallow Fair and the shelving came from Swiss Cottage Antiques in Leeds. The artworks on the wall are from a job lot of illustrations Mairead bought at a Brighton car boot sale.
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Marnie’s room is decorated in May Meadow by Rebel Walls. The cast-iron bed came from an Arthur Swallow Fair and the Anglepoise lamp came from Leeds Vintage Market; the wallpaper in Orla’s bedroom is Florica by Harlequin and the wardrobe is from eBay; the artwork on the blue wall is part of a job lot of illustrations Mairead bought at a Brighton car boot; Mairead made the headboard for Orla’s bed using Nelson fabric by Sanderson.
Living with Antiques one time, and Mairead’s unique mix of pattern and colour can be seen in hotels, holiday cottages and homes across Wales and beyond. But none are quite as daring as her own home. ‘My home is like a playground for me,’ she explains. ‘It’s where I take risks and experiment with colour and pattern in ways that I wouldn’t with clients’ properties. For example, I’ve tried out colour-blocking with the deep plum wall and cabinet in my office, and I’ve based a scheme around the curtain fabric in our bedroom. ‘Lockdown gave me time to rethink things, which was when I redid the entrance hall. It’s a place we pass through, rather than relax and spend time in, so I made it really fun with a bold wallpaper and blocks of contrasting colours.’ Mairead, Robin, Marnie and Orla love their home now but, with so many new ideas to try out, wallpapers, fabrics and paints still to be discovered, there will always be something different for visitors to spot and wonder at. Mairead & Co Interiors maireadandcointeriors.com
Mairead’s Little Black Book of
FAVOURITE PLACES • Hawthorn Yard Antiques I’m often to be found checking out what’s new at this antiques shop in Menai Bridge and frequently come home with something! @hawthorn.yard • Janet Bell I am a big fan of this Scandi-style store for homeware and accessories. janetbell.co.uk
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Gareth Gardner/Sir John Soane’s Museum; Fotan/Alamy Stock Photo ; Tuul & Bruno Morandi/Getty Images
BELOW The delicate Golden Lily William Morris wallpaper gives a restful feel to the en suite bathroom of the master bedroom. The armchair is from Hawthorn Yard Antiques.
• Dylan’s Restaurants Robin now has three restaurants in north Wales and we spend a lot of time in them and not just because we have to! They’re housed in very cool buildings overlooking the water and the food is delicious. dylansrestaurant.co.uk • Sir John Soane’s Museum I love this London museum with its higgledy piggledy collection of fantastically eclectic things. soane.org • Vivienne Westwood I had a Vivienne Westwood wedding dress; her clothing is timeless and never goes out of fashion. She’s a real design inspiration for me. viviennewestwood.com • India I adore all the smells and colours of India. It’s overwhelming, but it makes me feel tranquil.
Dylan’s Restaurant
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BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Exuberant patterns and bold paint colours are the touchstones of interior designer Gavin Houghton’s style, and he has used these to charming effect in his south London home F EATU RE J EN N Y RO S E-IN N ES PH OTO G R APHS S IM O N GR I F F IT H S
The blue armchair in the drawing room, upholstered in a now-discontinued fabric, is Gavin’s favourite. He had the sofa made and covered in a silk by Turnell & Gigon.
Living with Antiques
avin Houghton says colourful ceilings are his ‘thing’, and the one in his drawing room has recently been painted mustard. ‘You know how pubs used to be when everyone smoked,’ is how he describes the effect. It’s his favourite room in the house, either when he and his partner, Boz Gagovski, have friends over for dinner, or in the evenings when the fire’s going and the two of them are sitting there with Jack and Jill, their two Jack Russells. Gavin will probably be in the blue and white armchair, his favourite. It’s a cosy and well lived-in room, with chaotically stacked bookshelves around the fireplace and walls crammed with art, including a number of drawings by Duncan Grant. It’s also indicative of the rest of the house, which has an uncontrived bohemian charm – a sense that it has developed in a perfectly natural manner. The early Victorian house is in Stockwell, south London. ‘I like this area, it’s real and there are quite interesting people here,’ says Gavin. ‘It’s not over-manicured – I always say they have nasturtiums in their window boxes here, unlike in Notting Hill, where they have box hedges, which don’t move me at all.’ Twenty years ago, when he bought the house, the neighbourhood was much more raffish than it is today, and the house itself was in pretty poor shape, having had a run of mainly artist tenants. ‘The living room had been a painting studio – the floor
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The wallpaper is Espalier by Pierre Frey. The yellow boy painting is by Mike Rachlis, from Toronto, who Gavin found on Instagram – a frequent source of artwork for him. TOP LEFT Gavin in the drawing room with his dogs, Jack and Jill.
Living with Antiques
FAR LEFT & DETAIL Gavin bought the turquoise and brown armchairs years ago and had them reupholstered. The left-hand plate above the fireplace is by Hylton Nel, the other, from the 18th century, was a gift from his mother. The vase is a junk-shop find. The tiles in the fireplace are by Douglas Watson. BELOW Gavin’s ‘terrible but funny’ copy of a Van Gogh portrait was a gift to his mother that was rejected and returned.
loo vibe, with its subway tiles and brass fittings,’ says Gavin. ‘I bought the vanity on eBay, which I do a lot for clients – and the taps are vintage.’ Throughout the house, walls are hung with a wealth of artworks. That includes a painting of Van Gogh in the kitchen, which Gavin painted for his mother. ‘She didn’t like it – she said it was cross-eyed, so I got it back.’ There’s a level of ingenuity throughout the house, and you get the sense that Gavin doesn’t take himself too seriously. He grew up in an artistic household in Hertfordshire – his father, who had studied at The Slade art school in
was covered in green paint, which you can still see in places.’ The house was empty when he first saw it; friends who lived nextdoor had keys and let him in. ‘It was pretty ropy, but had a very nice atmosphere.’ And it was a house – something he never thought he could afford in London. So into an empty, paint-spattered shell, Gavin introduced colour, pattern and exuberant decoration to create this welcoming and cheerful space. He also installed tenants on the top floor, which he still rents out. Favourite ceramics, including works by Hylton Nel and Michaela Gall, are positioned on table tops and mantelpieces. In the hallway, on the entry level, he painted the bare floorboards in a black and white chequerboard pattern and, elsewhere, brought in well-worn rugs. Where walls aren’t painted in intense tones, they’re papered in striking wallpapers, including a Brunschwig & Fils in the main bedroom, which Gavin describes as ‘the most wonderful wallpaper in the world – I’ve tried to work out why it’s so successful’. Even the bathroom walls are papered in Zoffany’s Richmond Park, a bold leaf design, in what is now a discontinued colourway. ‘The bathroom has a public
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Living with Antiques
London, worked in advertising, while his mother is an artist. She was also pretty handy around the house. ‘She used to make curtains and things – I think I learnt a lot from her. I always knew if anything had been changed. She’d ask me, “Do you see anything new in the house?” and I’d know straightaway.’ It was ‘a given’, he says, that he went to art school, and he imagined that he’d become a painter. However, after hanging out with the fashion students and modelling for their collections, he
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ABOVE The bathroom is papered in Richmond Park by Zoffany. A painting by Gill Button, who Gavin describes as ‘a brilliant painter,’ hangs on the wall. ‘I collect paintings, it’s my weakness,’ says Gavin. RIGHT Gavin uses the Gallier Diamond wallpaper by Brunschwig & Fils quite often in his projects: ‘I totally love it.’ He designed the Egyptianinspired and diamond-shaped headboard to reflect it.
ended up with a degree in fashion. One of his first jobs was at The World of Interiors – and his first task was to make ‘chintz jeans for all the girls for the Decorex stand’. He still sews, he says, but needs a new sewing machine. ‘I want to make cushions – I would do them in pairs with beautiful fringes.’ For a number of years he was the Promotions Art Director at Vogue then, in 2006, just as he was thinking of leaving and setting up his own interior design studio, he sat down next to someone at a dinner party who owned ‘one of the earliest Jacobean houses in England – she was a friend of a friend of mine’. She called him soon after to say her husband had suggested they might like to work with Gavin. ‘She wanted to do quite a lot of work,’ he says. ‘The house had been done in the Seventies by David Hicks. We left the Zuber wallpaper in the dining room and re-covered the dining room chairs in an assortment of pink leathers, which looked amazing.’ He also worked on the main drawing room and master bedroom. ‘I found it quite easy – it’s not rocket science, it’s wallpaper and curtains! I had been doing room sets for years at The World of Interiors so I wasn’t afraid of colour.’ Since then, Gavin’s work has mainly been private houses in the city and country, with the odd pub or Scottish hunting lodge thrown in. On weekends in London Gavin walks the dogs, goes junk-shop hunting and visits exhibitions. On some weekends, he and Boz and the dogs go to Oxfordshire to a house they have a part share in. ‘In winter I love it with cold nights and the fires roaring, and the muddy walks.’ For warmth they go to La Di Dar, their place in Tangier, ‘which is like a playhouse. I like a bit of everything, but I do love this house and wouldn’t want to give it up’. He dreams of opening a restaurant in Tangier – ‘like a supper club, simple but tasty food. I’ll get an ice-cream machine, and make delicious icecream with cardamom or saffron or rosewater. It will be a bit arty-farty, with all my art over the walls.’ Even as he thinks about that, he imagines himself in his office in the garden in London, its walls painted bright red. ‘When I’m really poor I can live in there and rent out the house.’ He’d make it work – and you know it would be wonderful.
This is an edited extract from British Designers at Home by Jenny Rose-Innes published by Hardie Grant (ÂŁ30)
THE EDIT Our pick of seasonal must-haves for the HOME and GARDEN plus, this month, a focus on heating E D I T E D BY KATIE P IKE
All fired up More than just a means to keep warm, the campfire conjures images of toasting marshmallows, storytelling and stargazing. As far as autumn goes, it doesn’t get much more idyllic. To recreate the experience at home, a firebowl is an easy alternative and the designs from Kadai are a good eco option, too – they’re handmade from recycled oil drums by family workshops in India. This design costs £340 and is ideal for small gatherings. kadai.co.uk
THE EDIT Essentials
Blind ambition Double up on cosy – while achieving a cosseting boutique-hotel look – by teaming blinds with thermal-lined curtains. Window furnishing specialist Thomas Sanderson offers thermal lining with all of its curtain designs, which helps to reduce external noise as well as eliminate draughts. Here, a teal blind complements Ornella Teal curtains beautifully. thomas-sanderson.co.uk
FENDER FEVER No games room worth its salt should be without a club fender. Its design came about in the 18th century, when it was primarily used in games rooms of private clubs and grand living rooms of the well to do. These days, for those looking to bring some old-school glamour to their hearth, Fiona Wilbraham’s designs are suitably smart. Led by a love of 3D art and the austerity of steel, Fiona began creating fenders 30 years ago. Today, she has seven core designs, which are adapted for each client and available in various metal and upholstery finishes. We love the new Twisted Club Fender design in antique gold – just the right side of traditional. Fenders from £1,800 per pair. fionawilbraham.com
STORE IT UP Garden Trading’s handsome Aldsworth log store (£180) is spacious enough to store all the wood you’ll need for a good few weeks over winter and its simple Scandidesign, crafted from spruce, gives it extra style points. gardentrading.co.uk
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Housekeeping Tip
Looking after antique textiles Display delicate antique and vintage textiles, such as samplers and decorative fragments, under glass to keep them free from dust and the attention of moths and other destructive beasts. Once framed, hang out of direct sunlight to protect the dyes from fading
Focus On
HEATING That familiar nip in the air makes us think about keeping our homes toasty. From crackling stoves to stylish radiators, take your pick from the latest designs FE AT U R E S O PH I E H A N N A M
Traditional in style, this elegant woodburner is available in a choice of finishes to complement your fire surround or hearth tiles. Beaumont 5WS Series, from ÂŁ1,400, Chesneys.
THE EDIT Heating
There are few things cosier than the crackle of a real flame... CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT For an alternative to burning wood, this Holborn gas stove is both trend-setting and traditional, from £1,349, Arada; with sleek, contemporary curves, the 6140 wood stove has hidden hinges for a seamless look, £1,499, Morsø; the large, statement window on this C-Four wood stove helps to make the most of a roaring fire, from £1,002, Charnwood; ultra eco-friendly, and with a little oven up top for bread or baked potatoes, The Fat Penguin Eco multi-fuel stove is ideal for city living, £1,729, Chilli Penguin.
