Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2022 i Homes & Antiques

Welcome to the June issue of Homes & Antiques. I hope you’ll enjoy the stimulating mix of features, interiors and expert advice. To mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we take a look behind the scenes at the Royal Collection (p16) while Luke Honey offers advice on collecting coronation memorabilia (p33). There’s also a suitably celebratory feel to the decorating pages in our ‘Style Now’ section (p19) and, in her feature ‘The Fabulous Fifties’, Rhiannon Batten takes us back to 1951 and the Festival of Britain, to see what was happening in British design just before The Queen acceded the throne. This month’s houses may be small, but they are packed with attainable ideas as well as beautiful antiques. Gillian Harwood’s clever panelling adds warmth and interest to her pretty Norfolk…

Seasonal papers The latest – and very much anticipated – collection of wallpapers by artist Flora Roberts has been released by Hamilton Weston Wallpapers. There are four new designs in several colourways. Peony Garden is an enchanting chinoiserie centred around the peony tree with hollyhocks, pears, apple blossom and magnolia. Autumn celebrates plants going to seed, such as honesty and the skeletal silhouettes of senescing winter ferns and cow parsley. Spring captures Dorset woodlands full of purple violets, primroses and delicate wood anemone, while Cottage Garden is inspired by an allotment where sunflowers, dahlias, foxgloves and nasturtiums grow. hamiltonweston.com DECADENT DESIGNS This year, Romo celebrates its 120th anniversary and to mark the milestone the brand has launched the Pluma collection of decorative prints, embroideries and wallcoverings. Founder Robert Mould started…

Since the time of John Constable, the region of East Anglia has nurtured some prodigious artistic talent. In the early 20th century two well-known artists’ colonies set up house in Great Bardfield in Essex and Benton End in Suffolk and the roll call of artists involved includes Eric Ravilious, Tirzah Garwood (the wife of Eric Ravilious), Edward Bawden, Dame Elisabeth Frink, Cedric Morris, John Nash, Lucian Freud and Maggi Hambling. In our regular Art & Design sales we often sell the work of lesser-known East Anglian artists whose work is comparatively affordable and which may pay dividends in future. Look out for prints, paintings and drawings by Gwen Raverat, Joan Warburton, Lucy Harwood, John Aldridge and Allan Walton. Another name to watch for is John Bellany, an abstract artist who…

Years ago, when sculptor Ann Carrington’s young son had chickenpox and couldn’t go to nursery, Carrington took him roaming in London. At one point they stopped near Trafalgar Square, captivated by the window of a stamp shop. They couldn’t go inside, but Carrington’s eye was caught by a tiny stamp with a profile of The Queen, designed by Arnold Machin in 1970; she went back the next day and bought it. ‘I knew it was the beginning of something,’ she says. ‘When I blew the stamp up to a large scale, all the printing dots looked like buttons and I thought, “That’s perfect – pearly kings and queens and buttons and alternative royal families”. The stories dovetailed.’ Carrington often plays with scale in this way, turning familiar objects into pieces…

‘What’s important with vintage industrial pieces is knowing how to use them to maximum effect’ My partner Paul had never so much as thought about knocking through his kitchen/ dining room in his previous home, so he was a complete novice to house renovations,’ laughs Paula Barnes as she describes the thrills and spills involved in her most recent project: converting a Victorian mews property that had formerly been the garden store, vinery and stables, into a habitable home. ‘It was our first house together post both of our divorces, so it was a new life and new start, which I loved.’ Originally built to serve the large townhouse on the street behind, the mews building had long since fallen into disrepair, and was, according to Paula, ‘literally a garage…

Beneath the Veneer I have a beautiful, large mahogany sideboard that I bought at auction in the 1970s. It is in good condition apart from some of the veneer around the top edge has chipped off in places. Is there anything I can do to replace the missing sections of veneer or is it best to leave it as it is? It’s a much-loved and useful piece of furniture. Lesley Paling, via email This is a lovely example of a mahogany and rosewood crossbanded sideboard, but sadly some of the crossbanding has flaked away. Crossbanding is not only decorative, it also protects the outer edge of the veneered top from damage. You could just leave it, but there is a risk of further damage if, for example, you caught the…

