‘Christmas Tree’ by Spode is probably one of the most iconic and definitely the most festive of tableware to be found and has been in continuous production since the 1930s when it was designed by Harold Holdway (later to become design director), who had apparently never seen a Christmas tree!
There is something very nostalgic about lifting the tin lid of a Quality Street and getting that heady waft of chocolate which almost assaults the olfactory senses. Looking at the brightly wrapped cellophane sweets in gorgeous jewel colours, a feast for the eyes, and we haven't even started eating them yet!
If you haven’t, you really should, and soon, as it is earmarked for closure on New Years Eve 2022, ending a legacy just shy of its 60thanniversary.
Plans are afoot to save the uniquely styled tropical themed restaurant and bar by a committed group of tiki enthusiasts who have lobbied to have to space independently listed and protected as a place of unique cultural interest.
In our home, one day that signifies the start of the Christmas festivities is not putting up the decorations, but the weekly watching of a children’s television series. In 1984 the BBC broadcast an adaptation of John Masefields Box Of Delights starting on 21st of November and culminating on Christmas Eve.
It is absolutely no secret that I love Christmas, everything from the brightly coloured tree lights to the scent of old tinsel when you take it out of the box, smelling of decades old joy.
One of my favourite products to work on is thefestive selectioneach year, it gives me a chance to delve into my inner love of whimsy and kitsch and really indulge my inner child......
The roots of Jack Lanterns go back to the marshes of rural Ireland in the early 1600’s. Folklore states that a shadowy figure of ‘Stingy Jack’ roams the marsh land, after repeatedly tricking the Devil and losing!
If you’ve stumbled upon this blog, I am assuming that you may have watched an episode of the hit BBC afternoon antiques show, hosted by Nigel Havers, entitled The Bidding Room (week days 4.30pm, BBC1).