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Cleaning tip As we’ll be using our stoves more regularly during winter months, it’s of utmost importance to keep them clean so they stay looking neat and perform at their best. We recommend sweeping out any ash from within the stove every two-to-three uses, and giving the glass window a wipe with kitchen roll and warm water. Having your chimney and flue swept regularly will help to prevent blockages, too.
This slender woodburning stove is ideal for shallow alcoves or narrow spaces in smaller homes or flats. The Wildwood Slender 5kW, from £1,176, Woodwarm Stoves.
BUYING GUIDE Annabelle Carvell from stove specialists Stovax & Gazco sheds light on choosing the perfect heating solution for your home Having a stove in your living space not only provides heating, but also introduces a sense of homeliness by offering an inviting centrepiece or focal point. There’s an innate connection that humans seem to have with fire, regardless of whether the flames are real or not, so the ambience that comes from a stove really is essential for many of us. A solid fuel stove can be installed almost anywhere in the home, as long as there is a flue and the installation satisfies the requirement of the product (such as distance from combustibles). If you don’t have a chimney already, you can have a pre-fabricated flue system installed. However, every property and installation is different, so you will need to seek expert advice from your retailer. When choosing your perfect stove, each fuel type comes with its own set of benefits. Woodburning and multi-fuel stoves can supplement, or sometimes replace the need for, central heating. Some have the ability to be connected to supply domestic hot water and central heating requirements, while others offer a fantastic means for hard-to-heat spaces – plus the added allure of real living flames! A woodburning or multi-fuel stove does require annual maintenance, such as chimney sweeping and general stove cleaning. Additionally, it’s usually helpful to have somewhere to store wood fuel, which can sometimes cause inconvenience if space is an issue.
ABOVE Loft gas stove shown with Woodgrain sandstone plinth, from £2,480, Gazco. BELOW LEFT Studio 1 freestanding woodburning stove, from £2,539, Stovax.
Gas stoves offer instant heat that can be switched on or off at the touch of a button. Many of today’s gas stoves and fires are indiscernible from a real woodburner, too. Plus, if you don’t have a conventional chimney system, balanced flue gas fires don’t require a chimney to function, as they vent directly through an exterior wall. The kind of stove you choose depends on what you are personally looking for. A period property, for example, could be updated with a modern gas stove that features all of the latest heating technology, yet still retains the feel of a classic log burner. In relatively airtight properties such as new builds, it’s important to consider air ventilation, as there must be an air vent permanently open to the outside when using a stove. All kinds of factors such as the size of windows, the age of your home etc, can all influence your heating requirements, so it’s always best to consult your local expert retailer. Whatever you want from a stove or fire there is a huge array of options. The main feature, of course, is that you are presented with the most beautiful flames! stovax.com
104 Homes & Antiques November 2020
THE EDIT Heating
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STYLISH RADIATORS Bring warmth to your living space, kitchen or bathroom with these eye-catching designs
1 Rare antique fluted cast-iron radiator, £985, Haes Antiques at Decorative Collective 2 Arteplano radiator in Etched Copper, from £1,382, Bisque 3 Bisque Archibald towel radiator, £815, West One Bathrooms 4 Amal floor radiator, £1,595, Imperial Bathrooms 5 Paladin Kensington radiator, from £193.65, Victorian Plumbing 6 Savoy vintage gold heated towel rail radiator, £349.95, Victorian Plumbing 7 Oni vertical radiator, from £812, Vasco 8 Arcadia towel horse, £680.40, Vogue UK 9 Tetro radiator in Volcanic, from £891.60, Bisque
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HERITAGE Colonial Past
Shadows of the Past In the aftermath of global anti-racist demonstrations, Janet Gleeson asks experts whether our approach to objects linked to our colonial history should change hile the doors of auction houses, antiques shops, galleries and museums were firmly shut during the recent lockdown, our cultural landscape experienced a seismic rocking. In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, demonstrations for social justice, the removal of statues linked to racial exploitation, colonialism and
Lennox Cato
W
slavery dominated the news. To some, the gestures seemed distressing, but many agreed these actions brought difficult questions surrounding the darker side of our cultural heritage to the fore. Now that the art world has reopened its doors, how will this complex debate alter the way we think about objects linked to our colonial past? For Ronnie Archer Morgan, specialist in tribal art and the great-grandson of a freed
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 107
HERITAGE Colonial Past
ABOVE British soldiers pose with artefacts looted from the royal palace in Benin City in 1897. RIGHT One of 700 works of art from Benin that are held by the British Museum. This plaque was made using the lost wax technique and dates from c16th–17th century. PREVIOUS PAGE Lennox Cato refers to this c1720 Aubusson tapestry, which he finds ‘incredibly powerful’.
slave from Sierra Leone, there are negatives and positives to consider. ‘Terrible things happened, which have to be acknowledged. But I think, in a way, art is the phoenix that rises from the tragedy of slavery. Understanding more about objects with colonial links leads people to a greater understanding of what happened. You’ve got to look for the good, otherwise there would be no hope.’ Within the inevitable reshaping of the collector’s market, objects with certain histories seem destined to become problematic. As recently as January this year, a pair of 18th to 19th-century carved polychrome stylized black figures were sold by Sotheby’s New York in the Mario Buatta sale, described with a text that could be regarded as insensitive and potentially offensive. Similarly, materials such as rosewood, satinwood, ebony, kingwood, which were highly coveted in their Georgian and Victorian heydays, are now falling increasingly
108 Homes & Antiques November 2020
under shadow. Not only are these woods linked with colonial trade, but there is concern the market creates demand that encourages depletion of natural resources. But Ronnie feels objects made from such materials shouldn’t be dismissed or devalued. ‘Think of all the stately homes, all the treasures made from exotic timbers – you can’t destroy it all. Much of the money that bought these things came from exploitation, we need to acknowledge that. But we must also remember they were not created in evilness. The craftsmen loved and revered those materials and they imbued that pride in the object – that’s the positive.’ Furniture specialist Lennox Cato says that recent events have made him think that it’s time history and art history more accurately represented multiculturalism. ‘When we look at certain pieces, we need to understand when they were made, why and how. That said, I can’t see a correlation
between me as a black dealer buying or not buying certain objects. We can’t make the colonial legacy disappear by pulling down statues. Wood for Georgian and Victorian furniture came from India, the Caribbean and South America, entwined with slavery and exploitation. The timber was expensive, so in Europe it was used to make the best furniture.’ Of particular relevance in Lennox’s stock is an 18th-century Aubusson tapestry that shows a white plantation owner with a black woman grafting cocoa trees in a tropical landscape. ‘Unusually, the woman isn’t shown in a subservient position, they are looking at each other as equals. So, even though this represents the Western view of colonialism, to me it’s incredibly powerful.’ Will Hobbs, expert in tribal art at auctioneers Woolley & Wallis, says provenance is increasingly important in evaluating the works of art that pass through his hands. ‘It’s part of our
CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo; The Trustees of the British Museum; Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; DeAgostini/Getty Images
Of greater sensitivity are objects that came to the West through pillaging and looting
HERITAGE Colonial Past
policy to establish where things come from and whether they are OK to sell. Not all are, therefore we don’t sell them. But many pieces were made for trade, so we shouldn’t think of it all as examples of exploitation. Even when Captain James Cook went on his second expedition, he noted a mass of objects specifically made to trade with sailors.’ Other pieces Will handles were presented as gifts and some were used for educational purposes. ‘In my last sale I had two lots collected by a Scottish missionary at the beginning of the 20th century. One was lent to a missionary exhibition in 1905, as a way of showing the British public a small glimpse of the colonies.’ Of greater sensitivity are objects that came to the West through pillaging and looting. At the forefront are the Benin Bronzes, a group of more than 1,000
‘If there was a gift exchange, why was that happening? Many of the objects were not created to be seen’ metal plaques and sculptures, created from the 15th century by the Edo people to decorate the royal palace of Benin (in modern Nigeria). The plaques were pillaged by the British army in 1897 and brought to the West, where they found their way into the British Museum and many other leading Western collections. Since it gained independence in 1960, Nigeria has requested the return of the bronzes. While discussions at government level
RIGHT Tea table decorated with marquetry of satinwood, rosewood and mahogany; this East Africa Islamic writing board sold for £4,500 at Woolley & Wallis; this Kenyan Kikuyu stool fetched £500 at Woolley & Wallis.
LEFT 19th-century Louis Philippestyle rosewood tea caddy; ornate desk chair on a beech and rosewood core.
are ongoing, significant changes are already underway. ‘We have updated our text to more fully acknowledge how Benin historic works entered the collection,’ said a spokesperson for the British Museum. ‘We have longstanding partnerships with colleagues in Nigeria and Benin City, and are assisting in the development of the new Benin Royal Museum and lending works for display.’ Liverpool’s World Museum is also trying to address these issues by working with black creative practitioners from the city to rethink their display of Benin Bronzes. ‘We’ve also worked with an artist from Benin to think about what value the material has to Benin today and we will touch on repatriation,’ explains Emma Martin, curator of the collection. She takes a different approach to the wider question of collecting objects with colonial links. ‘We tend to focus on the moment the object left the hands of its originating owners: if it was a gift exchange, why was that happening, was there pressure?’ For Emma, the artistic merit of an object is of less concern than its purpose. ‘Many of the objects were not created to be seen or appreciated as works of art. So rather than thinking of objects purely for aesthetic reasons, I’m concerned with ideas of use, where they came from, the historic moment they left the hands of their owners and how they arrived here, in Liverpool. I think anyone collecting material that clearly has links to our colonial past should question what power structures enabled it to arrive in Europe. Even if it seems benign, I would ask people to consider what enabled that object to be removed from its original owners.’ Opinions differ, and these questions have no easy resolution, yet there is an overarching consensus that history cannot be rewritten by demolishing things. Recontextualising objects is essential and better historical understanding should underpin collecting at every level. ‘This is an opportunity to break down barriers,’ says Ronnie Archer Morgan. ‘We must never forget the tragedies or dismiss the bad that’s associated with an object’s history, but we should also acknowledge some good.’
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 109
MATERIAL MATTERS Brass
BRASS Robust, attractive and infinitely varied, brass has been a mainstay of English domestic life for centuries, popular with collectors across a number of markets. Steve Wright explains its appeal
ABOVE Utzschneider & Fraunhofer of Munich telescope c1825, ÂŁPOA, Hatchwell Antiques.
Few materials combine sturdiness and malleability, attractiveness and variety, not to mention affordability, quite so well as brass. From candlesticks to telescopes, swans to wheatsheaves, antique brass comes in a tempting variety of shapes and uses, appealing to collectors of decorative antiques as well as those with specialist interests, such as scientific instruments. A hard-wearing alloy of copper and zinc, brass has been with us for a very long time. The earliest brass form, dating back to Neolithic times, was calamine brass, which consisted of a zinc ore (rock with zinc extracts). Later, the Romans used a more refined zinc when making brass,
110 Homes & Antiques November 2020
which was worked into vessels, dress armour and jewellery. As the Roman Empire declined, so did brass production, which only regained popularity around the ninth century. From this time, and thanks to its greater malleability compared to the copper/tin alloy bronze, brass was used to make ewers and basins, lamps, bowls, jugs, and many other household items. Later, in medieval and early modern Europe, engraved brass plates depicting the deceased were set into the surface of tombs. Around the same time, in the 16th century, brass basins and plates became popular decorative showpieces in
Š Barry Macdonald 2019; Elizabeth Whiting & Associates/Alamy Stock Photo; Alan Pilkington/Spencer Swaffer Antiques
Material Matters:
MATERIAL MATTERS Brass
LIGHT FANTASTIC Before the advent of electricity, brassware reached its peak in popularity as domestic lighting… ‘Houses during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries largely depended on candles for their lighting – and more candlesticks have been made in brass than from any other material,’ dealer Duncan J Baggott explains. ‘With their single sockets and low, broad bases, candlesticks were portable and safe from falling over. Then followed the candelabra: whether for lighting the table, or placed on candle stands, or as wall sconces with the candle arms mounted to a drip pan (to catch the wax) and with a polished brass backplate to distribute the light. Similarly, candle arms were attached to wall mirrors, again to reflect the light; while chandeliers, with their many candle arms, were used in halls, dining rooms and, of course, in churches.’ For the bedroom, a portable chamberstick with a handle, or a backplate with a handle, was required, to light the way upstairs – hence the nickname, the ‘And so to bed’. ‘These pieces all had to be cleaned, and the candles replaced, daily, and large houses would employ people solely for this job, working in their own dedicated ‘lamp room’.’