So-called ‘saucy’ seaside postcards by artists such as Donald McGill raise eyebrows today. Georgina thinks that the innuendo-driven illustrations can be offensive, especially in the way they depict women: ‘But even at the time, a lot were considered unacceptable. McGill was actually prosecuted for obscenity, which led to a crackdown on the more risqué designs – local censorship boards were set up to decide what could be sold.’ Nevertheless, some postcard collectors love the nostalgic humour typified by the larger ladies, hen-pecked husbands, and voluptuous young women. And they have plenty of cards to choose from, as McGill designed over 12,000 before his death in 1962.…

KITCHEN Laura sourced the units from Gumtree. The brass tap is from Perrin & Rowe and the sink was an eBay find. FURNITURE The 19th-century Italian lyre-back bench came from Lorfords, while other pieces were bought from auction sites such as the-saleroom.com PAINT & ACCESSORIES Walls are painted in soft shades from Francesca’s Paints including Soave and Box Myrtle. The antique maps in the dining room came from The Map House. In the bedroom, the lamp is from Westland London and the cushions are covered in GP & J Baker’s Peony & Blossom. For full details on where to buy, see our website: homesandantiques.com/ restore-renovate…

The original ‘Scotched Egg’ was created by Fortnum’s in 1738 as a portable pick-me-up for travellers’ baskets and people with busy lives. Back then the recipe consisted of a pullet’s egg surrounded by forcemeat, dipped in egg wash and then in breadcrumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper and mace. When Henry J Heinz came from Baltimore with his tinned produce in 1886, Fortnum & Mason became the first grocer to stock Heinz baked beans – arguably the nation’s favourite comfort food. In 2019, for the 150th birthday of Heinz, Fortnum’s released limited-edition Heinz products with labels in their famous eau-de-nil colour. The Suffragettes were imprisoned for smashing Fortnum & Mason’s windows in 1911, while fighting for the right to vote. On their release from Holloway prison, Fortnum’s sent them hampers filled…

A group of friends and antiques lovers based in West Sussex hold small, fun fairs throughout the year in each other’s gardens and pretty rural locations. The next fair is at the picturesque Copsale Hall on 19th June, where a small group will be selling French, Dutch, Swedish and English furniture and tableware, as well as plants, garden tables and chairs, urns and more. As it’s Father’s Day, all dads visiting will be offered a free beer and homemade sausage roll. Copsale Hall, Copsale, West Sussex, RH13 6QT. @the_garden_girls_sales…

Alice Roberton talks to Richard Burgoin of Arthur Swallow Fairs… ‘Arthur Swallow Fairs was established in 1995 by my late father Peter Burgoin. My brother Marc and I developed a taste for the ‘trade’ pretty young. We helped with event set-up and learnt a lot about what makes a good fair and, in 2008, we took over the running of the business along with my wife, Anna. With our young children already showing a healthy interest in fairs, it’s through-and-through a family business. ‘Hosting everything from fast-paced one-day markets to relaxed three-day boutique home shows, our focus is aimed at the antique, salvage and vintage market. What’s great is that these fairs, markets and shows are suitable for everyone, from collectors through to home renovators; we firmly believe that antiques…

Persian miniature painting was a courtly and aristocratic art depicting detailed historical and mythical scenes from Persian Princes to the playful depictions of Qajar girls. It is an art form that was influenced by Chinese art and later, during the 18th and 19th centuries, by European paintings, and is full of joy and vibrant colour that marries well with most interior styles. Persian art was first introduced to Victorian Britain during the Great Exhibition of 1851, where it was highly admired, and agents from the Victoria and Albert Museum were sent out to Iran to buy art for the collection. As their owners will know, such artworks (which are usually extracted from an illustrated manuscript, an art that flourished in the Middle East centuries ago), are great conversation pieces as…

