Edinburgh Day Out

Recently I have had two short visits to the National Museum of Scotland in Chamber Street Edinburgh and a great experience it is to.

I made my first visit to Chamber street about 30 years ago with a group of friends and loved the look of the building. The Museum was constructed between 1861 and 1888 and part of it opened in 1866.  It was designed by Captain Francis Fowles of the Royal Engineers who also designed the Royal Albert Hall in London. The building is in the style of Venetian Renaissance with the large cast iron Grand Gallery  very similar to Crystal Palace

The main entrance

The Grand Gallery used to have fish ponds in the centre but after a recent refurbishment they are no longer there - perhaps taking the Gallery back to its' origins because fish ponds were not part of the original design.
Several years ago June and I were at a fund raising dinner in the Grand Gallery hosted by the Princess Royal Princess Anne, to raise money for Carers in Scotland. When the Royal party entered they were piped in by a troop of military pipers who were in the upper gallery, it sounded fantastic.

The interior of the Grand Gallery when they had the fish ponds

In 1998 a new wing was added to the Museum and the old part became the Royal Museum and the new Museum of Scotland. Prince Charles resigned as patron of the Museum because of the controversy over the design. It holds a large collection of articles from the history of Scotland, although the items appear to be in what I would describe as a random order at times, it's all very interesting.

A Cure for Global Warming!!

A fun item on our website is our POLAR BEAR LAMP , not quite a "Cure for global warming" but the Polar Bear is resting his paws on a simulated Ice berg, the lamp, which has an opaque glass shade which glows. He must be cooling his paws after a hard day chasing seals!!

The lamp is made from Spelter and has a Bronzed finish, to the back edge of the figure is the casting mark and a signature T Cartier. Thomas Francois Cartier French 1879-1943 was from Marseilles in France and he specialized in animal figures made from bronze and spelter.

 The light has an electric lamp holder under the glass shade and is in working condition, it could need rewiring.

Rare Tea Caddies

A very unusual Regency tea caddy just that has just come into stock is shown below, rare because of its interior with space for 12 tea spoons

Regency box wood inlaid tea caddy

I have not had this model of tea caddy for quite a few years, we have put four Georgian silver tea spoons into the slots just to let you see how they fit

The interior of the caddy with 6 slots behind each tea compartment to hold spoons

The caddy still has its original cut glass bowl used of sugar or some times called a mixing bowl to blend the green and black tea.

An other earlier tea caddy in at the moment is this mid 18th century George II Laburnum veneered model in excellent condition

George II Laburnum veneered tea caddy

The interior has three tea canisters with sliding lids, veneered onto oak.

The caddy interior with quartered veneer to the sliding lids

The three canisters with ivory knobs to the lids

The three tea canisters with the lids off

 

Mansion House Art Exhibition

John Nicholson and Dunelm Fine art are to hold an Art Exhibition at The Mansion House  Fernwood Road Jesmond, with the preview on Tuesday evening 13th November 6pm-9pm. The Exhibition will have for sale Oil and Water colour paintings from the 18th, 19th & 20th centuries mostly form the North of England but many other well know artists both British and from abroad.

The Mansion House

Graham Smith Antiques will provide the Furnishings and Objet d'art to compliment the Fine Paintings and Ann, Lorna or my self will be there to help you. I have a few items below which I intend to bring along to the Mansion House.

Regency Mahogany side table

 This wonderful Regency table with ebony inlaid into excellent quality mahogany is a very adaptable piece, dressing table, side table, sideboard , writing table what ever you use it for it is great to look at and oozes quality from the condition of the mahogany to its original handles and ash drawer linings.

Rosewood Centre table

We have shown this tipped so that we can display its great Rosewood veneer, veneered on to mahogany which the better models always are.

Regency Bracket clock

Fine Regency mahogany bracket clock with a wonderful engraved back plate, just come into stock on Thursday of this week.

Look forward to seeing you at the Exhibition.

Regards
Graham

Scottish Furniture

Scottish Vernacular Furniture

By coincidence we have several pieces of Scottish Vernacular Furniture in at the moment (Domestic Furniture) made for the ordinary Scottish croft or house hold.

We have a late 19thC Pine and Black Oat straw Orkney chair and a slightly later model with an oak frame and drop in rush seat.