A cluster of brass candlesticks creates a stately mood for an intimate dinner.
prosperous homes. When silver and gold arrived from the Americas to replace it as the decorative metals of choice, brass assumed a more workaday role, gaining popularity in kitchenware and other domestic items such as chandeliers, candlesticks, sundials and clocks. It is these household items that make up such a large and attractive proportion of the brass you’ll find in today’s antiques market. Alongside this, though, and thanks to its affordability, strength and versatility, brass also became a major material in the manufacture of fine instruments for astronomy, surveying, navigation, engineering and many of the other growing scientific disciplines. In short, the choice available to today’s collector of brass is large and fascinatingly eclectic, from the humblest domestic items to pieces
FROM TOP Cast brass wall sconce, £950 for a pair; 19th-century wall sconce, £365, both Duncan J Baggott; 19th-century brass tavern candlesticks, £310, Spencer Swaffer Antiques.
that have played a part in our journeys of technical discovery. Spencer Swaffer, an antiques dealer in Arundel, has seen some ups and downs in the brass market over the past few decades. ‘When I first opened my shop in the 1980s, brass was the height of fashion. Everyone wanted it, from English homeowners decorating their hearths, via American dealers filling containers with brass fenders and trivets, to Dutch dealers making weekly trips to buy brass candlesticks.’ Since that heyday, says Spencer, brass’s popularity and prices have risen and fallen as tastes have swung between minimalism and opulence. ‘In the 1990s, Queen Anne petal-base brass candlesticks sold readily for four-figure sums. These days, prices for the more routine pairs have fallen below £100, although rarer and signed forms still command high
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 111
MATERIAL MATTERS Brass
prices. However, the market is now on the move upwards again, with a rise in interest in traditional home decoration and a move away from austere minimalism.’ Antique brass spans many objects, styles and periods, and Spencer has his own favourites. ‘I have always loved brass fenders, because of their traditional association with the very heart of the home. I also look out for fireside mantel ornaments, such as pairs of brass lions, deer, horses, swans... all redolent of the English countryside.’ Antique brass is comparable, in its value and demand, to its sister material, bronze. ‘However, whereas with bronze it’s all about patina and colour, brass depends for its value upon its form and condition,’ Spencer explains. ‘Brass has always been polished, and anything with a skin of age tends to look dull and uncared for. Two hundred years of polishing, however, gives brass a warm softness.’ Allan Hatchwell runs London’s Hatchwell Antiques, whose fascinating range of stock includes scientific, aeronautical, optical and aviation pieces, alongside furniture and household items. In particular, Allan stocks intriguing brass items
tracing developments in science, engineering and mathematics. ‘We sell various types of objects made from brass, such as lighting (chandeliers, lanterns and candlesticks), door furniture and fittings,’ he explains. ‘However, the brass items I find most interesting are the scientific and marine instruments, such as telescopes, rulers and pantographs [instruments used for making scale drawings, diagrams and maps]
which tend to date from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries.’ These items have proven popular with collectors. ‘In particular, highquality English and German telescopes by the best makers are always in demand, and some interior designers like to use them on projects that have a distinctive view – by the sea, mountains or cityscapes, for example. Elsewhere, we are selling a lot of well-made English 19thcentury brass door furniture, such as
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BELOW A brass mirror at The Quay House Hotel in County Galway in Ireland sets the tone for the elegant drawing room.
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1. A very rare working prototype model of a torpedo by A Légé & Co c1886, £POA, Hatchwell Antiques. 2. Lion fire dogs by Tonks & Sons c1880, £2,200, Hatchwell Antiques. 3. Example of an ornate Victorian brass letterbox plate. 4. A royal Louis XV brass inclining mechanical minute dial by Julien Le Roy sold for £1.8m at Christie’s in 2019. 5. Louis Philippestyle big brass and crystal oil lamp dating from the early 1800s.
112 Homes & Antiques November 2020
Tim Graham/Getty Images; DeAgostini/Getty Images; Richard Baker/Corbis via Getty Images; In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images; © Alistair Bennett 2018; Ray Tang/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; DEA/J. M. Zuber/Getty Images; Christie’s Images Ltd 2020
MATERIAL MATTERS Brass
door pulls, knockers and letterboxes at the moment,’ Allan continues. ‘Brass can really play a role in creating a classic English look.’ As so much of it features in domestic items, brass is particularly susceptible to changing trends in interior design. ‘As collectors’ items, brass fire irons are dead in the water these days, as no one really uses them and they clutter,’ Spencer reflects. ‘But brass fenders, for neatening the fireside, are hot. Brass doorstops in novelty form – depicting swans, or eagles, or wheatsheaves – are in big demand, as is anything in diminutive form like small, broad-based 17th-century candlesticks.’ Brass, like bronze, commands lower prices than gold and silver (although, once worked into a beautiful object, it can fetch very high prices – as witness the exquisite Louis XV brass sundial that made £1.8m at Christie’s in 2019). There are plenty of options at each price point for the budding collector. ‘Fifty pounds will get you a decent pair of 19th-century brass candlesticks, £100 a nice brass candle box,’ Spencer confirms. ‘A good engraved brass fender will set you back £500, while for £1,000 you might find a beautiful brass octagonal hall lantern. But really, as with all antiques, buy what
ABOVE A gallery assistant at Sotheby’s holds a rare Umayyad brass astrolabe, dating to AD1020, which fetched £608,750.
you like, what appeals to you, what warms your heart.’ As with other metals, serious collectors can look out for certain makers’ marks when seeking out pieces of a particular era or quality. ‘Most brass is unsigned, although some early candlesticks are stamped with the maker’s name,’ says Spencer. However, across the domestic realm – door furniture, hardware, kitchenware – Allan cites William Tonks & Sons, James Cartland & Sons, Kendrick, and Benham & Froud. From the scientific sphere, meanwhile, ‘Dollond, Carl
eiss, W & T Avery Ltd, tzschneider & Fraunhofer, to name but a few – there are many ught-after makers, mainly from ngland, France and Germany.’ After-effects, such as patina and painting, are commonly seen on antique brass. ‘Patina can often play an important part for a collector, but this also needs to be balanced with restoration of a piece back to its original function, so this really does depend on each object’s merits, and its intended original function,’ Allan explains. ‘Scientific instruments, in general, mostly need cleaning or polishing so that the moving parts can freely move again – such as the focusing mechanism on a telescope. One man’s patina is another man’s corrosion, so this is highly subjective.’ When it comes to looking after your brass collection, you should regularly hand-polish your items with brass polish, in tandem with a soft material. BADA recommends cotton wool for applying the polish, and a soft yellow duster for its removal. Traditional household solutions, such as baking soda or lemon juice, are harsh abrasives that will damage the patina. Also, avoid water, which can seep into any flaws and cause rust. For any heavy tarnishing or damage, you’re best off seeking out a skilled professional craftsman. As for reliable ways to tell antique from reproduction: ‘Look at the undersides of everything,’ Spencer advises. ‘If the surface is smooth and spun and honey-coloured, then the object is the real thing. If it’s roughcast and jagged, it will be later.’
Where to buy antique brass HATCHWELL ANTIQUES
DUNCAN J BAGGOTT
WALPOLES
020 7351 2344 hatchwellantiques.co.uk
01451 830370 baggottantiques.com
07831 561042 walpoleantiques.com
SPENCER SWAFFER ANTIQUES
KEITH HOCKIN ANTIQUES
HARRINGWORTH MANOR
01903 882132 spencerswaffer.co.uk
01451 831058 keithhockin.com
01572 747167 harringworthmanor.co.uk
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 113
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Auctions
Star Sales From pretty embroidered linens to a Lalique statuette, Caroline Wheater chooses her highlights from recent auctions
Horns of Plenty Estimate £150-£250 Sold £900
T
hese pretty dairy cows date to the early 19th century, or possibly earlier, and were made in the Dutch city of Delft, most famous for its blue and white china. The horned cows, each 23.5cm wide, feature floral stripes painted using polychrome enamels. The rare duo sold at Woolley & Wallis recently, much to the delight of ceramics specialist
Clare Durham. ‘We’ve had a few 19th-century pairs over the years, which survive for longer than the 18th-century versions, but also several single 18th-century examples,’ she says, going on to explain the story behind them. Apparently, Holland’s Butchers’ Guild held a parade on St Luke’s Day in October, then again on Shrove Tuesday, garlanding a cow or bull with flowers and sometimes oranges. At the end
of the parade, the beast would be slaughtered for a feast to be shared with the poor, and these cows reflected that tradition. ‘Decorative cows were made for a long time, but these beauties are a cut above those from the late 19th and 20th centuries,’ continues Clare. ‘Delft collectors like them, but they also appeal as interiors pieces, because they look so good on a shelf or a mantelpiece.’ woolleyandwallis.co.uk
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 115
Auctions
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Stylish Storage
. Glass Act
. Flights of Fancy
Estimate £400-£600 Sold £550 An Austrian painted wardrobe, dating to 1817, was snapped up at Cheffins’ Fine Sale in the summer. Intriguingly, the wardrobe door was inscribed with a family motto, and the exterior panels were decorated with garlands of flowers and leaves. The style is rustic and the piece was catalogued as being in ‘country-house condition’ – so wear and tear visible, but perfectly usable. It measured a not-too-large 190cm tall and 126cm wide – perfect for completing a ‘cottage’look bedroom.
Estimate £18,000-£22,000 Sold £21,312 Early 20th-century pieces of French Lalique glass are more valuable than later, post-war examples that were made after the death of René Lalique in 1945. The opalescent Thaïs design, introduced by the famous designer in 1925, is pure art deco, and this butterscotch-coloured statuette came up for sale at Bonhams recently. Carrying the engraved mark, ‘R.Lalique France’, it would have been created some time in the late 1920s or 30s, and is an investment piece.
Estimate £100-£200 Sold £240 A canny online bidder snapped up two domed birdcages, judged to be from the late 19th or early 20th centuries, by the specialists at Sworders. Both constructed from wrought iron, the taller of the two cages measures a mammoth 161cm high, while the shorter is 132cm. They are ideal talking point pieces for a sitting room, bedroom, conservatory or a garden room, and were fabulous value for money. To buy such cages on the high street or a specialist dealer would be far pricier.
cheffins.co.uk/fineart
bonhams.com
sworder.co.uk
116 Homes & Antiques November 2020
Auctions GUESS THE HAMMER PRICE! How well do you know the market? Try your hand at gauging the sale prices of these lots. (Answers on p145)
WOODEN TOP An early 19th-century milliner’s mannequin measures 40cm tall and is made from pine. She’s a rarity and considered as folk art, rather than a hatter’s tool. Estimate £300-£500
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. Lovely Linen
JOIE DE VIVRE If going to Paris is a long shot, satisfy yourself with a poster of the French capital. Designed by Regis Manset for Air France in 1949, the condition is B+.
. Born to Shine
Estimate £200-£300 Sold £300 There are some wonderful antique textiles to be had at auction, such as this collection of Turkish embroidered linen towels and cloths, mostly dating to the early 20th century. The homely pieces, which sold at Roseberys earlier this year, are embellished in a rustic fashion, with garden flowers, leaves and little houses. Affordable textiles such as these could be used, or perhaps framed, or kept for contemplation – wrapped with acid-free tissue paper and stowed inside a box.
Estimate £500-£800 Sold £1,375 This trio of lidded jugs made in the Arts & Crafts style came up for sale at Lyon & Turnbull at its regular Decorative Arts sale. They date to around 1900 and are stamped NEWLYN, suggesting they were made by a member of the Newlyn School of artists in Cornwall, a group that included Laura Knight and Alfred Munnings. Unattributed but expertly decorated with cormorants hunting for fish, the copper jugs have wicker handles, designed to serve hot liquids.
roseberys.co.uk
lyonandturnbull.com
Estimate £200-£400
REGENCY STYLE This 2m-long carved wood sofa originated in the West Indies and has all the right attributes – winged claw and ball feet, and a scrolling backrest. Estimate £600-£800
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 117
Ask an Expert This month, our specialists consider an oil-on-wood by Richard Hayley Lever, a Moorcroft coffee cup, a wooden box, a hat-pin holder and a teapot!
