Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Homes & Antiques

As shop windows fill with boxes of chocolates, and pink and red hearts abound, it’s tempting to dismiss the traditions relating to the 14th of February as a modern contrivance. However, St Valentine’s association with love and romance goes back to the Middle Ages, and the day itself has a surprisingly rich and varied history, as Luke Honey reveals in his witty column (p31). Sticking with the theme of romance, Janet Gleeson explores the wonderful world of acrostic jewellery, and the secret messages of love contained in the clever arrangements of precious gems (p46). With the excitement of Christmas and the New Year behind us, the end of the season can drag, so Selina Lake has compiled a selection of inspiring styling tips to see you through the winter blues…

A beautifully crafted bed really is the finishing touch to a stylish bedroom scheme, and we’re over the moon to be teaming up with The Cornish Bed Company this month to offer H&A readers 20 per cent off its cast-iron Tetbury bedstead. Traditional yet elegant, the Tetbury bed is hand cast to order by master craftspeople at The Cornish Bed Company’s UK foundry. It’s also completely customisable, so you can choose a size, finish and design that works perfectly with your home. With a simple cross-bar design and decorative brass finishes, the Tetbury bed has an authentic finish that’s reminiscent of Victorian designs; making it perfect for an antiques-filled bedroom. The Cornish Bed Company aims to make beds that will last for generations – antiques of the future, if you…

What is your background? As a child, I’d collect bits at car boot sales – I’ve always been an avid antiques lover. Later, I was an events manager and designer and then I went into assisting interior designers: I managed Carolina Irving and Penny Morrison’s eclectic store Irving and Morrison in London, followed by assisting the wonderful Susan Deliss. All my past roles inspired me to do what I’m doing now. Why did you launch By Alice? I spent a year travelling and found amazing artisans across the globe whose gorgeous pieces I wanted to sell alongside the vintage and antique pieces I had stockpiled at my flat, which was at the point of overflow. Sustainability is an important thing for me, and I want to share my love of…

Every year, Royal Mail handles an estimated 22 million Valentine’s Day cards; with 2.6 million people sending cards to themselves. February 14th still puts me in the mood for love, despite a singular lack of cards received in my teenage years. At school, other boys received multiple cards in pink envelopes. I was lucky if I got an ‘anonymous’ card, supposedly sent by a secret admirer, but, in truth, from my sympathetic parents. The festival of St Valentine has mysterious origins, spanning 600 years. Strangely, the two historical Saint Valentines (a bishop from Terni in Italy, and a 3rd-century priest from Rome, martyred on 14th February) have no connection with romance. But, by the late Middle Ages, the idea that birds mated on the first day of spring had taken…

2018: Tate St Ives, Cornwall ‘Winning was an incredible honour and recognised the transformative nature of the expansion of Tate St Ives. The deep relationship between art, place and community directly informed that project, and the recognition and prize enabled us to further embed this in our programme for the long-term benefit of Cornwall and our local audiences.’ Anne Barlow, Director, Tate St Ives. tate.org.uk 2019: St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff ‘We were recognised by the judges for the work that we do to give everybody an opportunity to engage with culture in a meaningful way. Winning has enabled us to reach even more communities across Wales over the last 18 months, providing opportunities for people to not just experience history but be part of it. The support…

Halfway through a tour of his Brighton apartment, Simon Martin’s gaze alights on the watercolour above the chimneypiece. It is a 1940s conversation piece by the British artist JS Goodall. Simon found the painting at a local market and, intrigued by the inscription on the back, decided to do some digging. This led him to discover that one of the sitters is probably Jack Sprott, a member of the Bloomsbury Group, whose bohemian circle included Lytton Strachey and EM Forster. This is the sort of detective work Simon enjoys. As Director of Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, he has acquired a reputation for exploring the lesser-trodden reaches of the art world through exhibitions of overlooked 20th-century British artists. Exhibitions of work by John Minton, Edward Burra, or the surrealist John…

Ding dong! This skeleton clock has been in my family for a long time. I would love to know some more about its history, if it’s of any value and how best to care for it. Cecily Beaumont, London This is an English skeleton clock in a geometric or ‘rafter’ frame with single fusee eight day movement with anchor (recoil) escapement, silvered dial and Roman numerals and pendulum locking screw. It dates to the second quarter of the 19th century, is housed in a glass dome and sits on a mahogany or rosewood base to keep out the dust. The clock looks slightly uncomfortable in the dome so it may be associated. Skeleton clocks became popular in England after 1820, when advances in the glass blowing industry made it possible…

