Antiquing Trip to England: Day Three, Dover

Our third day in England started out with a stop at a local boot sale, or flea market. Sellers sold all sorts of things, new and old, from the boots (trunks) of their cars.

I found some great old toys at the table of a dealer who specialized in attic clean-outs of old houses. A Sooty xylophone, still in its box, first caught my eye. Sooty was a famous teddy bear hand puppet who was the star of his own British television show in the 1950s and 60s. He did magic tricks, and played "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" on a xylophone at the close of each program. Sooty had his own merchandise line, predominantly stuffed bears, of course. The xylophone has wonderful images of Sooty on each bar.

A little further down the table was an assortment of old cast lead toy figures which had clearly been played with and much loved. I chose a set of jungle animals; it reminded me of all those old movies about stalwart British adventurers. I also got a bear and a (rather misshapen) soldier playing a horn.

Another dealer at the boot sale had a small glazed case full of old clay pipes. These pipes are found in droves all along the riverbanks of Great Britian. Shortly before the trip, I had been watching an episode of Rick Steve's Europe in which he showed how these pipes can be found along the Thames in London when the tide is out. He explained that when these long clay pipes broke, as they invariably did, the owners would toss them into the rivers, traditional rubbish disposal sites. They did this for centuries, so there are lots of pipes (and other interesting things: some coming up in a future post!) to be found with a little digging near waterways all over the country. The two I purchased came from the River Medway, in Rochester, where our tour would be taking us later in the week. The white pipe is from 1640 (!) and the darker one is an Army Regimental pipe, circa 1870. It's rather moving to hold these artifacts and imagine who they first belonged to, so long ago...

After another scone break...

















...we headed off to our major destination of the day, Dover Castle, on the English Channel with France in sight across the water.

Dover Castle was built in the 1100s on the site of a Roman defensive structure and an even earlier Iron Age fort. A Roman lighthouse still stands on the grounds, and is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a centurion, still keeping his lonely vigil.

This was my first castle, and it didn't disappoint. Absolutely massive, with rings of defences, it covered acres of hilltop with spectacular views of the English Channel. The castle is very strategically located, and played a major role in the country's defense during both the Napoleonic Wars and World War II. Tunnels dug into the surrounding chalk hills, like something from a James Bond villian's lair, provided secrecy and safety for security operations during the wars.

The outer castle wall and entrance.

After going on a tour of the Secret Wartime Tunnels (no picture-taking allowed there, as they are still Secret, apparently), we came out onto a high balcony, looking out over the harbor, with France visible on the horizon:

The day ended with a stop at the White Cliffs of Dover, the beautiful chalk hills that line the southeastern coast of Britain. Just visible at the end of the highway in this photo is a tunnel going through one of the cliffs:

Coming up next: Day 4, shopping in Lewes, a beautiful town packed full of antique stores, plus Sue Pearson's world-famous teddy bear shop. I will confess: I bought so much here, I actually had blisters on my hands at the end of the day from carrying my shopping bags...this was my favorite day of the whole trip!

Antiquing Trip to England: Day Two, Henley-on-Thames

Our antiquing tour of England officially began with a visit to the beautiful town of Henley-on-Thames, situated, as its name suggests, along the famous river. Crossing the 18th century bridge into town, we saw a classic English narrowboat, one of the beautifully decorated houseboats that ply the waterways of Great Britain.

Our first stop in Henley was also our first teddy bear shop, Asquiths, housed in a marvelously preserved 15th century building. The display windows left no doubt as to the type of merchandise inside:

Teddy bears galore filled shelves, cupboards, and tables inside, and comical reminders to mind your head on the low, heavily beamed ceilings abounded:

See the plush yellow duck above the "Duck" warning?

Asquiths stocked mainly contemporary 

and artisan teddy bears, and I chose 

a small one crafted by a British couple, 

complete with hand-knit accessories 

and a wonderfully eccentric face:

The owners of Asquiths served us tea and pastries in their private apartment upstairs, which was delightful. And, we got to see their invitation to an upcoming garden party hosted by the Queen! I guess you could say we had tea with someone who is going to have tea with the Queen. That must count for something...

After Asquiths, it was on to my very first antique shop, the appropriately named Tudor House, in a building that was actually from the Tudor period. A sign on the front stated the house was built during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, between 1560 and 1601! It was so marvelously old and looked so deliciously inviting, I would have willingly paid just to go inside...