Box of Delights I recently bought this box and have been restoring it, but I can’t find any of the small ring-style handles and the surrounds. Could anybody help? Also, I was wondering if someone could tell me what it was used for, as it has small rollers alongside the compartments. Ros Stretton, Burton-on-Trent What you have is part of a sewing box: it’s either an internal lift-out tray, or the base of a box that’s lost its lid. The spools were for thread or lace and the compartments would have stored thimbles, needles, a pin cushion and all the other necessities a lady used for her needlework. It is decorated in faux tortoiseshell with pretty marquetry borders and probably dates from the early 19th century. Etsy and eBay are good places to look for replacement handles – search for ‘antique jewellery box handles’. Complete and in good condition it would be worth £600+ but, in this sorry state, its value is a fraction of that I’m afraid. JG BELOW This box would originally have been used for sewing supplies, says Janet.
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THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS
RIGHT Beatrix paid £50 for this coffee cup – was it a fair price or a bargain?
Janet Gleeson Antiques Roadshow Adviser
Moorcroft Magic Richard Kay Lawrences
Steven Moore Antiques Roadshow Expert
Alison Snowdon Fieldings
I hope you may be able to find the truth behind my small coffee cup. I bought it from an antique centre as a William Moorcroft Macintyre item and I paid £50. The cup measures 2 in high with a bamboo-style handle and two fingerprints where it was held by the decorator. I feel that it was part of a coffee set as it had not been initialled WM. It was probably made between 1904 and 1913. Hope you can enlighten me and tell me if I’ve paid the right price. Beatrix Forbes, Oxford The truth is, yes, your coffee cup is designed by William Moorcroft, but not decorated by him. At this period, he didn’t sign every piece and I dare say yours was just overlooked. I love the elegant shape which would sit very well upon the lip, something a lot of designers overlook. It dates to around 1905 (the mark was in use 1904–1913) and is typical of the designs he adapted for ‘useful wares’ (cup, saucers and teapots etc to everyone else.) This looks
like a simpler version of the ‘Eighteenth Century’ pattern, which shows garlands of roses and forget-me-nots held by ribbons. Removing the roses gives a lighter and fresher air. At £50, it wasn’t a bargain, but a fair price for a good example by one of Britain’s greatest ceramic designers. SM
Two of a Kind On the front of your 2020 calendar there is a photograph of five blue and white jars and one of them has a design of cranes and fluffy clouds. Some years ago, I bought a hat-pin holder from a Barnstable antiques shop with the same pattern. Only months later, I found a matching dressing table tray in the identical pattern, in a sale in Exeter. Neither of my items has a maker’s mark and I am wondering if you can tell me more about them. Diana Isaac, North Devon This is the joy of collecting. To find one piece from a set and then, by chance, happen upon another piece. This hat-pin holder and tray would be part of a dressing table set of c1900– 1910. It would likely have also included a pair of candle holders, a powder bowl and cover and possibly a hair tidy and a ring tree. They look to be Japanese and transfer printed with a
Ask an Expert
‘Sheet’ pattern, i.e. an all-over design that could be applied to any shape and therefore more cost effective. I love this ‘Crane and Clouds’ design, no doubt inspired by Japanese indigocoloured calicos of the time. This was cheap and cheerful export ware, made in large quantities, so get out there and try to find the rest of the set. I’m sorry to report they are not worth much – the tray around £10 and the hat-pin holder a bit more because hatpin collectors love to buy them to display their collections. Keep on with the search! SM
Philip Sowels
Cornish Beauty About 20 years ago, I bought this small oil-on-wood at a cottage hospital fete (in Shaftesbury, Dorset). It measures about 24 x 16cm. It was on a junk stall and I donated £5 for hospital funds. I believe it’s an early work by Richard Hayley Lever. Can you throw any light on it? Julie Harries, West Wales
ABOVE The ‘Cranes and Clouds’ patterned vase on H&A’s calendar grabbed Diana’s attention. BELOW Richard Kay believes Julie’s painting could fetch up to £2,000 at auction!
What a clever exchange for a £5 note. This is indeed by Richard Hayley Lever (1875-1958). Although he was born in Australia and spent the greater part of his later life in America, Lever did spend a few years (c1899-1910) among the founding fathers of the St Ives colony of artists in Cornwall. His subject matter favoured a blend of Australian, American and European ‘Impressionist’ influences and his Cornish pictures, often small and packed with activity, show this rather thickly applied paint technique that, in less able hands, would have become muddy and overworked. His diverse influences and peripatetic lifestyle have led to fakes appearing on the market, but this looks consistent with the sort of sparkling beach theme by Lever that can make £1,500–£2,000 at auction. I rather wish that I had beaten
ABOVE Eva’s teapot was made by Burgess and Leigh in 1896, says Alison Snowdon. Turn to our collecting feature on page 126.
you to it – but well done for spotting its charm and its quality! RK
Indian Summer I recently bought this teapot in Sweden and would like to know more about it. There are some cracks inside – I paid about £25. Eva Stokke, Norway Your teapot and stand were made at the Burgess and Leigh factory. The shape number ‘281720’ was registered in 1896. Depicting a gentleman riding an elephant, both the shape and decoration are most certainly Indian in style. Interestingly this design was originally coloured in – shortly after it went into production, a lawsuit from Huntley and Palmers was filed. It was claimed the shape and decoration were direct copies of a biscuit tin they had in production. The lawsuit was settled in their favour and Burgess and Leigh re-issued the design in monochrome. At auction I would suggest an estimate of £30–£50. AS
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FOOD AND T R AV E L Seasonal DELIGHTS (p121), vegetarian suppers from PRUE LEITH (p122), collecting TEAPOTS (p126) and heritage HIDEAWAYS (p128)
© Pete Stevens 2009; Matt Austin
For a British staycation that’s packed with period touches, look no further than a break at Queen Anne’s 18th-century Summerhouse in Old Warden, Bedfordshire, which is cared for by Landmark Trust. Turn to p128 for more self-catering properties that are brimming with history.
FOOD News Off with a bang! Bonfire Night always calls for something delicious to tuck into while watching the fireworks and these Cumberland sausages from Pipers Farm (£5.50 for six) fit the bill. Packed with fresh herbs, they’re perfect for hearty casseroles or hot dogs. pipersfarm.com
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Give me a sign 1 Lyons’ coffee sign, £595, Andy Thornton at The Hoarde 2 Beach’s jam sign, £525, Clubhouse Interiors 3 Smith & Spencers enamel sign, £295, Fontaine Decorative
Elly Curshen:
my favourite culinary antique ‘My grandma gave me these bowls, and they originally belonged to my great-grandma, Cissie. They’re unmarked, but I’m guessing they’re from the 1950s. I always keep an eye out in charity shops and car boot sales as I’d love some plates to match... if they exist! The bowls are all chipped now, but they’re so precious to me. I hav countless memories of my grandma filling them with chicken soup and matzo balls or stewed apple...’ Elly Curshen, aka Elly Pea is a chef, author and magazine columnist.
KITCHEN NOTES Edited by Sophie Hannam
UPGRADE A HUMBLE CHEESE SANDWICH As we spend more time working from home, we’re all for making the humble sandwich a little more exciting! This special-edition rhubarb and apple chutney from Tracklements (£3.60) has a deliciously sweet tang that’s perfect with cheese, fish and roasted meats.
Perfect pinny Crafted from slubby linen in the simple style of an old Japanese design, these simple cross-back aprons from Toast are flattering for all and a treat for style-savvy home cooks. Costing £69 each, they also come in an array of beautifully muted autumnal shades. toa.st
tracklements. co.uk
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Real home Warm, hearty and packed with flavour, these vegetarian delights are real crowd-pleasers‌ WO R DS P RU E A N D P E TA L E I T H PH OTO G R A PH S DAV I D L O F T U S
FOOD Recipes
Big roasted vegetable lasagne SERVES 6 1 aubergine, diced 2 red onions, roughly diced 3 red peppers, deseeded and roughly diced 280g cherry tomatoes, chopped 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for coating Salt and black pepper 1 garlic bulb 1 large courgette cut into bite-sized pieces 1 tbsp tomato purée A good bunch of basil, plus extra to top 450ml cold whole milk 20g unsalted butter 20g plain flour A good pinch of English mustard powder 100g mature Cheddar cheese 60g vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese 200g dried lasagne sheets
Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas mark 6. In a roasting tray, toss the aubergine, onions, peppers and tomatoes with 2 tbsp of oil and season. Cut the top off the garlic bulb, wrap it in foil and add it to the roasting tray. Roast for 35 mins, add courgette and stir through the tomato purée. Return to the oven for 25 mins, then remove and add the torn basil leaves. When cool enough, squeeze out the garlic flesh and stir into the vegetables. While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce. Combine the milk, butter, flour and mustard powder in a pan, set over a medium heat and whisk frequently until the butter has melted and the flour is all incorporated. Bring to the boil and cool, whisking regularly, until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat, whisk in the grated Cheddar and half the grated Parmesanstyle cheese. Taste, then season. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then cook the lasagne sheets in it for 8–10 mins, until just al dente. Use tongs to remove, then coat in oil to prevent them from sticking. Assemble the lasagne in an ovenproof dish (about 30x20cm). Put a layer of vegetables in the base, top with lasagne sheets, then a layer of cheese sauce, and repeat. Scatter the remaining Parmesan-style cheese over the top and return to the oven for 35–40 mins, until browned and piping hot. Top with extra basil if desired.
Slow-roasted tomato and goat's curd galette SERVES 4 400g cherry tomatoes or baby plum tomatoes 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 4 sprigs of oregano, leaves picked 3 tbsp olive oil 250g goat’s curd, or very soft goat’s cheese Salt and black pepper to season For the pastry 140g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes 225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting A pinch of salt 90–100ml iced water
Heat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas mark 3. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Cut the tomatoes in half and toss them with the chopped garlic, oregano leaves and olive oil, and season with salt and black pepper. Spread them out on the lined baking tray and arrange them all so they are cut side up. Bake in the middle of the oven for 2 hours, by which point they should be softened and slightly shrunken. Remove from the oven and set aside. To make the pastry, put the butter, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. Stop when there are still pea-sized pieces of butter visible. Add the water and use a butter knife to mix it into a shaggy dough – do not knead it at all. Simply push it together into a disc and wrap it in cling film. Put it in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. Increase the oven temperature to 210°C/fan 190°C/gas mark 6–7. Line another baking sheet with baking parchment. Unwrap the pastry and roll it out on a floured surface into a round, about 2–3mm thick. Spread the goat’s curd evenly over the pastry, leaving a border of 5cm all around it. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, so the goat’s curd is all covered. Lift up the pastry around the edges and fold it over the top, to create a crust that will hold the tomatoes in place. Season with salt and black pepper, then bake the galette for 35–40 minutes, covering it with foil after 20 minutes to prevent it from over-browning. Serve while crisp and warm.
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Bing cherry and almond cake SERVES 12 150g dried cherries, preferably Bing 40g ground almonds 270g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 115g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing 210g caster sugar 3 medium eggs tsp almond extract 190ml whole milk 120g chilled marzipan, coarsely grated 30g flaked almonds
Heat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas mark 3. Grease the sides of a deep 20cm (8in) round cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment. Put the cherries in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, set aside and leave to soak. Spread the ground almonds out on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for 3–4 minutes, or until just starting to colour. Be careful! They burn in a flash. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then add the toasted ground almonds. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the almond extract. Beat in half the flour and almond mixture, followed by half the milk. Add the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining milk. Beat only until everything is incorporated and there are no streaks of flour remaining. Drain the water off the cherries, then squeeze and pat them dry. Cut the cherries up until they are the size of currants. Add the chopped cherries to the cake batter along with the grated marzipan and stir to distribute them evenly. Transfer the mixture to the lined cake tin, then sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of it. Bake in the middle of the oven for 60–70 minutes. Check it after 40 minutes and, if the top is browning too quickly, cover the cake loosely with foil for the remaining cooking time. When it is ready, it should be well-risen and golden, and a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. If it doesn’t, give it another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
The Vegetarian Kitchen by Prue Leith and Peta Leith, £25. Photography by David Loftus. Published by Pan Macmillan.
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FOOD Recipes
Q A PRUE LEITH The chef and Great British Bake Off judge talks vegetarian cooking, entertaining friends and her first foray into cooking...