Pretty in pink If the weather outside is grey and dreary, kitchen linen in mood-lifting hues will remind us of warmer days that lie ahead. And this Scallop Stripe tea towel (£30) and Little Cress oven glove (£33) from Tori Murphy in fetching shades of claret are just the ticket. Tasha Marks: my favourite culin›y antique ‘It’s a candle-shaped mould which sits in my cabinet of curiosity. In lockdown, I decided to finally bring it down to the kitchen and use it to make a working ice-cream candle with a wax wick, which brought joy to my household during a strange time. I love its tactile history; a wonky hinge or a dent is the sign of an object well used and, for me, that makes it more enticing.’ Tasha…

At the AW20 Alexander McQueen fashion show, elegant models strutted down the catwalk clad in silver love spoon-style fretwork dresses and leather jackets adorned with love spoon-inspired lace heart embellishments. Readings of Dylan Thomas poetry provided an inspiring backing track. Soon after, style maven Beyoncé appeared on the cover of British Vogue sporting a black jacket from the collection with ‘exploded hearts’ on the sleeves. ‘The shoulders are sculptured, echoing the love spoons that we found in Welsh houses – traditional tokens of endearment exchanged by lovers ahead of marriage,’ says Sarah Burton, Creative Director at Alexander McQueen, who took her team on a research trip to Wales. It was during a visit to St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff that the romance and power of hand-carved love…

‘My parents were interested in antiques, my uncle was an antiques dealer and my grandparents ran a 17th-century inn in Eyam, Derbyshire, so when I developed an interest in drawing and painting my family was very supportive. After an Art Foundation course, I did a degree in History of Art, Auctioneering and Valuation, and my first job was with Bonhams Leeds, where I learnt the nuts and bolts of the auction world. I put together the LS Lowry print sales and remember getting a world record of £4,230 in 2006 for Going to the Match, a lithograph from an edition of 300. Tennants now holds the world record for the same print, at £25,000. ‘Seven years in picture research and collection co-ordination for a Qatari royal collector followed, then I…

"I’ve had this English screen lined with Chinese 18th-century wallpaper for probably 50 years. I bought it for £8 at a sale in Peterborough Market. I saw it and knew that I liked it, so I bought it. That is always my approach: buy what you like. When buying antiques for myself, or to sell, I always like to mix them – I take something very grand and mix it with something humble for balance. They will create a layer of interest in the room. Everything has to be liveable, no matter the style of house. I approach everything in this way and antiques are an extension of that. Rooms should be comfortable, and the occupants should feel at ease with the things they enjoy or are interested in around…

Luke Honey is H&A’s columnist and this issue he has written about Vinegar Valentines Luke is a former auction specialist turned antiques dealer, writer and blogger. He lives in London with his wife, Venetia, and their book-munching whippet. ‘We always cook pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. How do I like them? Thin and crispy, with lots of lemon juice and sugar.’ Emma Longstaff wrote ‘48 Hours in North Norfolk’ Emma spends far too much time every day looking at auction catalogues, and every holiday drags her family around antiques shops, sales and scrap yards. ‘Every Sunday breakfast is like Pancake Day. It’s become a family tradition, and is a combined effort: my husband does the flipping, I chop the fruit, and our daughter Elisabeth is in charge of the…

1 the ANTIQUE SAILORS’ VALENTINES Centuries ago, seashells were a popular material for making everything, from long, sautoir necklaces and cameo brooches to fancy boxes and ornaments. One of the most spectacular examples of ‘shell work’ can be seen at the National Trust property A la Ronde in Devon where, in the late 18th century, two cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter, decorated the upper gallery with 25,000 shells. Shell work souvenirs were also purchased by mariners, who would bring home mementoes from their travels to give to loved ones. To meet the demand for shell work from visiting sailors, shops sprang up at ports on major trading routes. Local women made little shell-strewn pictures to hang on the wall, including heart-shaped Sailors’ Valentines. The origins of this lovely example (bottom…

Recipe for success Take a brilliant design duo and add one enterprising antiques business. Cue the furniture collection Turner Pocock x Lorfords, which combines comfort, craftsmanship and contemporary style. The sofas, armchairs, ottomans and Fireside chair will no doubt become timeless classics. lorfords.com Field of flowers American designer Alexis Hartman finds endless inspiration in the natural world, which she translates into textiles and wallpapers under the name Lake August. Her newest collection features delicate floral patterns of petals, leaves, daisies and sunflowers that originated from her sketches and paintings. Fabrics are printed in England on Scottish linen and wallpapers are printed in Los Angeles on clay-coated paper. thefabriccollective.com TRIBUTE TO TRANSYLVANIA Folk romance, embroidery, colour, and pattern after pattern… Mindthegap is marking its 5th anniversary with a homage to the…

