Homes & Antiques May 2021

editor’s letter

May feels full of promise: summer is on its way and we can start making plans. It’s also the perfect moment to tackle rooms that have begun to feel tired and boring after a year of lockdowns. If you are seeking inspiration, turn to page 109, where interior designer Penny Morrison offers sage advice on redecorating bedrooms. Whether your project is a total revamp or simply a quick update, layering is bound to play its part and is much in evidence in this month’s houses (from p50). In all five, antiques sit happily alongside contemporary comforts. From industrial vintage to a splendid 16th-century farmhouse, there is something for everyone, and Clare Woods and Des Hughes’ colourful Georgian home (p78) has got me poring over paint charts. There is good news on p128…

this month’s contributors

SJ Axelby illustrates ‘Portrait of an Antique’ SJ is a room portrait artist, whose daily posts immortalise the rooms of the world’s leading interior designers and clients. She is also the host of @roomportraitclub on Instagram. ‘I’d like a weekend away with my husband at Kit Kemp’s Ham Yard Hotel – I was thrilled to illustrate Kit’s latest book, out in May. Next, Charleston farmhouse – I was part of the auction to raise funds for this special place.’ Lisa Lloyd replies in ‘Ask an Expert’ Lisa is a former auction house director and specialist on the Antiques Roadshow. Her eclectic antiques business, Hand of Glory Antiques, is based in Chippenham, Wiltshire. ‘More than anything, I’m looking forward to viewing auctions in person again. Nothing beats handling and assessing your potential purchases rather than having…

letters

Picture perfect I was inspired by the article in your February issue ‘The Passage of Time’. In Nicky de Bouille’s home, she used an antique frame to display her art postcards. I have a painting of a favourite place in Cornwall that I bought from the artist. I didn’t want to change the frame she had chosen but it didn’t sit straight on the wall and has no glass. When I saw Nicky’s idea I remembered I had an ornate frame that I was undecided what to do with as it didn’t have any glass. Here is the result and I am delighted. Carolyn Tickle, Lancashire Good timing I just wanted to comment on what amazing timing the latest issue was for me. Having been diagnosed with Covid as a front-line NHS worker, I…

dress to impress

Your article about ‘Shelfies’ in the March issue made me smile. I inherited a lovely Art Deco dinner service from my husband’s parents when we married 24 years ago. Five years later, my grandmother passed away and I chose a tea set and some odd cups and saucers. It seemed a shame to stick them in cupboards so since then I change our china seasonally. Spring is my grandma’s forget-me-not tea set. Summer is a New Chelsea tea set with roses. My favourite is autumn with a Royal Doulton Gem pattern of vibrant Chinese lanterns. Winter is divided into Christmas cheer in December, followed by orange Carlton Ware in January as a reminder that it’s marmalade-making season! Kathryn Ball, Lancashire…

the month may

1 the ANTIQUE STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERY RABBITS From the mid 18th century onwards, Staffordshire potters included animals in their popular range of figures designed to display on dressers and mantelpieces. A pack of ceramic dogs bounded through the decades – spaniels, poodles, greyhounds, retrievers and pugs – as well as cats, sheep, cows, and horses bearing riders. Rabbits, too, were a theme, and were usually depicted as white in colour, or white with black spots created by applying underglaze black pigment. They often chomp on lettuce leaves. By the mid 19th century, Staffordshire figures were no longer handmade but mass-produced in moulds. Pairs were popular – one at each end of the mantelpiece – and a pair or even a ‘matched’ pair today will have higher value than a singleton whose mate has…

ancient celtic copper figure discovered at wimpole estate

In summer 2018 , work began at the National Trust’s Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire to investigate and prepare a large area of land for a new visitor centre and car park. During the dig, National Trust archaeologists and colleagues from Oxford Archaeology East were thrilled to reveal a late Iron Age to early Roman rural settlement. It’s believed that this settlement was at the centre of a major trading network, as coins, pottery, brooches, metal objects, Roman military uniform fittings and weapons were amongst the objects found. One of the most exciting discoveries, however, was a tiny 5cm-high figure of a deity. ‘This figure is an exceptional find and, thanks to careful conservation and cleaning, we can now see some remarkable detail,’ says Shannon Hogan, National Trust Archaeologist for the East…