Pine framed Orkney Chair

The pine framed model some times used drift wood to make the frame as tree where and are scarce in the Northern Isles.

Oak framed Orkney Chair

D M Kirkness a general carpenter set up a work shop in Kirkwall in the late 1800’s to make “Orkney Straw Backed chairs” with White Deal stained or Solid oak frames and in a choice of styles and sizes, the chair above is a Ladies chair. Examples of these can be found in the Bernard D Cotton book on “Scottish Vernacular Furniture pages 250-261.

Oak, Mahogany, Ivory & Bronze Spinning Wheel

Many homes in Scotland had a spinning wheel to spin wool or flax for their own domestic use of as a product to sell at the market.

Bronze Wheel and Mahogany spokes

The wheel we have is slightly more refined with a bronze wheel and turned ivory decorations and we believe come from the Renfrewshire area.

DUMFRIES HOUSE VISIT

Dumfries House

You may have seen the email flyer we sent out at the beginning of October in which I quickly mentioned my visit to Dumfies House. Well, I thought I should elaborate on the visit because it was such a great experience.

We stayed at the Dumfries House lodge, we being June my wife, our friends Nick and Yvonne on holiday from South Africa and me, staying at the Lodge is an experience in itself and highly recommended. Five great bedrooms all furnished with antiques from Dumfries House and therefore to a very high standard. We stayed in room 3 which houses an 18^th century Alexander Peter four poster bed and many other fine pieces.

 

 The tours of the house must be pre-booked and there is a choice of a short or longer tour, we chose the longer one which takes just over 90 minutes. Tour visitors assemble in a reception room to watch a video of HRH The Duke of Rothesay, Prince Charles, welcoming visitors and giving some background information on how the house and contents were saved for the nation by his last minute intervention with the support of many other institutions and individuals. For those unaware of the situation at the time, the house was up for sale and the contents had been sent off to Christies auctioneers to be sold.  The funds required to purchase the house and contents were only confirmed 15 days before the auction was due to take place.  Had this not happened, the house would have been sold and the contents broken up between many, many different buyers

 

The tours are guided by well tutored individuals who are a font of knowledge and take all questions from the visitors. The rooms are not roped off [at Prince Charles’ request] but visitors are asked to walk within certain boundaries in order to preserve the original Axminster carpet made in 1759 and of course there is no touching of items!!

I was particularly interested to see the Chippendale furniture which is all in wonderful condition, carefully restored and re-upholstered in the original designed silk damask. There are many fine pieces of furniture made by Scottish cabinet makers and mirrors by Chippendale and William Mathie.

 

 I was fortunate that in 2007 I bought a pair of the Christies catalogues containing all the items from Dumfries House – in readiness for the sale that never took place.  They are great catalogues with several pages given to each of the main items up for sale and with photos of the original Chippendale receipts. So we had some prior knowledge of what we were going to see having brought the catalogues along with us to read on the journey.  The Guide told us that the catalogues themselves have become collector’s items in their own right - bringing far more than their original purchase price – such is the importance of Dumfries House.

We have a small 18thC mahogany bureau in stock at the moment with the unusual construction of two short drawers over two long, bought in Scotland and not dissimilar to bureaus made by Alexander Peter for Dumfries House, lots 247 & 275 in the Christies catalogue. The bureau is excellent quality and in good condition.

Silver Cocktail Stirrers; circa 1933

At Graham Smith Antiques we like to raise our more unusual items to the attention of our customers; this week it is a set of 1930's cocktail stirrers.  With colourful enamel bodies, these silver antiques are sure to celebrate any occasion with style!

For further information about this and all our antiques please visit our illustrated website, or better yet, pop into our themed showroom in Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business.

Victorian Card Games Box

Shown below is a fine example of the Victorian's love of games, displayed beautifully in this rosewood, mother of pearl and pewter inlaid box.  With the box being in such excellent condition, including four sets of original period playing cards, two of which are complete, nestled in silk lining, this item is not only a collectors and card enthusiasts rare treasure, it is also an excellent gift or decorative addition to your home.  

The cards, the reverse of one is shown below, were printed by De La Rue & Co, set up by Thomas De La Rue of Guernsey in 1832.  Thomas De La Rue later became recognised as the inventor of the modern English playing card, making this set one of high quality.