Sixty-nine years ago this month, Her Majesty The Queen was crowned at Westminster Abbey, as have all English and British monarchs bar two before her – since William the Conqueror in 1066. Despite the unfavourable weather that day, the historic event passed without a hitch. An estimated 27 million people across the land watched the coronation on television – a first for the medium and, for many of the viewers, a further first as, during the 1950s, television sets were notoriously expensive. Today, coronation memorabilia is avidly collected. Enthusiasm for the subject began in the 1960s, with increasing interest in the Royal Family fuelled by television, press and mass media. Yet the earliest royal commemorative ceramics date back to the 17th century; historians think that Charles II was the first…

‘It was originally built to house the captains coming up from the ships in the harbour below,’ says Sophie Rowell of her pastel-coloured home, set within a row of elegant townhouses in the quaint old-town area of Folkestone. ‘You can see over to France from the top floor,’ she adds. And, right on cue, as the mist clears, the coastline of northern France appears on the far horizon, across the Strait of Dover. It seems only fitting, therefore, that interior designer Sophie has chosen to furnish her home with antique and vintage finds from home and the continent. The house is filled with signs of her travels across the Channel to France and beyond, where she visits brocantes and flea markets, sourcing items for her interiors consultancy, Côte de Folk.…

Gillian Harwood leads a busy life, dividing her time between homes in London and Norfolk. She thinks nothing of rising at 5am in order to miss rush-hour traffic and heading to Norfolk, where as often as not she’ll meet a friend for an early breakfast before a business meeting. She bought her terraced cottage in the village of Holt five years ago and finds it ideal for brief visits which, due to her full schedule, rarely last as long as she’d like. Until recently she ran a large historic building in north London, which she’d converted with her late partner into studios and individual work spaces. New ownership has given her time to concentrate on new projects, such as the redevelopment of Great Yarmouth, an hour’s drive from Holt. During…

Think of Cool Britannia and the late 1990s probably comes to mind, the nation zig-a-zig-ahing its way around a Union Jack-emblazoned flurry of formaldehyde-submerged sharks and down-with-the-kids politicians. In truth, though, it was more a second coming. True Cool Britannia had peaked almost half a century earlier, during a swell of national optimism sparked by the end of the Second World War and Queen Elizabeth II’s accession. Rationing may still have been in place in Britain in the early 1950s, but light could be seen at the end of the great tunnel of austerity that had dominated people’s lives for so long. The welfare state was expanding, improvements in living conditions were gradually being implemented, workers were in such high demand that migrants from commonwealth countries were starting to arrive…

Barnstor ming design A 16th-century cottage in the Kent countryside was the focus of a radical kitchen transformation by Martin Moore. The owners needed a larger space to suit their growing family, so chose to relocate the kitchen to the connecting barn. The resulting open-plan space is in perfect harmony with the historic home‘s beautiful oak beams, sloped ceiling and uneven walls, while incorporating a subtle touch of modernity. martinmoore.com A NOOK OF ONE’S OWN Created at Norfolk Reclamation, this unique ‘reading retreat’ was inspired by the individual reclaimed items from which it is made. The aim was to build a reading nook in a classical design for families and children, and the resulting piece is a truly magnificent place to curl up with a book. The reading nook was…

You should look to restore your wooden floor once it starts looking tired and the finish starts fading or wearing through in certain areas. Depending on the finish, we would advise you to apply a maintenance coat at least once a year to have the floor looking its best. Consider a full restoration of a wood floor every five to 10 years, depending on the traffic. The most common problems associated with old wooden floors are gaps between the floorboards, cupping boards (when external forces cause the wood to move, typically ‘cupping’ at the edges) and even cracks and splits. To prepare a floor for restoration work, first make sure that it is completely clean (using the right products). And if you’re planning just to refresh the floors by applying…

