Homes & Antiques

The September issue is always something of an oddity; so often, due to the quirks of magazine production, we are saying farewell to the summer before it's begun, celebrating autumn before it's arrived. This sense of transience is reflected in ‘Meet the Edwardians’ – Luke Honey's examination of the narrow window between the death of Queen Victoria and the outbreak of the First World War. In design terms, the Edwardian era is sometimes dismissed as a period that never truly found momentum. But, as Will Farmer and Michael Baggott explain, the ceramics, glass and silver of the period display plenty of ingenuity and playful optimism, and, for collectors, there are various bargains to be had. If you are planning a weekend away this autumn, why not explore Wiltshire's hidden gems,…

THE ANTIQUE Pot Pourri Jars Dried rose petals, lavender and rosemary sprigs, cinnamon sticks and cloves are the ingredients for a sweet-smelling pot pourri; a pure and natural way to scent your home. It was the ever-stylish French who invented specific containers to hold pot pourri in the 1700s. These lidded vessels were produced in porcelain, metal, lacquer and hardstones, and were pierced with small holes to allow the floral-herbal fragrance to waft out. The French fashion soon spread across Europe and by the 19th century pot pourri vases were part of the household inventory. Some came to the West from Japan and China, while many were made at the top British pottery factories, such as Wedgwood and Worcester, and the form stayed popular well into the 20th century. Now,…

I've been at Charleston as conservation cleaner for the past four years. Prior to this, I volunteered in the house for many years as a steward; spending the day guiding and inspiring the visitors. My background is in interior textile design, which has developed my keen eye for detail and presentation. My first role in conservation cleaning was at historic Broyle Place. When the post became available at Charleston, I had the chance to expand my passion for conservation in a place I loved and knew well. It takes a lot of effort to care for the house and its collection of paintings, furniture, textiles and pottery. We are open almost all year, so I clean the rooms most days. On Mondays and Tuesdays we are closed to visitors, and…

Bold Intentions Inspired by traditional Aztec design, Julia Brendel's latest fabric (shown here on the footstool) is joyful and upbeat. Woven on English looms in a mix of flax, viscose and cotton, this fabric has a weighty and durable quality, making it especially suited to soft furnishings, upholstery and headboards. Available in Emerald, Fire and Magenta, it costs £158 per m. Aztec harmonises beautifully with Julia's Mei fabric (£68 per m, made here into curtains) and Victorian Tale wallpaper (£120 per roll). juliabrendel.com GARDENING HERITAGE Following on from a collaboration with the V&A, Sofas & Stuff has partnered with the RHS on a fabric collection inspired by the archives of the RHS Lindley Library, which houses one of the world's finest collections of botanical drawings, paintings and literature in the…

What to Sell Now John Atkinson Grimshaw's innovative, sensitive portrayals of the atmosphere and ‘feeling’ of urban Victorian life led him to be considered one of the most accomplished British artists of the 19th century, the artistic equivalent of the great novelists Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell. Born in Leeds in 1836, by 1860 he had left his position as a Northern Railway clerk to become a full-time painter, producing landscapes and still lifes of fruits and flowers. His career breakthrough came in 1867 when a painting of Whitby harbour at night gained acclaim. The locales he painted most frequently were Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Whitby, Scarborough and London. In our spring Five Centuries auction, we sold Greenock, 1892, for £93,750, and Evening in Knostrop, 1881, (below) for £82,500. His son,…

Fabric Wallpaper On the CURVE These ornamental pieces will bring a sense of the natural world into your home Perfect arrangement Decorative artist Tess Newall's latest wallpaper, Herbarium – Wildflower, is a delightful design inspired by old botanical collections. It was originally developed as a hand-painted wallpaper, which took inspiration from the home of 18th-century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. The design comprises individually hand-painted ferns, bluebells, primroses, forget-me-nots, strawberries and wild roses – plants collected by Tess in her Sussex garden and surrounding woodland. £140 (+VAT) per roll. tessnewall.com In the round The new circular Barker mirror from London-based furniture designer Sebastian Cox is encased in a richly coloured frame made of solid English ash. It comprises five curved sections, fastened with ‘digital scarf joints’, a contemporary interpretation of the…