Like Asquiths and all the other buildings we saw from this period, the ceilings were very low, made even lower in places by the heavy, blackened beams. This shop was so crowded with junque inside, it was almost impossible to hold the camera far enough in front of myself to take photos! Baskets, copper pots, and stoneware hung from the ceiling, and huge display cases filled the already tiny and cramped rooms. We had to weave our way through, occasionally backing up and onto the sidewalk so that people already inside the shop could make their way out. The second floor was a bit more open, and had very interesting architectural features:

Deep in one of the glass cases, I found these 3 tiny German bisque dolls, circa 1920: two dollhouse babies, just 2 and 3/4 inches tall, and a slightly larger standing one. Cute, cute, cute. 

After this, we visited several stores of a type plentiful in Britain, but not so familiar here in the States: Charity Shops. The UK has loads of charities devoted to various causes, and many of them raise funds by selling donated items in these storefronts. The merchandise is cleaned and professionally arranged, and the stores are often so nice, you almost forget they're second-hand shops. Here are a few we spotted over the tour:

Charity Shops are great places for treasure hunting at bargain prices, and I wasn't disappointed. In my very first one here in Henley, I all but stumbled over a 1930s English dollhouse sitting on the floor right inside the door. It had been lovingly played with over two generations: some of the rooms had been repapered in the early 1960s, and the furnishings were a mix of 1930s German and 1950s-60s British. Most likely, a mother passed it down to her daughter, and they played with it together, giving the dollhouse a wonderful history.

Carrying the dollhouse to the bus.

An English dollhouse had been at the very top of my trip wish list, and after some estimated on-the-spot weighing and measuring, it was purchased and carried down the street back to our waiting coach. And thankfully, it did indeed fit in my largest suitcase, and didn't make it overweight. It was an antiquing miracle.

The really neat thing about this dollhouse was, we saw many very similar real houses on our travels throughout England. Finding it was like getting to take a little piece of England home with me. 

The oldest piece of furniture in the house was this 1930s German-made cupboard, found in the bedroom, which still had its original floral carpet paper:

I love the classic British hunting print hanging on the bedroom wall:

The house and furniture is sized just right for Flagg Family dollhouse dolls, who moved in once I got it home. Here, dad and junior hang out in the TV room.

Coming up next: Day 3, the white cliffs and castle of Dover, and old toy finds at a boot sale (flea market)...

Wow! We're In Magazine Articles!

(A momentary digression from the trip reports of my recent collector's tour of England.)

One of my antique dollhouse shops was featured in an article in the current Dolls Houses Past and Present, an online magazine devoted to dollhouses and miniatures. (Actually, we were in the last issue too, but I never got around to announcing it.) We were extremely flattered at being asked to contribute articles.

And, the current issue of Bears and Buds, an online teddy bear collecting magazine, has an article all about the tour of England I was just on. You can get a glimpse of  me in one of the photos: I'm the one holding the big (and heavy, and very awkward to carry down the street) dollhouse, which I have yet to tell you about...)

(More trip reporting coming soon!)

Antiquing Trip to England: Day One, London

Our day in London was a mad rush; we had just a few hours to ourselves to see as much as we could, before the tour officially started with a group dinner that evening. Since the tour itself was devoted to antiquing, we decided to focus on sights in London instead of shopping.

We started out at the British Museum. Wow. We could have spent our entire vacation inside the Museum, I think, and still not have seen everything. As it was, I studied the floor plans and carefully plotted our visit on a guide map beforehand, and we limited ourselves to 2 hours here (not counting gift shop time. There was some shopping, of course!)

First we toured the Egyptian Statuary room.
I particularly liked this red granite sarcophagus lid.
The face was somehow different from most other ancient Egyptian sculpture I'd seen, sort of comical and friendly.
He had an amusingly big nose and sticky-outy ears:

Next were two of my favorite pieces in the Museum: giant winged lion statues from ancient Assyria. These guarded the doorways of a royal palace built in 710 BC, and were believed to be imbued with magical powers. They were gigantic: you can get an idea of the scale from the protective lucite screen that surrounds them to a height where hands can't reach. (These were so cool, I bought a miniature version in the gift shop.)

Next to the lion statues was a very interesting photograph taken during their excavation in the 1850s, showing them in situ:

Another interesting piece related to the lions (and one related to toys as well) was this rough gameboard, scratched into the surrounding stone gateway by bored sentries. It was incredible to look at this game and imagine people playing it almost 3,000 years ago.