For further information about this and all our antiques please visit our illustrated website, or better yet, pop into our themed showroom in Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business.

Shapland & Petter Wardrobe

Following on from the heritage theme of the Belleek pottery blog, this week's blog is centred around the Devonshire based furniture makers: Shapland and Petter.  With increasing public interest in their products, it is somewhat surprising that so little is widely known of the company's history. Sadly in 2009 the company became another casualty of the current recession.  Before then however, Shapland and Petter was the largest employer for 150 years in Barnstaple, Devon, UK, employing many hundreds of local people from the time of it's birth in 1854.  

Shown below is one of our wardrobes produced by Shapland and Petter displaying beautiful floral inlays. This piece is very typical of the Arts & Crafts movement, and perhaps gives a clue as to the business's success and reputation.  

Circa 1900, this remarkable specimen would have been made shortly before Shapland and Petters both died. It was not long after their deaths that the company was merged with The Barnstaple Cabinet Company to create North Devon's largest employer in 1924.  A brief history of Shapland and Petter can be found on the following link.  

For further information about this and all our antiques please visit our illustrated website, or better yet, pop into our themed showroom in Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business.

Belleek Pottery, Past and Present

At Graham Smith Antiques we are always delighted to learn and share more about the origins of our antiques.  In this week's blog we explore the heritage of two of our popular ceramic antique pieces, both of which are Belleek china, made in Ireland.  Belleek ceramics was founded by John Caldwell Bloomsfield in 1858, who inherited the Castle Caldwell Estate, in the village of Belleek.  

After the potato famine of 1845 he sought to provide employment for his tenants, the villagers of Belleek. He started by commissioning a geological survey of the soil.  Results of the survey proved the contents to be the raw materials for making high quality pottery. This fuelled Bloomsfield, and later his partners, to set up the factory and indeed, even bring the railway to Belleek which brought the much needed coal for Bloomsfield's kilns. 

Below is the Belleek stamp, taken from our 1950's 18 piece dinner set, a delightful set with typical cream and shamrock decorations, as can be seen by the photograph further below featuring the tea cups from the set.

In Belleek's early days, the main production was of high quality domestic ware: pestles, mortars, washstands, floor tiles and tableware.  From the beginning, continuing after Broomsfield's death, and through both World Wars, the Belleek company were hugely successful, managing to sustain not only itself but also the lives of countless people throughout the years and even today, it is still going strong with over 275 employed workers.

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Although the Belleek type of production and style has evolved over the years, some older styles remain popular and memorable such as the four-strand basket weave style, shown below.  This delicate piece (circa 1930) can be found on the Graham Smith Antiques website along with further photographs, showing the precise beauty crafted into each strand and petal.

If you would like to know more about the history of the Belleek company, follow the link to view their website: http://www.belleek.ie/Company-Info/

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business, or better yet, pop into our well-stocked themed showroom in Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Victorian Stationary Box

Shown below is a beautifully hand-decorated Victorian stationery box, complete with silk lining for papers, cards and envelopes. The exterior is coromandel wood veneered, a beautiful dark wood which is native to India, Sri Lanka and South East Asia but sadly is now extinct.  It has been said that even recycled coromandel wood is very hard to find, making this piece even more special indeed.  Along with the coromandel wood, this box is carefully decorated with gilt brass mounts and ivory motifs making it a truly memorable piece to own.

For further information about this and all our antiques please visit our illustrated website http://www.grahamsmithantiques.com, or better yet, pop into our well-stocked themed showroom in Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business.

Rare Victorian Ruby Glass Horns (c1890)

We are happy to introduce to customers a very unusual pair of Victorian ruby glass hunting horns. The horns have written glass detail and are deep ruby in colour whilst the surface pattern of the glass creates delicate ruby tones spiralling down the body. Indeed the spiral shape of the body makes these horns even more rare and more desirable.

These unusual horns are beautifully made with a delightful play of light when seen from any angle, creating sumptuous pinks and reds as well as intriguing patterns. They are in very good condition (Length 24.6cm (9.7 inches), Mouth Diameter 8.7cm (3.4 inches)).

For further information about this and all our antiques please visit our illustrated website, or better yet, pop into our themed showroom in Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business.

Draughtsman’s Drawing Instruments in ivory, brass and wood (c1895).

