Those of you who have popped in to the shop might have met Ginny my cocker spaniel. She is not often in the shop because, as all spaniel owners will know, she’d rather be out running around than sat quietly in the shop! She is a working dog and during the shoot season I enjoy taking her beating and picking up. As we enter October, that signals the start of the Pheasant season and shoots will begin taking place up and down the country so it was quite exciting to be able to buy two very fitting shooting related antiques recently. The first is a leather cartridge case with its original fitted interior and a retailer’s label for “Ebrall Bros Gun Manufacturers Shrewsbury”. The second item is a ‘Leg O Mutton’ leather gun case - so called because of its distinctive shape. Both of these items date from around the late 1800s to early 1900s but are still perfectly functional and usable items as well as being very decorative. The leather has worn beautifully and has that perfect patina that we look for on antiques with a depth of colour that just can’t be reproduced!

I recently bought this beautiful Georgian table which is a good reminder of how different life was in the 18th Century. This table has an unusual feature in its pull out candle stand which is a small pull out shelf at the front of the table which would have supported a candle. We can often forget that candle light would have once been the main source of light in a home. Candles were valuable commodities and were often kept in their own candle boxes. In some households they would have even been kept under lock and key. Have you ever noticed the small box within a larger blanket chest, usually to the one side? These sections were specifically for candles and the chest would have been locked to keep them safe.

There’s a phrase that we use in the antiques trade “new old stock” to refer to something that is old but has never been used. We don’t just mean something that has been looked after, this is used when an item is completely original and untouched in its original packaging, hence the term “new old stock”. It could be something that was bought and never used or often stock that has been discontinued and left in the store room of a shop, warehouse or even shed. Whatever it is, we don’t come across it very often, so I was thrilled to pick up this remarkable old lock in its original box, complete with fitting instructions, templates and its original screws - having never been out of the box. The instructions are dated 1939 so presumably it was issued just as WW2 began and the door it was to be fitted to no longer needed a lock or perhaps the man who was to fit it went off to war and maybe never returned. Whatever happened to change its course, it has sat in its box for 85 years until the day that I took it out - quite amazing when you think about it. It’s not just any lock either, it’s a toilet door lock and comes with its handle, bolt and original signs which read ‘Please bolt the door’ and ‘Pennies only. To gain admission drop a penny in the lock and slide the knob’. This is of course where the phrase ‘to spend a penny’ comes from. This lock and ones just like it would have been fitted to a public toilet and those wanting to use it would have had to pay a penny to enter. Even after 85 years it could still be fitted to a door and only needs an old penny to be fully functioning - what an amazing time capsule after all these years. I’d love to have it fitted to my toilet door at home!

Antiques can have a special way of taking us back in time and reminding us of a bygone era and that is particularly true of this fabulous Georgian Cellarette. It dates from around 1780 and the simplest way of describing it is as a Georgian refrigerator! When we fancy a nice chilled bottle of wine we can simply get one from the fridge but in 1780 no electricity meant no fridges. This Cellarette is beautifully made from mahogany and has a lead lining with sections for each bottle. The Georgians would have filled it with ice and this lead lining would have kept the contents insulated and chilled as well as protecting the mahogany outer. The wheels on the base allowed it to be easily moved from one room to another making it convenient to serve drinks to guests - the Georgians really did think of everything! Of course not only were there no refrigerators but of course no freezers either so where did the ice come from in the first place? Ice itself was an important commodity in those days and reserved only for the upper classes because it was difficult to keep it frozen. First they had to harvest the ice which was typically taken from lakes, rivers and ponds during the winter when natural bodies of water froze over. Workers would cut large blocks of ice, sometimes several feet thick and transport them to ice houses. Ice Houses can be found in the grounds of large estates and were usually constructed underground or partially underground to take advantage of the cooler temperatures. They were heavily insulated with materials like straw, sawdust or wood shavings to prevent the ice from melting. The walls were thick and the doors were tightly sealed to limit any heat from entering. The insulation and cool air inside these structures helped keep ice frozen for several months, sometimes lasting well into the summer!

If I were to tell you that this little tea bowl and saucer was recovered from the bottom of the ocean, completely undamaged, after lying on a sunken wreck for over 200 years you’d probably say it was impossible or I’d made it up but in fact it is completely true. This bowl and saucer is part of the famous Nanking Cargo which refers to a valuable shipment of Chinese porcelain, tea, gold and other goods from the 18th century that was discovered on the wreck of the Dutch East India Company ship Geldermalsen. The ship, which was en route from China to the Netherlands, sank in the South China Sea in 1752 after striking a reef. The Nanking Cargo remained underwater for over two centuries until it was salvaged in 1985 by Captain Michael Hatcher, a professional treasure hunter. The porcelain that the ship was carrying had been made in Jingdezhen in China but was destined for export to the European market. What made the discovery of the Nanking Cargo so special was just how well preserved it was. Of course, being a cargo ship, the goods would have been well packaged in crates with protective wrapping to survive the journey but certainly not packaged to withstand hitting a reef and sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Remarkably though, nearly all of the porcelain cargo was intact and thousands of pieces were able to be safely salvaged. The collection was sold off by auction over 5 days at Christies in 1986. Each piece was lotted and numbered and the sale drew over 20,000 people with both collectors and museums keen to acquire a piece of this precious cargo. To this day, many of the pieces retain their original Christies auction sticker and this helps to certify their provenance from other similar Chinese porcelain of the period.