Tell us a little about The Vegetarian Kitchen. Why did you write a vegetarian cookbook? I’m not a veggie, but I love vegetarian cooking. My Michelin-starred restaurant used to have a separate vegetarian menu, and I wrote a veggie cookbook 25 years ago. My then-publishers said if we called it ‘The Vegetarian Kitchen’ no one would buy it, so we called it Contemporary Cooking... it didn’t sell very well anyway! But now it seemed a good idea to write a new book and, as my niece and co-author Peta has never eaten meat, we went ahead and did it. Which recipes from the book are your favourites to cook for friends at home? There’s a paneer curry, which is dead-easy and everyone loves it, and a shakshuka with baked eggs. I also love the grapefruit treacle tart and the monster meringues. How do you make the dinner table feel special when entertaining? I’m often in a hurry, so I tend to scatter flower petals all over the tablecloth and dot the table with tealights. It’s quicker than arranging flowers. Can you remember the first meal that you ever cooked? I was trying to show my au-pair family in France that my native South African dish of barbecued corn on the cob, or ‘meilies’, was delicious, as they said that only cattle ate corn. I went to the nearest field, picked meilies and cooked them. What I didn’t know (having grown up in a privileged family with a cook) was that you need to pick them young. It was late summer and the corn was drying out prior to reaping. It was a disaster and rather proved my host family to be right... the corn was only fit for cattle feed! What’s the ingredient that you simply couldn’t live without? There are lots of essentials, such as onions, garlic and lemons, but my current optional extras are harissa paste and date syrup. Is there a flavour that you can’t stand? Sea buckthorn berries. Once a chef on the Great British Menu did a meringue basket with these sour fruits. Worst thing I’ve ever eaten on telly!
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A rich history to pore over
T
he earliest teapots emerged during the 16th century in Yixing, China, when powdered tea made in cups and ‘tea bricks’ boiled in kettles or pots began to be replaced by loose leaf tea, which required a teapot. Antique ceramics expert Daniel Chen of Brian Haughton Gallery uses a Yixing teapot. ‘They’re made of slightly porous unglazed earthenware,’ he explains. ‘The flavour of the tea is retained in the body of the teapot, creating a complex aroma, so each teapot is only used for one type of tea.’ Porcelain was developed in China around 2,000 years ago. By the late 17th century, the East India Company began shipping tea to Europe along with porcelain teapots, but the production process remained a mystery to Europeans. ‘In the early 18th century, porcelain imported from the Far East to Europe was such a rare commodity that it was referred to as ‘white gold’,’ reveals Daniel. ‘German manufacturer Meissen employed an alchemist called Johann Friedrich Böttger, who
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ABOVE A very rare Meissen monkey teapot, c1735, £POA, Brian Haughton Gallery.
discovered the secret formula in 1708 and created the first true hard-paste porcelain in Europe.’ By the 1710s, Meissen was selling luxury porcelain pieces, including teapots, to the wealthiest Europeans. These pieces, which mostly imitated Chinese and Japanese styles, command high prices today. Expect to pay around £1,500– £3,000 for an early Meissen teapot in good condition. The earliest English teapots were silver. ‘Teapots were very small in the early 1700s, because tea was expensive,’ points out Alastair Dickenson, an Antiques Roadshow silver specialist. ‘Small, spherical silver teapots were made – now known as ‘bullet’ style because they were round like a musket shot. By the mid 18th century, tea was taxed at 119 per cent and precious leaves were kept in lockable caddies.’ This led to the tea equivalent of bootlegged hooch. ‘Servants in stately homes would sell secondhand tea leaves at the back door,’ reveals Daniel. ‘They were often darkened with lead and this ‘fake tea’ was sold on.’ During the 18th century, Staffordshire potteries and
makers, including Josiah Wedgwood and Thomas Whieldon, produced elegant earthenware and creamware teapots. Designers began to experiment with forms and the rococo era resulted in some wonderful nature-inspired teapots, such as Staffordshire ‘agateware’ with marbled bodies and shell relief sides. With the advent of the neoclassical style and the influence of Robert Adam in the mid 1760s up to the end of the century, silver teapots became vertical and oval-sided with straight spouts. After the Commutation Act of 1784, the tax was lowered and tea drinking started to filter down to the middle classes. ‘Teapots got bigger and bigger, reflecting the price of tea coming down and tea becoming more available,’ says Sophie Heath, Director of the Museum of Royal Worcester. The middle classes imitated the lifestyle of the upper classes and the fashion for ‘afternoon tea’ meant that teapots began to be produced in even greater numbers. ‘In the Regency period, silver teapots became heavy and gilt,’ says Alastair.
Reproduced by kind permission of the Museum of Royal Worcester © Dyson Perrins Museum Trust.
From early fine porcelain to chic silver shapes, Ellie Tennant explores the cross-genre appeal of the humble teapot
COLLECTING Teapots
A CLOSER LOOK…
But, by the late Victorian period, consumerism began racing away. ‘To compete, companies had to keep up with fashions and amaze people with novelty items,’ says Sophie. The Royal Worcester ‘Aesthetic’ teapot stands out from this era. Made in 1882, it satirises the likes of Oscar Wilde and followers of the Aesthetic movement. As with most antiques, provenance is key to value. In 2018, a broken teapot (c1766–1800) with a blue and white palm tree pattern that was bought for just £15 in a Midlands auction sold for £575,000 at Woolley and Wallis because it turned out to be the earliest American-manufactured teapot to have been discovered. It was the work of Staffordshire potter John Bartlam, who left England around 1763 to manufacture pottery in America. Alastair Dickenson believes that now is a good time to buy a silver teapot while prices are
low. ‘Fifteen years ago, a good octagonal teapot dating from the 18th century might sell at auction for £20,000 or £30,000 but, today, the same one might only make £8,000 to £10,000.’ Porcelain dealer and collector Anoma Snell says ‘collecting teapots is like gambling. I get a real buzz from finding a beautiful one.’ Anoma sells antique English porcelain online to international customers and is an expert at spotting flaws. ‘Spouts are the weakest point,’ she reveals. Of course, part of the appeal of an antique teapot is that it can still be used. ‘Tea is a wonderful tradition that is both familiar and special, something you need to take a moment out of your day to appreciate,’ says Daniel. ‘That’s what’s marvellous about the teapot form – it’s functional, but it is also something that brings people together, allowing for conversation or personal meditation.’
ABOVE Rare Staffordshire agateware Pecten Shell teapot and cover in rococo style, c1750, £POA, Brian Haughton Gallery.
This unusual double-sided ‘Aesthetic’ teapot is on display at the Museum of Royal Worcester and portrays the figures of the effete poet Archibald Grosvenor and lovesick Patience who were immortalised in Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera, Patience, in 1881. Inscribed on the teapot’s base are the words: ‘Fearful consequences, through the laws of natural selection and evolution of living up to one’s teapot’. The inscription refers to Charles Darwin’s theories and to an exhibition of a single oriental teapot at the Grosvenor Gallery, where visitors were encouraged to go home and ‘live up to it’.
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HERITAGE HIDEAWAYS For a self-catering holiday brimming with charm, not to mention plenty of character and history, look no further – start planning your next escape here FE AT U R E H A ZE L P L U S H
Whether a carefully restored cottage, an imposing gatehouse, or a turret transformed into a one-bedroom nook, the National Trust’s holiday properties put you at the heart of its most spectacular estates. Take 89 Church Lawn, a four-bedroom bolthole in the gardens of Stourhead, just a few steps from its magnificent lake. Here, surrounded by centuries of history and glorious landscaping, you’ll enjoy out-of-hours access to the entire demesne; for twilight
strolls beneath ancient sweet chestnuts, and sunrise coffee beside the misty, mirror-like water. At Sissinghurst, Priest’s House is an Elizabethan treasure with 450 acres of parkland on its doorstep. Or, for a wilder escape, The Tower (pictured) stands sentry on Norfolk’s Blickling estate, amid patchwork pastures and ancient woodland. Its spiral staircase leads up to a Rapunzel-style roof terrace, with views as far as the coast. nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays
©National Trust Images/Mike Henton
The National Trust
Sawday’s Each one of Sawday’s self-catering sanctuaries is gloriously, unabashedly unique. No 2, for example, combines the wild beauty of Cairngorms National Park, in the Scottish Highlands, with painstakingly restored Victorian splendour. It’s a four-bedroom haven for hikers, nature-lovers, and design devotees, stuffed
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with plush furnishings and an enviable collection of old and new treasures – such as a large leather Chesterfield, two woodburners, and a wooden weather observatory built by Prince Albert himself. Meanwhile, The Old Laundry (pictured) is set in Pitlochry’s Dunalastair Estate: you can spot ospreys and red squirrels
from its deep-soak bathtub, with views of the mountains and munros beyond. Spend your days trout-fishing, trail-stomping, and picnicking on the banks of the loch, before tumbling into the four-poster bed. And that’s just the start: Sawday’s offers properties all over the UK, and throughout Europe, too. sawdays.co.uk
©English Heritage Trust
TRAVEL UK Escapes
English Heritage
Sheepskin
When Audley End closes its gates every evening, leaving its Victorian mansion and Capability Brown-garden in peace, the residents of Cambridge Lodge have the glorious grounds all to themselves – a playground for anyone with a passion for history. Built in 1842, this beautiful red-brick sleeps four people and is dog-friendly, too, with cosy interiors hidden behind its heavy, hand-carved wooden door. It’s just one of English Heritage’s many notable boltholes, each of which offers exclusive access to estates throughout the country. In North Yorkshire, you can sleep in the shadow of Rievaulx Abbey’s mighty 900-year-old ruins at Refectory Cottage (pictured) – a snip from just £25 per person per night for a week in low season – with a woodburning stove, a private garden, and a hamper of locally sourced goodies. Meanwhile, in Kent, Peverell’s Tower (a two-person retreat) is built right into the 13th-century fortifications of Dover Castle, with a roof terrace overlooking the ramparts. english-heritage.org.uk/visit/ holiday-cottages
Sheepskin’s collection is rooted in rural life – all farmhouses, cottages and converted barns, where sylvan surroundings meet traditional craftsmanship and winsome decor. The most characterful cluster is in the Cotswolds: built from the area’s famous honeyed stone, and rich in timber beams, oak floors, and original leaded windows. The result? The kind of weekend retreat you can barely tear yourself from – where days are spent cuddled up beside crackling fires, and drinking wine in bubble-filled bathtubs. Thimble Mill (below) sleeps two guests (plus dogs) with riverside rambles right from its front door. Pineapple Spa, meanwhile, combines Cotswolds charm with a few ritzy extras, like a gleaming copper tub and chandelier-lit sitting room. sheepskinlife.com
Under The Thatch While rescuing a dilapidated Welsh cottage from ruin, architectural historian Dr Greg Stevenson dreamt up the idea of Under The Thatch. By renting out finished restorations, he realised he could plough profits back into new projects, and give history-loving holidaymakers the getaway of their dreams. ‘The first one was a gamble,’ says Greg, ‘but it paid off and I’ve gone on to restore perhaps a hundred buildings since.’ Today, 20 years after that first revamp, Under The Thatch represents properties all over Wales, located in fabulously far-flung locations. On the Llyn Peninsula you’ll find Yr Hen Fynydd (pictured), a stone-built mountain hideaway that overlooks Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay; while Penrhiw in Pembrokeshire combines easy beach access with a rustic aesthetic – think natural woods, low beams, and a cosy open hearth. ‘Each one combines authentic conservation with modern convenience,’ says Greg, ‘so expect lime-washes and hand-mixed paints – alongside Netflix-connected TVs and decent-quality kitchen knives.’ underthethatch.co.uk
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TRAVEL UK Escapes