After months of being used for work, rest and play, our kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms have begun to feel uninspiring. With spring on the horizon, it’s time to show your home a little love. Flowers of all kinds, from fragrant narcissi and hyacinths to joyful dried blooms such as hydrangea heads and gypsophila can transform a space. Gather vases, jugs and planters and team your floral arrangements with favourite antiques to create vignettes on window sills, tables and dressers.…

Forget the anonymous valentine – how much more romantic is a message in a ring or a necklace, conveyed in the arrangement of gems it contains? Acrostic jewellery is so called because the first letter of each gem it features spells out a secret word. So, for example, a ring featuring an amethyst, a diamond, an opal, a ruby and an emerald signifies the word Adore. ‘People love this type of jewellery because it taps into their sentimental streak, and it relates to them personally,’ says jewellery expert John Benjamin. ‘Plus, it’s often made at a time when goldsmithing was very fine, and there are motifs like hearts, and keys and locks, and multi-coloured gold. So you might have a Georgian locket in the form of a padlock with two…

The views from Nicky de Bouille’s home in Saumur haven’t changed in around 200 years. The front of the house looks out across the Loire river, which runs through this historic town – famed for its eponymous red and sparkling wines – while the back overlooks its magnificent medieval fort. So far, so fairy tale and, happily, the interior of Nicky’s home is just as magical. Built in 1732 as a merchant’s house (Saumur was an important trading port, connecting Paris to the Atlantic) the property remains largely untouched. ‘It’s almost like a museum,’ says Nicky. ‘Not much has been altered since it was built – apart from the addition of a few modern comforts.’ Nicky was born in New Zealand and has always had an obsession with ‘the patina…

• Hand of Glory Antiques ‘This shop in Chippenham run by Lisa Lloyd and Marc Allum is a particular favourite of mine for quirky pieces and stylish furniture.’ • Roe + Moore ‘This year, I have bought several modern prints and ex libris online from this gallery, which specialises in modern British art.’ • Dreweatts ‘I get sent a lot of auction catalogues, but I covet many of the things in Dreweatts’ sales and wish I could get to their shows more often.’ • Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark ‘This is one of my favourite museums in the world. It has a fabulous setting with Alexander Calder and Henry Moore sculptures overlooking the sea, Modernist architecture and rooms filled with art.’ • Fry Art Gallery ‘I am hugely fond…

KEY: OLD / NEW…

North Norfolk is magical at this time of year. Each winter, more than a third of the world’s pink-footed geese can be witnessed forming squawking ‘V’ formations in the endless skies. While at Blakeney Point, home to the largest seal colony in England, thousands of pups are born. On Holkham Beach at low tide the sea disappears completely into the horizon, leaving miles of pristine sand. It’s not just the wildlife that’s special. Each of North Norfolk’s small towns and villages has a unique character. Evocative names such as Sti›key, Salthouse and Little Snoring sound as though they’re lifted straight from a storybook. In the towns, you’ll find few of the typical high-street offerings – instead, think stylish homeware stores, lovely art galleries and atmospheric antiques shops. Georgian market town…

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 Daily Bread I was interested to read your article on collecting breadboards in the October issue. While I can hardly call my two breadboards a collection, they are very special to me. The one pictured on the left was my grandmother’s, possibly a wedding present (c1919). The one on the right was my mum’s, made by my dad for her ‘bottom drawer’ in 1952. I still use them both regularly for cutting and serving bread, cheese and pickles. They are a delight and bring back many special memories every time I use them. Thank you for including tips on how to care for them so that I can continue to enjoy them for many more years to…

An appetite for tableware at auction has been fuelled in recent years by the trend for ‘tablescaping’ and entertaining at home. Services with unusual, colourful and eye-catching patterns tend to sell well. In Christie’s January 2020 Dressing the Table auction, a Booths Silicon China ‘Green Parrot’ service sold for £11,875 (est £2,000–£3,000), while a St Louis ‘Massenet’ pattern cut-glass service achieved £21,250 (est £5,000–£8,000). It included coloured glasses, which are particularly sought after. Other popular factories include Royal Copenhagen, Herend, Baccarat and Meissen, and Rosenthal services by Versace.…

Penny Morrison’s new line of antique and hand-embroidered rugs will bring the look of the interior design studio’s mismatched aesthetic into your own home. Colourful and patterned, they range from bohemian Persian-inspired runners to contemporary geometric designs. The new rugs are handmade by artisans from around the world while the antique pieces are specially sourced by the Penny Morrison team from their little black book of international suppliers. The striped wicker rug, pictured, is £1,200. pennymorrison.com…