JUBILEE GINGERBREAD ICED BISCUITS, £17.95 From a sweet corgi to the lily of the valley that graced her wedding day bouquet, these delicious gingerbread biscuits are inspired by The Queen’s favourite things. THE JUBILEE TEA GIFT BOX, £50 A perfect gift for tea lovers, this box is filled with a caddy of limited-edition Platinum Jubilee Tea and a fine bone china Platinum Jubilee Mug with gold detailing. THE JUBILEE CELEBRATION HAMPER, £230 Packed from top to bottom with sweet, savoury and sippable treats, this wonderful hamper is the perfect accompaniment to a Platinum Jubilee celebration.…

SS Great Britain Proving the saying ‘shipshape and Bristol fashion’, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s vast 1845 passenger steamer sits gleaming on Bristol’s waterfront, in the very dock in which it was built. Designed to run between the city and New York, it was the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic. Later used to transport emigrants to Australia (and tourists – Anthony Trollope wrote Lady Anna aboard one such journey in 1871) it was scuttled in the Falkland Islands in the 1930s, before being rescued in 1970. Now immaculately restored, the ship welcomes you to marvel at its screw propulsion technology and explore steerage and first class cabins. ssgreatbritain.org The Mary Rose With its seafaring history, naval prowess and boat-building heritage, Britain is not short of interesting old ships to visit.…

As children we’d often be taken on visits to stately homes and I would always want to look inside, rather than play in the adventure playgrounds. Belton House and Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire were our local houses, and on walking holidays to Derbyshire we’d visit Chatsworth. I read History at university and, in my third year, had an epiphany that working in the art market could marry my interest in beautiful things with a business element. I love the fast pace of the auction world and the fact that no day is the same. My first job in 2016 was working for the deputy chairman of Christie’s. He was an amazing mentor and I learnt so much. I joined Dreweatts’ business development department in 2018, and have since helped to…

After Noah afternoah.com Anglepoise anglepoise.com Annabel James annabeljames.co.uk Annie Sloan anniesloan.com Anthropologie anthropologie.com Architectural Decor architecturaldecor.co.uk Astier de Villatte astierdevillatte.com Bennison Fabrics bennisonfabrics.com Bunting Boutique buntingboutique.co.uk Caple caple.co.uk Charlotte Gaisford charlottegaisford.co.uk Colefax and Fowler colefax.com CP Hart cphart.co.uk Dado Atelier dadoatelier.com Dar Leone dar-leone.com David Mellor davidmellordesign.com Decorative Collective decorativecollective.com Denby denbypottery.com Dunelm dunelm.com Dyke & Dean dykeanddean.com East End Press eastendpress.com Emma Bridgewater emmabridgewater.co.uk Ercol ercol.com Falcon falconenamelware.com Farrow & Ball farrow-ball.com Fired Earth firedearth.com Fortnum & Mason fortnumandmason.com Francesca’s Paints francescaspaint.com Galerie LMG galerielmg.com Gentle Rattle of China gentlerattleofchina.com Goviers goviers.co.uk GP & J Baker gpjbaker.com Grace & Glory graceandgloryhome.co.uk Habitat habitat.co.uk H&M hm.com Hoxton Store hoxtonstore.com Ikea ikea.com/gb/en IM Chaney Antique Furniture imchaney.co.uk Jan Constantine janconstantine.com Jane Clayton & Company janeclayton.co.uk John Lewis & Partners johnlewis.com Labour…

“My present role as Deputy Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art means that I’m responsible for all the decorative arts in the Royal Collection. This numbers around 700,000 works, including furniture, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, textiles, fashion, jewellery –in other words, anything three-dimensional. The Royal Collection is one of the great European dynastic collections; one of the most important still in existence. It has been formed over the last 500 years, effectively beginning with Henry VIII and followed by subsequent monarchs. The objects it contains furnish 13 different royal palaces, including those administered by Historic Royal Palaces, such as Hampton Court, Kensington Palace and the Tower of London, as well as The Queen’s official residences, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Holyroodhouse, and then other residences like Frogmore House, Sandringham and Balmoral.…