Graham Smith Antiques have this impressive, highly collectable, late 19th century Victorian set of draughtsman's drawing instruments in a mahogany case (10.5cm (4.1 inches) x 76.3cm (30 inches) x 23cm (9.1 inches). The set consists of one ivory and four wooden rulers, shaped drawing templates and cases of dividers and compasses. 
The instruments come in a mahogany box with two sliding lift out trays. It has a lockable lid and brass handle. 
 

The box of instruments belonged to P.B.Fisher and many of the items have his name and initials on them along with dates from around the 1900's. 
If any of our customers know who P B Fisher was we would be very interested to hear from you for this blog.


As a rare addition, we have a large collection of technical documents and books to accompany this impressive item that the buyer can also have, if they wish. This set will make either a beautiful and interesting addition to your collection or as an inspired display item of interest and curiosity to your home.

For further information about this and all our antiques please visit our illustrated website, or better yet, pop into our themed showroom in Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business.

Victorian Sunderland Glass c1880

At Graham Smith Antiques we are always delighted to bring you fine examples from our rich regional crafts heritage. This time we have a pair of late 19th century Victorian Sunderland glass ink pots from around 1880. 
The pots have been made from blown glass with a bubble decoration inside and a large reservoir in the top for storing ink. 


Modern glassmaking began on Wearside 300 years ago. It reached its peak in productivity in the mid-19th century with the development of pressed glass to compliment the traditional blown glass. Sunderland was the principle glassmaking area in the north east of England. After the second world war, Joblings on Wearside introduced the world famous mass produce Pyrex glassware.

These beautiful aqua green glass inkpots are 9.5cm (3.7 inches) in diameter and in good condition. They could be used as paperweights with a touch of class or as highly decorative pieces to bring a graceful detail to your home. 

For further information about this and all our antiques please visit our illustrated website, or better yet, pop into our themed showroom in Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business.

Victorian Coin Collector's Chest

An unusually solid yet atttractive addition to Graham Smith Antiques is this fine two-door mahogany Victorian coin collector's chest. Behind the two locking doors is a set of fourteen trays felt-lined with varying sizes of coin compartments complete with period handwritten labels for coins such as "middle brass".  This sturdy, solid chest reveals an intriguing insight into a deceptively private hobby. It can easily be used today as originally intended but also provides a delightful bridge between today's current interest in antiques and the history of this very Victorian hobby.

For further information about this and all our antiques please visit our illustrated website, or better yet, pop into our themed showroom in Benton,  Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and more insights into the antiques business.

We have moved!

After successfully completing the move from our Jesmond shop, we are pleased to announce Graham Smith Antiques has consolidated its two locations into one. Our new home is a large showroom at Benton.  Now our customers no longer need to travel between two sites, allowing them to browse our range of antiques at their convenience.   


When asked about the move Graham had the following to say: 


"The fact that I have had the Benton show rooms for over a year now meant that most customers in the North East knew about them, so the move would not have been a shock. It is a sensible decision with retail sales being difficult to find in Newcastle."


Indeed with sales from the internet now almost equalling those from the shop, and the present economic climate, it's definitely a smart move to amalgamate the two locations.  


The entrance to the Show Room in Benton is displayed below:

From the outside you see a light industrial building but once inside you discover a luxurious world of antiques and curios set in themed "room areas" to let you see our collection at its best.  The show rooms design is in keeping with the standards of quality we always strive to achieve at Graham Smith Antiques, ensuring the business's fundamental passion for antiques is communicated and maintained.  


We are already receiving complimentary remarks from the first customers who have viewed the new additions in our show room and as you can see for yourselves from the photograph below, it really is a lovely set up that helps you to see the collection more easily.

So if you have not yet had the chance to visit our show rooms in Benton, why not have a trip out and explore what we have on offer!  You can find the address and a map on our website as well as the phone number should you require directions or any further information.  Our friendly staff will be more than happy to assist you.

Regency Style Lancet Clock

A wonderful specimen with an abundance of elegance is this Regency style Lancet Clock shown below.  For those of you who do not know the term "lancet" in conjunction with a clock, the term refers to a type of mantel clock where the case is shaped to an acute point at its top.  This clock, circa 1890, is in excellent condition with a stunning bright-white enamel face decorated with gilded brass hands (see photograph below).  The overall form of this piece is particularly eye catching with crisp edges and expertly inlaid floral details. A rare treat such as this is timeless in every sense.