Tired of your surroundings but not ready for the expense of redecorating? Stripping away the old wallpaper can be an exciting half measure: bare plaster has a timeless appeal and is the perfect backdrop for art, antiques and vintage pieces of all styles. Make an audit of the smaller decorative elements you own and swap some of them out. Cushions can transform a sofa – look for bright colours, contrasting textures and embroidery. Lampshades are another quick fix: choose glass or ceramic, or fabric with tassels. A recipe for ROMANCE Now, more than ever, is the time to make use of the things we love, and usually save for best. Months of lockdown have taken their toll on our culinary repertoire and the simple pleasure to be had from a…

When Annie Sloan moved from a country village to east Oxford 20 years ago, she was ready to embrace city living, and yearned for somewhere that echoed her passion for cultural fusion. ‘It’s a funky, cosmopolitan part of town, with all sorts of interesting shops and every sort of restaurant. I love the buzz of lots of different cultures. But there are also lots of parks and common land for walks.’ As soon as she and her husband stepped inside the terraced mid Victorian house they felt at home, although work was needed to turn it into the comfortable space it is today. ‘We knocked through the two ground floor rooms to make one big sitting room, so you have a window to the back garden and the front. And…

A good first step when planning a new kitchen is to do what the professionals do and create a file or Pinterest board of images that appeal to you. You will find that you are drawn to certain images over others, which will help to evolve an approach and a wishlist of stylistic details. The next step is to measure the space and work out a suitable plan. It can be a good idea to mock up the space with panels of paper on the floor to represent cupboards, tables and corridors. To ensure the style will fit with your property, make sure the detailing is appropriate. Generally speaking, the grander the scale and architectural complexity, the more detail you can use on the doors, cornices and hardware of your…

How well do you know the market? Try your hand at gauging the sale prices of these lots. (Answers on p137) PERFECT POTTERY Beautiful firing marked out a William De Morgan ruby lustre pottery charger decorated with the classic Arts and Crafts motif of sunflowers. Estimate £800–£1,200 READY TO BREW Imagine pouring tea from a Victorian silver ‘bullet’ teapot, decorated with finches and a frog finial, made in 1884 by Messrs Savory of London. Estimate £250–£300 SIXTIES SEAT Finnish furniture designer Eero Aarnio created the futuristic, lacquered fibreglass Cognac chair in 1967 for furniture makers Asko Oy. Estimate £500–£800…

Roast vegetable soup This hearty soup is a meal in itself, a comforting midwinter dish and a great way of using vegetables from the garden. The lemon juice cuts through the oil and gives it a zing. SERVES 4–6 PREPARATION: 15 minutes COOKING: 40–50 minutes 1kg/2¼lb mixed root vegetables (pumpkin, parsnip, carrot, sweet potato or whatever else you have to hand), trimmed 2–3 garlic cloves, according to preference, peeled and left whole 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 sprigs each of rosemary and thyme, or whatever other herbs you like and have to hand, stalks removed and chopped 750ml/1¼ pints (3 cups) vegetable stock, or more if needed juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper ½ tablespoon freshly chopped parsley, to garnish Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Chop the…

Amara amara.com Andrew Martin andrewmartin.co.uk Angel & Boho angelandboho.com Angela Harding angelaharding.co.uk Angie Lewin angielewin.co.uk Annie Sloan anniesloan.com Anthropologie anthropologie.com Antipodream antipodream.co.uk The Antique Kitchen theantiquekitchen.co.uk Applecross Antiques applecrossantiques.com Barber Wilsons & Co barberwilsons.com Bentley & Skinner bentley-skinner.co.uk Bloom & Wild bloomandwild.com Bordallo Pinheiro bordallopinheiro.com Borderline Fabrics borderlinefabrics.com Brayer Design brayerdesign.co.uk British Standard by Plain English britishstandardcupboards.co.uk The Brooke Pottery thebrookepottery.com By Alice by-alice.co.uk Carew Jones carewjones.co.uk Ceraudo ceraudo.com Charleston charleston.org.uk Chelsea Textiles chelseatextiles.com Cielshop cielshopinteriors.com Clare Woods clare-woods.com The Conran Shop conranshop.co.uk Cooling & Cooling coolingandcooling.co.uk Cressida Bell cressidabell.co.uk Cullen & Padbury 01865 874111 Curated Living curatedliving.co.uk Decorative Collective decorativecollective.com Decorative Country Living decorativecountryliving.com deVOL devolkitchens.co.uk Dreweatts dreweatts.com Dulux dulux.co.uk Dyke & Dean dykeanddean.com Ed Kluz edkluz.co.uk Emma Bridgewater emmabridgewater.co.uk Emily Sutton emilysutton.co Everhot everhot.co.uk F The Fabric Collective…