Chinoiserie comes from the French word "chinois," meaning “Chinese.” A chinoiserie design often includes depictions of Chinese landscapes, pagodas, dragons, birds, flowers and figures dressed in traditional Chinese clothing. It is typically produced in lacquer ware, usually on a black background but red, green and blue are also sometimes seen. The designs are all hand painted and usually feature gold or gilded highlights, used to add a sense of opulence. We see Chinoiserie designs on smaller items such as boxes and lamps all the way up to larger items of furniture such as wardrobes and clocks and such was the fashion that even whole room suites could be bought! This sewing cabinet dates from the late 1800s and is black lacquer with a silk fitted interior. As trade with China and other East Asian countries increased in the 18th and 19th centuries, so it became popular to replicate their culture and designs in Europe. In fact this newly discovered fascination influenced European architecture and interior design with many palaces and country estates featuring rooms or entire wings decorated in this Oriental style. Elements like pagoda-style roofs, trelliswork and oriental-themed rooms became popular in the grand homes of the aristocracy. The Royal Pavilion in Brighton, built for King George IV, is an iconic example of chinoiserie in architecture and features extensive chinoiserie decoration inside and out.

I love to mix and match different styles and antiques needn’t be boring or constrain you to one particular design. Antiques provide an opportunity to imagine your home in a completely unique way using one off items and they don't come much more striking than a Zanzibar chest, so called because they originated from the island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. Zanzibar chests are typically made from hardwoods like teak, mahogany or camphor but the most distinctive feature is the elaborate decoration. They are embellished with brass or copper fittings such as corner brackets, straps, pierced sheets and studs which not only enhance the aesthetic appeal but also reinforce the structure of the chest. Some are also ornately carved with these geometric patterns and designs covering every side of the chest. Zanzibar was a key trading hub in the Indian Ocean for centuries, linking Africa, the Middle East, India and beyond. The designs on these chests reflect this cultural melting pot with influences from Arab, Indian and African cultures. Historically they were used by wealthy traders and families to store valuables, clothing and important documents and they come in all shapes and sizes. The chests were both functional items and symbols of status, often passed down through generations and some would have even been used as dowry chests for weddings. Nowadays they really pack a punch when it comes to adding some character to a space. Every one is unique and their size means they make excellent coffee tables, end of bed storage or even toy trunks.

I’m always changing things around in the shop and as well as decorating our window display I take great pleasure in dressing any Welsh Dressers that we might have. I use anything that we’ve got in the shop, from arrays of copper to glassware, kitchenalia and vintage French plates. I particularly like using traditional Blue and White china and this one here is currently done with a mixture of Willow pattern and Asiatic Pheasant. This particular dresser dates from around 1800 and originates from North Wales. The plates are slightly later, mainly ranging from around 1840 - 1880. Willow Pattern is one of the most common designs we see on Blue and White china and true Willow pattern will feature a Pagoda, a bridge with three figures, a weeping willow tree and doves. According to the legend, the pattern supposedly tells the story of a wealthy man's daughter who falls in love with a commoner. Her father forbids the match and imprisons her but the lovers escape, only to be pursued. Eventually, they transform into doves symbolising their eternal love. The Willow pattern design was first introduced to England in around 1780 by Thomas Minton. It became widely popular through the work of potteries such as Spode, Wedgwood and Johnson Brothers and the Industrial Revolution enabled production on a large scale. We commonly see plates of varying sizes but also platters, serving dishes, tureens, jugs and other items of tableware. It wouldn’t have been uncommon to have had an entire dinner service in a pattern like this.

This year's theme for Ashburton Carnival was the Jungle and all of the shopkeepers in town were asked to create Jungle themed windows to celebrate carnival week. It was tricky to work out exactly what to include but, in the end, along with lots of greenery and the odd toy snake, we featured some beautiful Tribal masks and figures. African masks and other pieces of Tribal art are popular decorative items and have long been brought back to the UK as souvenirs of ones travels. There are two distinct markets for Tribal pieces. First there is the decorative market in which more modern pieces sit and those items which have been produced for the purpose of being sold. Then there is the collectors market for the original pieces. These are the genuine items which were made to be used by the tribes in their villages in day to day life. Whether it’s everyday cooking utensils, tools, weapons, stools or jewellery, some of these pieces can date back many hundreds of years and are very desirable and collectable items. Whether an item is an original piece or a tourist piece there are still many hours of work that go into creating these beautiful objects and they are very striking interior pieces. Even the more modern items will usually still be made using traditional techniques and it can sometimes be hard to tell a real genuine piece from a more modern one. The main thing to look out for is signs of use. Remember that the genuine pieces will have been used so check for signs of wear - knocks, marks, small damages and perhaps losses to the paint. They will feel like they’ve had a life. Tribal masks were traditionally used in rituals, dances or religious ceremonies. They are more often than not made from wood with hand carved details but can also be adorned with shells, feathers, leaves and paint. They were made to represent spirits, ancestors, deities and animals and some can be quite terrifying or even comical in their appearance!