For further information about our antiques please visit our new and improved website, or better yet, pop into our shop in the leafy suburb of Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and insight into the antiques business.

A Beautiful Sewing Box

A recent, proud addition to Graham Smith Antiques is this beautiful Victorian sewing box.  This box is special for a number of reasons, among them the love of labour gone into the making of the piece and the insight the engraved plaque on the inside reveals.  From the photograph below you can see there are several exquisite specimens of rosewood, mahogany and birch, inlaid to create this timeless design.    The detail and skill applied to this piece is greatly evident from every angle, making it well worth a closer look.

For further information about our antiques please visit our new and improved website, or better yet, pop into our shop in the leafy suburb of Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and insight into the antiques business.

Bristol Blue Glass

At Graham Smith Antiques we love knowing the history behind our antiques and in the case of the Bristol Blue Glass we have in store, we are talking about literally hundred's of years of history - an interesting item indeed. It cannot be said for sure when the first Bristol Blue Glass was made. However, during the late 18th century a Bristol merchant and potter by the name of Richard Champion teamed up with chemist William Cookworthy to create a blue glaze for ceramics worthy of royalty and the wealthiest of customers. Cobalt Oxide of the highest quality, traded from Saxony achieved a blue that would indeed later be associated with wealth and prosperity.

A Bristol Blue Decanter, circa 1830.

Bristol Blue Glass's success and appeal was instant. By 1851 there were 17 factories required to meet the public's demand, with increasing American trade in this special blue glass as well. It was during this time that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert invited the glass makers of the Bristol Blue Glass to exhibit their skills at The Great Exhibition (popularly known as the Crystal Palace Exhibition). Many celebrated individuals such as Charles Darwin, Lewis Carroll and Charlotte Bronte attended the exhibition. It was also around this time that cranberry glass was made by adding 24 carat gold to lead crystal which gave the glass it's luxurious ruby red tones.

A ruby glass, double ended perfume bottle, circa 1880.

After production ceased in the early 20th century, Bristol Blue Glass was later revived by James Addlington in the 1980's, restoring and saving what was becoming a lost art. The Original Bristol Blue Glass Ltd continues to produce distinguished glassware today and, as is common in today's modern manufacturing world, is open to the public.

For further information about our antiques please visit our new and improved website, or better yet, pop into our shop in the leafy suburb of Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and insight into the antiques business.

Titanic Anniversary

With the 1ooth anniversary of the Titanic ship leaving Southampton coming up on 10th April 2012, we thought you might like to see this wonderful nautical themed barometer. Made from gilt metal this barometer and thermometer comes from an Edwardian heritage, only two years prior to the Titanic's departure. The ship's wheel can be turned so that the dial points to the current days details, a playful aspect of this piece.

In memory of the Titanic there is a voyage departing Southampton today with the same number of passengers, including family members of some of those who sailed on that original fateful journey. They will be following the original Titanic itinerary.

For further information about our antiques please visit our new and improved website, or better yet, pop into our shop in the leafy suburb of Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates, photographs and insight into the antiques business.

Snow forecast?

Now I know what you're thinking: snow in April?? Sadly that is truth of it, after those glorious days of sunshine (which most of us were enjoying from the wrong side of the window at the office) snow and rain has settled in over Scotland and England. But what of it? Well we all have to hang on to our winter clothes for a bit longer and remain wishful of being able to look forward to more unbroken sunshine soon.

Meanwhile, how about a little weather warning assistance from the comfort of our own homes? Sure you can check the weather via the t.v or internet but to get truly local predictions you need to be checking the forecast the way the weather experts do it - with the help of a beautifully crafted antique barometer.

It was Admiral Fitzroy (1805-1865) who set up a network of barometer stations to help compile a list of data which in turn would provide "The Times" newspaper with the first ever public weather forecasts. Indeed Fitzroy coined the phrase "weather forecast". So what better way to check what your day has in store for you than using your own barometer?

At Graham Smith we have a varied selection of barometers, including a Fitzroy Barometer (shown below) featuring Fitzroy's Remarks! The Barometer is located in our Jesmond shop and on our website which provides more information, photographs and dimensions.