Rural Retreats As its name suggests, The Temple of Diana (pictured) is no ordinary holiday rental. Set amid Capability Brown’s Weston Park, this Yorkshire idyll dates back to the mid 1700s and was designed by architect James Paine (whose credits include Nostell Priory and the stables at Chatsworth). The three-bay Orangery is its centrepiece, with panoramic views out over
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the greenery: a superlative spot for dining, entertaining, or just kicking back to admire its Italianate columns and intricate ceiling design. Remarkably, a week here costs from just £900, with space for six guests in three double bedrooms. It’s part of the Rural Retreats portfolio, which is renowned for one-of-a-kind properties throughout the UK: from sea-spritzed lighthouses
to Grade II-listed beauties. In County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, Belle Isle Castle is another of its treasures, with sumptuous interior design by the late David Hicks, magnificent oil paintings and mahogany furniture, and two wings that can be hired individually or together, sleeping up to 26. A humble abode this is not. ruralretreats.co.uk
TRAVEL UK Escapes
Paul Grundy
Landmark Trust ‘It nearly killed me, but it was the most rewarding job we’ve ever done,’ says John Evetts, Landmark’s Furnishing Manager, of restoring The Grange, the family home of architect Augustus Pugin. Reinstating its wood-panelled library, where Pugin penned designs for the House of Lords in the mid 1800s, required the utmost attention to detail – particularly for the stained-glass window, handpainted friezes, and jewelhued wallpaper emblazoned with the family motto ‘En Avant’ (Forward). The effect is spellbinding: step inside,
and you’ll be transported to the heyday of the house, with the added perks of a modern kitchen, space for eight guests, and even Waitrose Delivery. John has spent more than 40 years bringing the Landmark Trust’s historic properties back to life, carefully treading the line between faithful restoration and rental requirements. Other highlights include Queen Anne’s Summerhouse in Old Warden, a charming brick folly that dates back to the 18th century; and Woodspring Priory (pictured), near Weston-super-Mare, an Augustinian house founded in
1210. ‘I try to make the properties into somewhere that you can be comfortable and at ease,’ says John. ‘But it shouldn’t feel ‘designer’ done; I don’t want people to feel they have to tiptoe around it.’ landmarktrust.org.uk
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Fairs & Auctions The rapidly changing situation in relation to Covid-19 as we went to press meant we were unable to amend our listings for cancellations. Do check event organisers’ websites ahead of travel
Check ahead Please contact event organisers to check for postponements & last-minute cancellations
FAIR OF THE MONTH The Wealden Bazaar Vintage and antiques dealers Estelle Adams of Where the Good Stuff Is (@ wherethegoodstuffis) and Julia Prentice of Cherish Vintage (@cherish_vintage) were among the forward-thinking dealers and fair organisers to launch a virtual fair during the summer lockdown. Their fourth instalment of @thewealdenbazaar will be held on Instagram on 7th November, bringing together 30 to 40 small independent stallholders selling a good mix of antique, vintage and made from vintage, including Christmas decorations. Look out for the ‘stallholder introductions’ in the weeks running up to the event. @thewealdenbazaar 07904 614824
ONLINE FAIRS
Jamie Grill/Getty Images
18th So Last Century Virtual Vintage Fair at 7pm solastcenturyfair.co.uk @solastc 21st The Virtual Vintage Bazaar @thevintagebazaarevents thevintagebazaar.blogspot.com
FAIR DATES
North & Scotland 30th October-1st The Pavilions of Harrogate Decorative, Antiques
& Art Fair, The Pavilions of Harrogate, Railway Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 8NZ. 11am-5pm. £5. 01278 784912; cooperevents.com 6th-8th Galloway Antiques & Fine Art Fair, Scone Palace, Perth, Perth & Kinross, PH2 6BD. 10.30am-5pm (4.30pm Sunday). £5-£6. 01423 522122; gallowayfairs.co.uk 7th Leeds Vintage Market, Leeds Kirkgate Market, 28-34 George Street, LS2 7HY. 10am-4.30pm. Free. 07946 729243; advintageous.co.uk 7th-8th Leeds Vintage Furniture & Home Fair, The Old Woollen, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5UJ. 10.30am-4pm. £2. 07985 181120;
roseandbrownvintage.co.uk 21st-22nd Saltaire Vintage Home & Fashion Fair, Victoria Hall, Victoria Road, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, BD18 3JS. 9.30am-4pm. £3. 07985 181120; roseandbrownvintage.co.uk 22nd Winter Rustic & Country Lifestyle Fair, Cave Castle Hotel & Country Club, Church Hill, South Cave, Brough, East Yorkshire, HU15 2EU. 10am-3pm. Free. 07976 895442; littleenglishhouse.co.uk 28th-29th The Great Wetherby Antiques & Vintage Fair, Wetherby Racecourse, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS22 5EJ. 8am-5pm Saturday, 9am-4pm Sunday. £4 (£5 before 9am Saturday).
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 135
01332 830444; jaguarfairs.com
Central 1st Bantock House Antiques Fair, Bantock House Museum, Finchfield Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV3 9LQ. 9.30am-3.30pm. £1.50. wolverhamptonart.org.uk 14th-15th Oswestry Antique & Collectors Fair, Oswestry Showground, Shropshire, SY11 4AB. 8.30am-4pm Saturday, 9am-3pm Sunday. £3.50. 07584 357808; josevents.co.uk 15th Antiques & Collectors Fair, Himley Hall, Himley, Dudley, DY3 4DF. 9am-4pm. £2. himleyhallandpark.co.uk 15th Vintage Flea Market, Lincolnshire Showground, LN2 2NA. 8.30am-3pm. £2.50. 01298 27493; asfairs.com 15th Biggleswade Antiques & Vintage Fair, The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8JH. 10am-4pm.
136 Homes & Antiques November 2020
£2. 01480 382432; madisonevents.co.uk 23rd Runway Monday at Newark Antiques and Collectors Fair, adjacent to the Newark Air Museum and The Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground, Runway Newark, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2NY. 8am-5pm. £5 (£10 before 10am). 01636 702326; iacf.co.uk 28th-29th Antiques at the Holt, The Holt Hotel, Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, OX25 5QQ. 9am-5pm (10am-4.30pm Sun). £2. 01869 347356; antiques-at-the-holt.co.uk
South 1st Corfe Castle Antiques Fair, Village Hall, East Street, Corfe Castle, Dorset, BH20 5EE. 9.30am-4pm. £1. 01202 893942; cameofairs.co.uk 1st Alexandra Palace Antiques & Collectors Fair, Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, London, N22 7AY. 9.30am-4.30pm. £6. 01636 702326; iacf.co.uk
1st Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London, W8 7NX. 12pm-5.30pm. £5. 020 7503 9171; frockmevintagefashion.com 3rd-4th Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors Fair, South of England Showground, Ardingly, Nr Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6TL. 9am-5pm Tuesday, 8am4pm Wednesday. £20 Tuesday, £5 Wednesday. 01636 702326; iacf.co.uk 3rd-8th Winter Art & Antiques Fair, Gallery Level, National Hall, Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX. Opening times vary. £24.50 (£20.50 in advance). olympia-antiques.com 7th Vintage & Very Nice Market Bazaar, The Assembly Rooms, North Street, Chichester, PO19 1LQ. 10am-4pm. Free. vintageandverynice.co.uk 7th-8th Hackney Flea Market, Abney Hall, 73a Church Street, Hackney, London, N16 0AS. 11am-6pm. Free. hackneyfleamarket.com 7th-8th So Last Century Vintage and Retro Fair, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW. 11am-4pm. £3. solastcenturyfair.co.uk 8th Adams Antiques Fair, Lindley Hall, The Royal Horticultural Halls, 80 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PE. 10am-4.30pm. £4. 020 7254 4054; adamsantiquesfairs.com 10th & 24th Sunbury Antiques Market, Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 5AQ. 6.30am-2pm. Free. 01932 230946; sunburyantiques.com 15th Dorking Halls Antiques Fair, Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SG. 9.30am-4pm. £2.50. 07952 689717; dovehousefineantiquesfairs.com 17th Epsom Racecourse Antiques & Collectables Fair, Epsom Racecourse, Epsom Downs Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5LQ. 9am-3pm. £3. 01584 873634; continuityfairs.co.uk 22nd Lingfield Antiques, Collectables and Vintage Fair, Lingfield Park Racecourse, Racecourse Road, Lingfield, Surrey, RH7 6PQ. 9.30am-3.30pm. £3.50 (£5 before
Mira/Alamy Stock Photo
Pick up furniture, rugs and objets d’art at your next fair or auction.
10.30am). 01293 690777; lovefairs.com 22nd The Big London Flea, EartH, 13-15 Stoke Newington Road, London, N16 8BH.11am-6pm. £1. hackneyfleamarket.com 27th-28th Vintage & Very Nice Christmas Market Bazaar, The Assembly Rooms, North Street, Chichester, PO19 1LQ. 10am-4pm. Free. vintageandverynice.co.uk 29th Sandown Antiques Home & Interiors Fair, Sandown Park Racecourse, Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9AJ. 10am-3pm. Free. 01932 230946; sunburyantiques.com
AUCTION INSIDER
John Axford We peek into the busy working life of John Axford, Chairman of leading regional auction house Woolley & Wallis
East 7th-8th Detling Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Fair, The Kent County Showground, Detling, nr Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3JF. 8.30am-4.30pm Saturday, 10am-3.30pm Sunday. £5 Saturday (£6 before 10am), £4 Sunday. 01636 676531; b2bevents.info 8th Antiques & Collectors Fair, Sarratt Village Hall, The Green, Sarratt, Herts, WD3 6AS. 9.30am-4pm. £1. 07887 648255; marcelfairs.co.uk 14th Norwich Brocante, St Andrews Hall, St Andrews Plain, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1AU. 9am-3.30pm. Free. 07921 707116; norwichbrocante.com
West & Wales 13th-15th Shepton Mallet Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Fair, Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN. Opening times vary. £10 (Friday), £5 (Sat & Sun). 01636 702326; iacf.co.uk 21st-22nd International Westpoint Antiques & Collectors Fair, Devon County Showground, Westpoint, Exeter, EX5 1DJ. 8.30am-5pm Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday. £5 (£10 before 10am Saturday). 01584 873634; continuityfairs.co.uk 29th The Giant Shepton Flea Market, Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN. 9.30am-4pm. £5. 01278 784912; sheptonflea.com 29th Bath Vintage & Antiques Christmas Market, Green Park
I thought I would become an artist and sculptor after doing a degree in Fine Art at Leeds but I had no money and needed a job. I landed a six-month admin stint with Phillips [later to merge with Bonhams] where I saw people with ancient Greek bronzes on their desks. They had all this history in front of them and it lit a spark in me. I joined Woolley & Wallis in 1993 and started cataloguing furniture, clocks and European ceramics. In 2005, I set up the Asian Art department and we’ve become the most successful provincial auction house in this field, selling objects such as the beautifully carved Pelham water buffalo, a spinach-green jade that sold for £3.4m in 2009 – it still holds the record price for any object sold at auction outside London.
go and see it – it made £820,000 at auction. I’ve just picked up an object that I’ve been pursuing since 2011 – it will make over £2m at auction. I study a lot, talking to specialist dealers and going to lectures. I find the research into provenance fascinating, too, discovering the history of objects and about the people who owned them. Woolley & Wallis’s next Fine Chinese Paintings & Works of Art sale is on 10th November at its Salisbury auction rooms. Browse lots at woolleyandwallis.co.uk This painting by Zhang Daqian took £2.6m. John sold a celadonglazed vase from the Qing dynasty for £11,000.
We hold two sales a year, in May and November, and take in rare and beautiful objects all year round. Two thirds of my week I’m out seeing collections and meeting people. I love the chase of finding new, exciting things. A few years ago, a British collector of Asian ceramics rang me up about a tiny jar and I was on a plane the next day to
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 137
DEALER ROUND-UP
places to buy a cosy antique armchair Rosanna Morris rounds up some favourite sellers Claire Langley Antiques Antiques dealer Claire Langley has been buying and selling for over 30 years and offers pieces from all periods from her warehouse in Lincolnshire. She also runs a sister company called The One Off Chair Company and has a large stock of beautiful antique sofas and chairs, some upholstered and some not upholstered and mainly English and French. theoneoffchaircompany.com 01780 592599; clairelangleyantiques.co.uk
Dean Antiques Trading from Herefordshire, dealer Dean Gipson specialises in 18th, 19th and early 20th-century country house furniture so, comfortable, cosy armchairs are always in his inventory. Current stock includes a pair of 19th-century Howard-style Woodstock armchairs and a 19th-century French button back armchair. 07770 231687; deanantiques.co.uk
Fontaine Also based in Herefordshire, Stuart English country house wing armchair c1850–80, £1,950, Hunter & Rose.