This placard described how the game was played,
and how similar versions have been found on other
ancient structures:


My very favorite pieces in the Museum, though, were the famed Lewis Chessmen. These iconic toys were discovered under  mysterious circumstances in a sandbank on the Isle of Lewis, just off the Scottish coast, in 1831. Carved from walrus ivory in the 12th century, probably in Norway, the pieces depict kings, queens, bishops, knights, and rooks with intriguing expressions.  The little characters are very captivating figures.

The queens are some of the most intriguing pieces. Holding hands to their faces, they appear anxious, fretful, perhaps worried about the outcome of the game:

Our visit to the British Museum ended with a tea break in the cafe, complete with our first scones, along with cream and jam. (I became addicted to these by the end of the tour.)

After the Museum, our next destination was Hamley's Toy Store, a 5 story wonderland founded way back in 1760, making it 250 years old!!! On the way, though, we were distracted by this lovely old umbrella shop, established, as the sign says, in 1830. We were told people come from all over the world to purchase umbrellas there. It was an appropriate detour, as it was raining at this point...

A major delay was caused by this kitschy souvenir shop, where I had to load up on snowglobes:

All along our walk through London, we spotted fascinating architecture and amazing old buildings. My favorites were those I have now christened "Squished Houses," impossibly narrow structures that seem to fill in every available space. For a sense of proportion, the lady on the sidewalk gives an idea of just how tiny this particular Squished House is:

Finally we made it to Hamley's:

The teddy bear shop sign hanging from the ceiling sent me nearly into hysterics. I had to be reminded that our tour had actually not started yet, and cautioned to not spend all my money here.

 
And so my purchases were pretty modest, considering I was in "the finest toystore in the world!" I chose a little Paddington complete with his suitcase and wellington boots. I also got a little wooden London playset: it has a tiny Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, No. 10 Downing Street, London Eye, and Big Ben inside, plus some double decker buses, phone booths, and post boxes. As the package says, it's "London in a bag...build your very own London!" Cool.

If money (and luggage space) had been no concern, I would have gotten this: a jaw-droppingly beautiful handmade rocking horse, from an old and esteemed line of British toymakers. Price? $3,000. Not counting shipping.

Coming up next: Day 2, the beautiful riverside town of Henley-on-Thames, featuring my first British antique store (in a building dating from the 1500s!), a specialist teddy bear boutique, and an old dollhouse found in a charity shop...

Antique Photo: Boy with Bear on Wheels

An anxious looking little boy and his bear-on-wheels, early 1900s. 

New Peng Peng Bear

It's always a happy day when a new bear by Peng Peng, one of my fave artists, arrives. Please meet "Saltine," a mere 3 3/4 inches of crazy joy.

Here she is with her new friends, two color coordinated vintage trolls:

Teddy Bear Buddies

I found these two antique American bears a year apart, and on different continents, but they look to me like they belong together, and have been so for a long time...

Big Nosed Bear

Possibly the cutest antique teddy bear ever. 

American, circa 1915.

Craziest Teddy Bears Ever

While the focus of my teddy bear collecting is on antique teds, I do sometimes find modern bears I like. Some of my favorites are made by the contemporary artist Cindy McGuire, of China Cupboard Bears. Her crazy creations feature interesting proportions, enormous noses, wacky smiles, and clothing and accessories constructed from vintage materials.

Meet Alice, a lovely little lady bear about 10 inches tall, sporting a fascinating hat with vintage trims. Her handmade dress suits her perfectly, and her old paper umbrella completes her presentation. Alice's mauve-backed purpley-grey mohair is one of the most unique I've ever seen.

Doesn't she look just like an eccentric little old lady out for a stroll?

Here's Alice without her hat, revealing her 

oddly-proportioned, yet adorable, face:

Next is Alice's cousin, 16 inch Hubert, with his little wooden friend, Nog. Nog is a vintage piece, as is the fabric used to make Hubert's costume. Hubert looks like he's ready for the beach:

Hubert has a great face; it always makes me smile. 

It's worth a couple of profile shots to see the full effect:

Last but definitely not least is a 14 inch, multi-hued bear that people seem to either love or hate. (I love him.) I'm not sure of his name, as he was sadly missing his tag when he arrived. For obvious reasons, I've called him Smiley.

  A face to make you giggle...or haunt your nightmares, 

depending on your taste...