We have always loved buying antiques and incorporating pieces into our home. After filling our family home near St Albans and our holiday rental in Devon with antiques, we decided to start Retrovation in 2013 so that we could continue buying things we love. We started renting a workshop and barn on a local farm in Hertfordshire five years ago, which allows us to do light restoration, too. We sell what we love. If you walk around our home you will see the same types of things that you will see in our barn. It has to be beautifully made and have handcrafted details. We’re particularly keen on pieces that have had a previous practical use, such as mahogany shop display cabinets and cafe chairs. At the moment we have…

On our last visit to Staffordshire, we saw the area grow from rural backwater to industrial hub. One man was key to this transformation: Josiah Wedgwood. Josiah’s family owned a pottery in Burslem and he mastered the wheel at an early age, throwing pots of great beauty and complexity. Although tragically his prospects as a potter were cut short by smallpox, he didn’t let this dim his ambition: having taught himself science and business whilst bedridden, his eyes were set firmly on the future, and at 24 he partnered with leading potter Thomas Whieldon. By 1759, he had started his own business and he meticulously recorded his obsessive experimenting. ‘A good W’t Glaze! The best of all these trials – Uniform, Transpar’t and nearly colorless,’ he noted excitedly on one…

‘As soon as we knocked on the solid oak door and walked over the ancient threshold, we knew it was the one for us – there was something about the atmosphere that completely drew us in’ The one thing Rebecca Newman knew she didn’t want when she and her husband, Michael, decided to leave London, was to live in an old house. ‘People say there’s nothing quite like a period property; that it has a charm you simply can’t recreate,’ says Rebecca. ‘It wasn’t that I didn’t believe them exactly, but top of my list of priorities was a house that needed little maintenance, on the outskirts of a large town.’ It’s safe to say that a nearly 500-year-old Tudor hall house, tucked away in a small Sussex village, was…

‘Oh! This was the happiest day of my life!’ wrote Queen Victoria in her journal, describing her wedding on 10th February 1840. Beyond her joy at marrying Prince Albert, the colour of Victoria’s wedding dress was a historic moment for bridal wear. ‘I wore a white satin gown, with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace,’ she wrote. Both the white silk-satin woven in Spitalfields, and the handworked Honiton lace, pointed to the Queen’s interest in supporting homegrown skills and manufacture. The public greeted her white dress with surprise, then enthusiasm, though some criticised its style as too simple for a queen. The greater surprise is how that white dress set in motion an enduring trend. Historians quote only two notable white weddings in earlier centuries. The first describes Princess…

Florence Knoll, USA Introduced in 1948, the Hairpin Stacking Table was a compact design, consisting of a steel base and laminate top. Arne Jacobsen, Denmark Arne designed the Ant chair in 1952 initially for use in a canteen. Because it was strong yet lightweight, it caught on as a practical, stackable piece. Gio Ponti, Italy Architect and artist Gio Ponti came up with a chic design for a stool with arms for Cassina in 1953 – voilà model 687. Charles & Ray Eames , USA The Eameses’ 1950 fibreglass chair was a revelation – shaped using a single piece of material, this chair was comfortable and customisable with different bases.…

While cigarette cards have gone down in value, and greetings cards sell for a few pounds a bundle, topographical postcards have mostly increased. ‘Partly that’s because there are a lot of crossovers with other areas of collecting – railway enthusiasts want pictures of steam trains and old stations showing the station master in his uniform on the platform, for example. Or groups of Edwardian ladies in big hats and dresses appeal to people interested in fashion,’ explains Ken Payne. As with stamps and coins, condition impacts on value – creased or dirty cards are generally worth less than those graded ‘mint’. The message, postmark or stamp rarely make a difference to the price of a postcard. Proper photographs, rather than printed reproductions (even if hand-coloured) are what collectors go for,…