Atkinson and Kiel Shaw of Fontaine sell all manner of stunning decorative pieces, and their chair offering is no exception. It’s worth checking in every now and then to see what they are selling. We have our sights on a c1880s Howard & Sons wingback library chair in English wool. 07855 360475; fontainedecorative.com
Hunter & Rose This Kent-based company holds an extensive range of Napoleon III French armchairs and good English chairs and offers a bespoke in-house upholstery service using traditional materials to restore each piece. Simply choose a 1930s French scroll back armchair or a c1850–1880 English country house wing chair and find a fabric either from the ranges offered by Hunter & Rose or something you’ve already found. 07841 575173; hunterandrose.co.uk
Lee Wright Antiques Some exceptional and extraordinary seating is offered by this wonderful company based in the south Leicestershire countryside. The current collection includes wing chairs, library chairs, French tapestry chairs and even an English Regency ebonised bobbin armchair. All beautifully presented in the showroom and online. 01858 882005; leewrightantiques.co.uk
Tallboy Interiors Antique chairs are central to Matt Dixon’s business, which he runs from Yorkshire, and he now offers an upholstery service for the antique chairs he sells. Either choose a Napoleon III buttoned back and seat armchair in need of new upholstery (which can be arranged with a quick click online) or opt for a 1940s Danish black leather wingback armchair. 07725 414743; tallboyinteriors.co.uk
138 Homes & Antiques November 2020
Station, Green Park Road, Bath, BA1 1JB. 8am-4pm. Free. 07711 900095; vintageandantiques.co.uk
AUCTIONS IN NOVEMBER 3rd Antiques & Fine Art Auction, Special Auction Services, Plenty Close, off Hambridge Road, Newbury, RG14 5RL. 01635 580595; specialauctionservices.com 3rd The Georgian Auction 1714 – 1830; History & Celebration of the Sparrow Family at Bishton Hall, Hansons, Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST17 0XN. 01889 882397; hansonsauctioneers.co.uk 3rd Vintage Fashion, Textiles & 20th Century Art and Design, The Cotswold Auction Company, Chapel Walk Saleroom, Chapel Walk, Cheltenham, GL50 3DS. 01242 256363; cotswoldauction.co.uk 3rd Paintings & Works on Paper, Lyon & Turnbull, 33 Broughton Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3RR. 0131 557 8844; lyonandturnbull.com 4th Fine Netsuke from a French Private Collection, Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1SR. 020 7447 7447; bonhams.com 4th The Spirit of The English Country House: Property from James Mcwhirter, James Graham-Stewart and Alexander Di Carcaci, Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2JE. 01635 553553; dreweatts.com 4th Antiques & Interiors Auction, Halls, Bowmen Way, Battlefield, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3DR. 01743 450700; fineart.hallsgb.com 5th Furniture & Interiors with Asian Art, Stamps, Postcards & Ephemera, Adam Partridge Auctioneers & Valuers, The Cheshire Saleroom, Withyfold Drive, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 2BD. 01625 431788; adampartridge.co.uk 6th Antiques & Interiors, Tennants, The Auction Centre, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG. 01969 623780; tennants.co.uk 9th Asian Art, Duke’s, Brewery Square, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1GA. 01305 265080; dukes-auctions.com 9th The Home Sale, Mallams
Norimages/Alamy Stock Photo
Create your gallery wall of dreams after a visit to an auction house – find one near you this month.
Auctioneers, Dunmore Court, Wootton Road, Abingdon, OX13 6BH. 01235 462840; mallams.co.uk 10th Online Homes & Interiors, Reeman Dansie, 8 Wyncolls Road, Severalls Business Park, Colchester, CO4 9HU. 01206 754754; reemandansie.com 11th Homes and Interiors (including Toys), Sworders, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8GE. 01279 817778; sworder.co.uk 12th The Interiors Sale, Cheffins Fine Art, Clifton House, 1&2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 7EA. 01223 213343; cheffins.co.uk 12th-13th The November Sale including Mantiques, Fieldings, Mill Race Lane, Stourbridge, DY8 1JN. 01384 444140; fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk 14th Titanic, White Star and Transport Memorabilia Sale, Henry Aldridge & Son, Unit 1 Bath Road Business Centre, Bath Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1XA. 01380 729199; henry-aldridge.co.uk 17th Fine Jewellery, Woolley & Wallis, 51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury,
SP1 3SU. 01722 424500; woolleyandwallis.co.uk 17th Collectors with Toys, Capes Dunn, 40 Station Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, SK4 3QT. 0161 432 1911; capesdunn.com 18th European & Asian Works of Art, Olympia Auctions, 25 Blythe Road, London, W14 0PD. 020 7806 5541; olympiaauctions.com 18th Five Centuries: Furniture, Painting & Works of Art, Lyon & Turnbull, 33 Broughton Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3RR. 0131 557 8844; lyonandturnbull.com 19th Silver & Objets de Vertu, Mallams Auctioneers, Bocardo House, St Michael’s Street, Oxford, OX1 2EB. 01865 241358; mallams.co.uk 20th The Pictures Auction, Anderson & Garland, Anderson House, Crispin Court, Newbiggin Lane, Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 1BF. 0191 430 3000; andersonandgarland.com 20th The Pattern Sale, Tennants, The Auction Centre, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG. 01969 623780; tennants.co.uk 21st The Great Interiors Auction
– Antiques & Collectors, Hansons, Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST17 0XN. 01889 882397; hansonsauctioneers.co.uk 24th English & European Ceramics & Glass, Woolley & Wallis, 51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury, SP1 3SU. 01722 424500; woolleyandwallis.co.uk 24th-26th Interiors including Fine Paintings, Clocks & Silver, Bellmans, Newpound, Wisborough Green, West Sussex, RH14 0AZ. 01403 700858; bellmans.co.uk 25th Fine Decorative Arts, 1200-1900, Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1SR. 020 7447 7447; bonhams.com 27th Studio Ceramics & Modern Design, Adam Partridge Auctioneers & Valuers, The Cheshire Saleroom, Withyfold Drive, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 2BD. 01625 431788; adampartridge.co.uk 28th Fine Art & Antique Auction, Trevanion & Dean Auctioneers & Valuers, The Joyce Building, Station Road, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 1RE. 01948 800202; trevanionanddean.com
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 139
A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E
OUR GUIDE TO
ANTIQUES SHOPPING Sunbury Antiques Market
SO UT H EA ST, OX F OR DSHI R E
The Old Flight House is a refreshingly different antiques centre. It has a fantastic range, from quality traditional antiques to vintage and retro items and stunning painted furniture, all set out in beautiful light and spacious surroundings. A licensed cafe serves good coffee and freshly prepared lunches with a lovely outside terrace for sunny days. Open Monday to Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 11am–5pm. Northampton Road, Weston on the Green, Oxfordshire, OX25 3TJ.
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sunburyantiques.com
SOU TH EA ST, SU RRE Y
sunburyantiques.com
International Antiques & Collectors Market at Ardingly
01932 230946
iacf.co.uk
Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Market at Shepton Mallet
iacf.co.uk
Dairy House Antiques Dairy House offers an eclectic mix of items to buy both in store and now also on Etsy! Go to Etsy and search for Dairy House Antiques to see our stock. Featuring 30+ dealers, the wide selection of vintage and antique items in store including furniture, gardenalia, silver, jewellery, textiles, mirrors, lighting and soft furnishings changes regularly. Located close to the A303 and A350 on the Dorset/Wiltshire border with free parking for customers. Open 7 days a week, Monday–Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday and Bank Hols 11am–4pm. Station Road, Semley, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 9AN
SOUT H WE ST, NO RTH DOR SET
SOUTH WEST, SOM ER SET
Visit this premier West Country antiques event to buy quality in quantity. From delicate glassware to chic leather items, and a multitude more besides, it’s a buying opportunity you won’t want to miss. It also features a complimentary antiques appraisal service. Friday 13th – Sunday 15th November. Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN. All details are correct at time of print. Please visit website for updates: iacf.co.uk.
A fantastic mid-week fair bursting with choice. From rustic garden goods and homewares to traditional antique furniture and vintage textiles. Not to be missed, this is truly an International event! Tuesday 3rd - Wednesday 4th November, Tuesday 19th – Wednesday 20th January 2021. South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TL. All details are correct at time of print. Please visit website for updates: iacf.co.uk.
SOU TH EA ST, WEST S USSEX
Sandown Antiques Imagine your favourite vintage store and Parisian flea market all rolled into one – then add those secret off-the-beaten track furniture shops of your dreams. With a plethora of eye catching gems at every turn you’ll be sure to get your creative juices flowing. Held at South West London’s prestigious Sandown Park Racecourse. With free admission and parking to all buyers. Sunday 29th November (10am–3pm). Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, KT10 9AJ. We offer free valuations and appraisals at each event.
Appealing not only to those in the antiques trade, but also prop buyers and interiors designers. Established since 1979, it has gradually evolved into the largest and longest running twice monthly market in the country and the team is immensely proud to now be recognised as one of Europe’s premier antiques markets. Covid government guidelines are in place. Second and last Tuesday of every month, Tues 27th Oct, Tues 10th Nov, Tues 24th Nov, Tues 8th Dec (6:30am- 2pm) Kempton park Racecourse TW16 5AQ, Free Admission & Parking.
SO U TH EA ST, LO NDO N
The Old Flight House
dairyhouseantiques.com
01747 853317
A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E
Looking forward to your next Antique Shopping trip? Take inspiration from the selection of centres and shops below
Marlesford Mill Antiques Centre
SO UTH W EST, D OR SET
Covering two floors, selling quality antiques, collectables and objets d’art for both home and exterior for over 30 years, Crewkerne Antiques Centre is the destination in beautiful south Somerset for the discerning customer. The centre is situated in the bustling, ancient market town of Crewkerne alongside twelve other antiques shops. We look forward to giving you a warm welcome. Open Monday to Saturday, 10am–5pm. 16 Market Street, Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 7LA
crewkerneantiquescentre.com
marlesfordmill
crewkerneantiques
E AST M IDLA NDS
hemswell-antiques.com
Emlyn Antiques Centre
B2B Events
emlynantiquescentre@gmail.com
01239 712991
01427 668389
B2B Events run the very best in antiques & collectors fairs, vintage, flea and retro fairs. Sunday 1 November 2020 Malvern Flea Fair (changed from the Malvern Antiques Fair) Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW. Admission 7.30am-3.30pm - £5pp.
NATIO NWIDE
WA LES , CAR MARTHENSH IRE
Visit the home of Europe’s largest collection of antiques, period furniture and vintage collectables. Over 400 dealers in foularge buildings with a wide variety of stock always on display. Browse our website now, to purchase quality items online 24 hours a day and have them delivered directly to your door. Nationwide delivery available. Open 10am–5pm every day, with ample parking. Caenby Corner Estate, Hemswell Cliff, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 5TJ
iacf.co.uk
Found in the charming market town of Newcastle Emlyn, the shop offers a full range of antiques, collectables, vintage clothing, memorabilia, fine china, militaria, garden reclamation and much more. Monday to Saturday 9am–5pm; bank holidays and selected Sundays 10am–4pm. Local and national delivery available. New Road, Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, SA38 9BA
01728 748076
Hemswell Antiques Centre M IDLANDS, LI NCOLNSHIR E
International Antiques & Collectors Market at Newark Experience the ultimate of antiques events with a trip to Newark. An unrivalled product choice – with stalls covering 84 acres! For all your antique and vintage desires, it really is 'The Big One'! Thursday 3rd – Friday 4th December, Thursday 4th – Friday 5th February 2021. Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground, Newark, NG24 2NY. All details are correct at time of print. Please visit website for updates: iacf.co.uk
Home to a fabulously eclectic mix of antiques, collectables and decorative wares, Marlesford Mill has two floors of constantly changing stock. A great one-stop shop for furnishing a home with affordable style and individuality, it has glass, mirrors, furniture, costume jewellery, clothes, vinyl, kitchenalia and garden furniture. On the main A12 route from London to Norfolk. Open seven days a week, 10am–5pm. Main Road (A12), Marlesford, IP13 0AG
EAST ANGLIA , M AR LESFORD
Crewkerne Antiques Centre
7 & 8 November 2020 - Detling Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Fair. Kent County Showground, Detling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3JF. Admission - Saturday 8.30am - £6pp: 10am- 4.30pm -£5: Sunday 10am-3.30pm £4pp. Indoor and outside pitches at this cosmopolitan fair in the garden of England. B2Bevents.info
01636 676531
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Countdown to
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2. THE ART OF BEAUTIFUL LIVING
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Welcome Autumn with cosy lighting ideas, soft textures and natural accessories. Our new collection embraces the seasonal change with our love of Scandi simplicity and warm vivid hues. A wealth of Christmas decor is added daily to our online store to help create a unique winter interior.
Looking for Christmas gifts that are beautiful and useful? Arts & Crafts Living sells elegant home interiors and gifts inspired by the style of the Arts & Crafts era (c.1860–1930). Homewares in designs by William Morris, Voysey, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Frank Lloyd Wright and a range of William Morris cushions including this Hare Tapestry Cushion.