Tell us about the house… Our cottage forms part of a 16th-century cruck-frame hall house, which was divided into a small terrace in the 18th century. It is nestled in the heart of Chawton, best known for being home to the Jane Austen museum. My partner and I are addicted to browsing houses for sale online, restricting our searches to include the terms ‘beams’, ‘Grade II-listed’ and ‘in need of refurbishment’. When we purchased the cottage two years ago, it was derelict – a daunting prospect! We fell in love with its potential. Where did you decide to start with the project? Our priority was restoring the building’s beautiful wrought-iron leaded windows, reinstating the lead panes with glass salvaged from my partner’s family home in the Highlands. The uneven glass…

Fortnum & Mason’s association with the monarchy is nestled somewhere in the subconscious – it’s an intrinsic part of the company’s history that has helped to establish its reputation as a luxury brand. The relationship goes right back to the company’s foundation over 300 years ago, when William Fortnum was a footman at the court of Queen Anne. One of the perks of Fortnum’s job was to empty the half-burned candlesticks and take the leftover wax home, where he remelted them and resold them to ladies of the court. Hugh Mason, meanwhile, had already started up his small grocery store in Duke St, St James’s Market, when he met William Fortnum and became his landlord. With William’s palace connections, Mason found himself in an excellent position to sell commodities to…

SPELLBOUND Ensure your summer travels include some truly enchanting locations by picking up a copy of Magical Britain. Written by aptly named Rob Wildwood, this new guide features 650 sites associated with ancient legends, folklore and ritual, from sacred wells and stone circles to waterfall-sluiced ‘fairy’ glens and Norse graffiti. wildthingspublishing.com Wheel Appeal The Lake District’s vintage cycling festival, Velo Retro, runs from 10th to 12th June this year, with rides ranging from a 22km family-friendly ‘Saunter’ to the 300km ‘Mighty Corinthian’, plus a couple of options in between. When you’ve descended from the saddle, enjoy food, drink, music, films and more, courtesy of sister event Retro Rendezvous. veloretro.co.uk Regency Week Based in the Hampshire town of Alton and nearby Chawton, where Jane Austen lived, Jane Austen Regency Week (18th–26th…

FAIRS AROUND THE UK North & Scotland 4th Leeds Vintage Market, Kirkgate Market, Leeds, LS2 7HY. advintageous.co.uk; @advintageousvintagefairs 4th Saltaire Vintage Home & Fashion Fair, Victoria Hall, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, BD18 3JS. 07985 181120; roseandbrownvintage.co.uk 10th–12th The Pavilions of Harrogate Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair, The Pavilions of Harrogate, Railway Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 8NZ. 01278 784912; cooperevents.com 12th Glasgow Antique, Vintage & Collectors Fair, Bellahouston Leisure Centre, 31 Bellahouston Drive, Glasgow, G52 1HH. 07960 198409; glasgowantiquefair.com 25th Hexham Indoor Vintage Flea & Antique Fair, Hexham Mart, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 3SG. 07931 118906; antiques-atlas.com Central 1st Antiques and Home Show, Lincolnshire Showground, nr Lincoln, LN2 2NA. asfairs.com; @asfairs 2nd–3rd Newark International Antiques & Collectors Fair, Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2NY. 01636 702326; iacf.co.uk 11th–12th Oswestry Antique…

“I spotted this silk aumônière online and quickly started a conversation with the owner to find out more. Aumônière is a medieval term for a textile purse or pouch that is usually embellished with embroidery; in English it is sometimes called an alms or almoner purse. This one has quite a history – there is a small metal plaque attached, indicating it was exhibited in the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris. The exhibition was a showcase for the world’s best artisans to display their work, and this aumônière was awarded two medals, suggesting that at the time it was a very precious item indeed. The workmanship and beauty, as well as the exceptional condition, meant I just had to have it. I loved sharing this with SJ when she came…