Hand-crafted from heavy-duty cast aluminium by artisans in Northamptonshire, these postboxes and signs make a very thoughtful Christmas present for a special person or to treat yourself! They can all be fully personalised. Numbers from £49.50, signs from £90 and postboxes from £325. Get inspiration online or call for a brochure.
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Healthy Back Bags are all about balance. They combine fashion, comfort and style in a unique teardrop shape, designed to contour to the spine. They come in a range of colours and fabrics, are hardwearing, stylish, packed with intelligent pocketing and can be worn on either shoulder or cross body which distributes weight asymmetrically. Product shown: Fire Opal, RRP £89.
Perfect gifts and affordable treats. Eternal Collection offers beautiful costume jewellery and accessories at prices you will love. Free catalogues. 5* rated service.
Gardenature is a family-run business and a top supplier of high-quality products, designed VSHFL FDOO\ IRU ZDWFKLQJ DOO IRUPV RI ZLOGOLIH IURP WKH comfort of your armchair, garden, in the wild or in any other natural habitat. Gardenature brings you a diverse range of easy-to-use products that make a unique Gift for someone special at Christmas.
thehealthybackbag.co.uk • 0207 812 9800
03453 707071 • eternalcollection.co.uk
gardenature.co.uk • 01255 514 451
Stockists D These beautiful fabrics are from Warner House – find out more on page 17.
Decorative Collective decorativecollective.com Dig Haüshizzle dig-haushizzle.co.uk Doe & Hope 01767 640995; doeandhope.com Douglas Watson 01491 629960; douglaswatsonstudio.uk
E Elizabeth Scarlett elizabethscarlett.com
F Farrow & Ball 01202 876141; farrow-ball.com Fine Cell Work 020 7931 9998; finecellwork.co.uk Fiona Wilbraham 07799778787; fionawilbraham.com Fired Earth 01295 812088; firedearth.com The Fireplace and Stove Centre 01924 375092; thefireplaceandstovecentre.co.uk Fontaine Decorative 07855 360475; fontainedecorative.com
G A
C
Alastair Dickenson 01483 425329; alastairdickenson.co.uk Andy Thornton 01422 376000; andythornton.com Annie’s Orphans anniesonline.org.uk Anoma Snell facebook.com/ anomasantiques or instagram.com/ anomas_antiques Anthropologie 00800 0026 8476; anthropologie.com Arada 01297 632050; aradastoves.com Arket 020 3868 9990; arket.com Arthur Swallow Fairs asfairs.com
Ceraudo ceraudo.com Charnwood 01983 537777; charnwood.com Chesneys 020 7627 1410; chesneys.co.uk Chilli Penguin 01758 721247; chillipenguin.co.uk Chris Holmes Antiques 07771 962494; chrisholmesantiques.co.uk Christopher Farr Cloth 020 7349 0888; christopherfarrcloth.com Clive Payne Antiques 01608 658856; clivepayne.com Cloth House Studio 020 7485 6247; clothhouse.com Clubhouse Interiors Ltd 01903 883137; clubhouseinteriorsltd.co.uk Cox & Cox 0330 333 2123; coxandcox.co.uk Crocus 01344 578000; crocus.co.uk Crown Paints 0330 024 0309; crownpaints.co.uk
B Bisque 020 7328 2225; bisque.co.uk Brian Haughton Gallery 020 7389 6550; haughtongallery.co.uk Bristol Wood Recycling Project 0117 329 4319; bwrp.org.uk Brunschwig & Fils 020 7351 7760; gpjbaker.com
Garden Trading 01993 845559; gardentrading.co.uk General Store No.2 07792 722264; generalstoreno2.co.uk George Spencer Designs 020 7584 3003; georgespencer.com Georgian Antiques 0131 553 7286; georgianantiques.net GP&J Baker 020 7351 7760; gpjbaker.com Gumtree gumtree.co.uk
H Habitat 0344 499 4686; habitat.co.uk Haes Antiques 01254 389559; haes.co.uk Harlequin 020 3457 5862; stylelibrary.com Hawthorn Yard Antiques 01248 715002 Heal’s 0333 212 1915; heals.com The Hoarde thehoarde.com Host Home hosthome.co.uk House of Hackney 020 7739 3901; houseofhackney.com
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 143
THE
Living Space Add something new to your home today by looking through our directory
EDUCATION & COURSES
THE UPHOLSTERY WORKSHOP
To advertise here contact Antony on 0117 300 8543 antony.jago@ immediate.co.uk
Member of the Association of Master Upholsterers Stuck in a rut, need a change? Learn the professional way!
Antiques Courses
Members of the Association of Master Upholsterers. Established 1990.
Individual tuition by Master Upholsterer • Residential courses in the heart of Wiltshire • Choose from Upholstery or Soft Furnishings
Telephone: 01722 710274
www.upholsteryworkshop.com
ANTIQUES
The Traditional Upholstery Workshop
Discover the fascinating world of antiques with our unique home-study courses. Free info 0203 691 3370 or www.regentacademy.com
A CAREER CHANGE OR NEW HOBBY? FROM BEGINNER TO PROFESSIONAL LEARN TO UPHOLSTER THE TRADITIONAL WAY Approved AMUSF Training Centre
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homesandantiques.com Go online for more!
for genuine antiques online... GIFTS
SILVERWARE
Go online for more great ideas:
www.happydaysvintagehomestore.co.uk Monday to Saturday 10am 5pm Sunday – 11am–4pm
classifiedhanda
Happy Days is home to over 30 market stalls selling a wide array of antique and vintage furniture, curios, collectables and handcrafted gifts. We stock imported American workwear, vintage jewellery, original vinyl, collectable toys, garden salvage, and so much more! Happy Days is the biggest destination of its kind in the delightful town of Cowbridge, only 10 miles from Cardiff.
• Cutlery Sets/Pieces
• Candlesticks
• Trays and Bowls
• Jugs/Tankards
• Tea/Coffee Sets
• Some Jewellery (please ask)
• Trophies
• + Many Other Items!
• Ornaments
• Knife Handles Replaced
Church Street, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, CF71 7BB
THE
Living Space
homesandantiquesads
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Ikea ikea.com Imperial Bathrooms 01922 743074; imperialbathroom.com
The Old Cinema 020 8995 4166; theoldcinema.co.uk Osborne & Little 020 8812 3123; osborneandlittle.com
J James Hare 0113 243 1204; james-hare.com John Lewis & Partners 0345 610 0336; johnlewis.com Johnstone’s 01924 354354; johnstonespaint.com Joshua Lumley 01233 756072; joshualumley.com
K Kadai 01694 771800; kadai.co.uk
P Paint & Paper Library 0845 880 5844; paintandpaperlibrary.com Pierre Frey pierrefrey.com Piglet in Bed pigletinbed.com Plain English 020 7486 2674; plainenglishdesign.co.uk Polly Morgan pollymorgan.co.uk Pooky 020 7351 3003; pooky.com Prior & Willis Antiques 01945 429667; priorandwillisantiques.co.uk
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Leeds Vintage Market advintageous.co.uk Lennox Cato 01732 865988; lennoxcato.com Lewis & Wood 01453 878517; lewisandwood.co.uk Liberty 020 7734 1234; libertylondon.com Little Greene 0845 880 5855; littlegreene.com Loaf 020 3141 8300; loaf.com Long and Ryle 020 7834 1434; longandryle.com Lorfords 01666 505111; lorfords.com
Rebel Walls rebelwalls.com Red Candy 0121 224 7728; redcandy.co.uk Restored2BLoved 07910 813568; restored2bloved.com Retro Boutique instagram.com/retro_boutique_leeds A Rum Fellow 020 8245 6779; arumfellow.com
M Mandarin Stone 01600 715444; mandarinstone.com Mary Cooke Antiques Ltd bada.org Morsø 01788 554410; morsoe.com
N National Trust Shop 0300 123 2025; shop.nationaltrust.org.uk The New Craftsmen 020 7148 3190; thenewcraftsmen.com
Discover the wonderful Crowson Archive on page 49.
S Sanderson 020 3457 5862; stylelibrary.com Samuel & Sons 020 7351 5153; samuelandsons.com Selling Antiques sellingantiques.co.uk Sofa Workshop 0808 296 3619; sofaworkshop.com Spode 01782 743427; spode.co.uk Stag & Bruce 07793 112431; stagandbruce.co.uk Stovax & Gazco stovax.com Swiss Cottage Antiques 0113 242 9994
T Thomas Sanderson 0800 688 8082; thomas-sanderson.co.uk
Topsham Quay Antiques Centre 01392 874006; quayantiques.com Turnell & Gigon 020 7259 7280; turnellandgigon.com
V Valspar 0344 736 9174; valsparpaint.co.uk Vanderhurd 020 7313 5400; vanderhurd.com Vasco vasco.eu Victorian Plumbing victorianplumbing. co.uk Vintage Boutique 0113 278 2653; vintageboutiqueuk.com The Vintage Teapot 07922 100132; thevintageteapot.co.uk Vinterior vinterior.co Vogue UK 01902 387000; vogueuk.co.uk
W Wedgwood 01782 282651; wedgwood.com West Elm 0800 404 9780; westelm.co.uk West One Bathrooms 0333 0113333; westonebathrooms.com Woodwarm Stoves woodwarmstoves.co.uk
GUESS THE HAMMER PRICE (from page 117): Wooden Top Sold at Chorley’s for £7,500, Joie de Vivre Sold at Bonhams for £408, Regency Style Sold at Tennants for £650 Competitions Send a postcard with your name, address, phone number and the name of the competition you wish to enter to: Homes & Antiques magazine, PO Box 501, Leicester, LE94 0AA. Closing date for this issue is 11.59pm on 17th November 2020 unless otherwise stated. Terms and conditions for competitions Promoter: Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited. Entrants must be UK residents, including the Channel Islands, aged 18 years or older, excluding the promoter’s employees. By entering, you agree to be bound by all the rules of the promotion. Only one entry per person allowed. No responsibility accepted for lost, delayed, ineligible or fraudulent entries. Winning entries will be chosen at random from all eligible entries. The draw is final and no correspondence will be entered into. For details of the winner[s], send an SAE to Immediate Media Company Limited, Eagle House, Colston Avenue, Bristol, BS1 4ST within two months of the closing date. The Promoter will contact the winner[s] before releasing this information and provide the winner[s] the opportunity to object or limit the amount of information shared. If any winner is unable to be contacted within 28 days of the closing date, the promoter will offer the prize to a runner-up. Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize with one of the same or greater value but there is no cash alternative. Entrants must supply to Immediate Media Company Limited their full name, email address and daytime telephone number. The Promoter will use entrants’ personal details in accordance with the Immediate Privacy Policy (www.immediate.co.uk/privacy-policy). See full terms and conditions (www.immediate.co.uk/terms-and-conditions).
November 2020 Homes & Antiques 145
Room with a
CLUE
Each month, we show you a room from a house of significance and ask you to work out either the property’s name, or who lived there. There’s a prize up for grabs, so see if you can solve the riddle… (Answer printed in the January 2021 issue)
For many of us, November is synonymous with Bonfire Night, and this month’s mystery house was linked to the events that took place on that fateful evening. This Tudor mansion has been lived in by 20 generations of the same family and the Gunpowder Plot’s ringleader was the son of Anne, who grew up here. After Guy Fawkes’ capture, the remaining plotters fled to Warwickshire, sending a message to the Catholic inhabitants of this house that all was lost…
WIN! AN EMMA BRIDGEWATER MUG
MUG WORTH £19.95
146 Homes & Antiques November 2020
If you think you know the name of this month’s home, you could be in with a chance of winning this Ho Ho Ho half-pint mug, worth £19.95, from queen of colourful ceramics Emma Bridgewater. Based in the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, Emma’s factory has been making your everyday cup of tea just that little bit more special since 1985. To see the full range of products, visit emmabridgewater.co.uk
What is the name of the house? A. Baddesley Clinton B. Coughton Court C. Charlecote Park ENTER ONLINE homesandantiques.com/competitions ENTER BY POST Send your answer, name and phone number to: Homes & Antiques, Issue 339, Room with a Clue comp, PO Box 501, Leicester, LE94 0AA Closing date: 17th November 2020 at . pm*
The National Trust Photolibrary/Alamy Stock Photo *Entrants must be UK residents, including the Channel Islands, aged 18 years or older. For full T&Cs turn to page 145. Answer to September’s Room with a Clue: C. John Keats
Remember, remember
