Tuesday 23 February 2010

Pilgrim's Antiques Centre.18. Tour of the shop.

Come with me, now, for a browse round Pilgrims Antiques Centre.
Enjoy the friendly atmosphere and the great variety of antiques and collectables on offer.

The shop is housed in an old building, which was once a butcher's shop and a little more recently was a furniture maker's workshop and shop.
There are 4 rooms linked by 2 or 3 stairs and the shop is bigger than would appear from the outside.
There is an extra alley way to one side, which we call Pilgrim's Way.

Imagine that you have stepped in from the pavement of busy West Street
for a little while of enjoying yourself.

Many people's eyes are first drawn to the juke box, on the left as you come through the door.

It belongs to Stephen - who also collects and sells old telephones.
People often ask if the juke box is for sale - it is hard to answer that one.
Stephen loves the machine and it would be a sad day when he lets it go.
I have heard the figure £4,000 quoted for it.
The joy of it is that it works and often we play loved hits of the 50s and 60s.
There is a collection box to raise money for the local hospice.

Your eyes will then turn to the right to see all the glass that Jill has for sale. She is knowledgeable about glass of all eras. Jill is normally in the shop on Thursdays if you want advice on glass.

A little further round you will see Bill's corner - a favourite haunt for menfolk, especially on a Monday when Bill is in the shop to chat.

There are quite a few cabinets in the shop.
Judy has the one on the left with cutlery and Hilary is the jewellery specialist.
Hilary is normally in the shop on a Thursday.
You can see, to the right of the cabinets, a couple of steps which lead to the next room.


As you climb the two steps you see Julie's area to your left - full of linens and lace and all sorts of things.


On the right is the first of Jonathan's areas.


Sue and Brian also display in this room. They use the original fireplace to great effect to show off their wares.
Opposite this wall they have cabinets with jewellery.
They specialise in copper and brass.
One or both are in the shop on Fridays.


Now we have climbed three more steps to the third room.
Jonathan uses part of this room, on the right.
Also there is a cabinet and some shelves which Jonathan shares with Ann and Jean, who are regularly in the shop on Wednesdays.


Stephen has more items in this room, on the left.
Obviously he specialises in things mechanical.
But this week my eyes were drawn to two lovely Rowntrees Chocolate display cases.


As you proceed, you will come to Monika's area on the right.
She concentrates on art nouveau and arts and crafts design, where possible.


And on the left is the first of Jo's areas.
I think of this as the boudoir! Lots of crisp white linens and lace and pretty things. Jo is regularly in the shop on Tuesdays and every other Saturday.


Now we are looking from the next set of three steps into the 4th room, which was a cafe until about 18 months ago.
The left hand side is taken by Terry, with much help from her daughter, Emma.
The area is full of all sorts of interesting and lovely 20th century collectables.
Terry and Emma also sell at vintage clothing and jewellery fairs.


Jo has a second area in this room, which concentrates on the kitchen and other household wares.
You will see that she also has furniture.

Finally we come to the last section of the shop - mine. I am Paula.

I have tried to create sub section even within my small area.
At the far end are the pretty things. I have coloured glass in front of the little window. I have a shelf devoted to the styles and colours of the 1950s and 1960s. Next to that I have kitchenalia. I have a little section which concentrates on juvenile memorabilia. I also have some space for masculine collectables - but its getting squeezed out a bit.
At the end of the shop, turn around and browse again as you return back to the sales desk.
It always looks different from a new angle.







Now we are looking down to the desk and the door.
On the right are the cabinets used by Gill. She specialises in glass - beautiful table glass mostly of the 20th century.

What a pity that I failed to spot that a bright yellow removal van was outside the window.!
Before you leave, I would advise that you wander along The Pilgrims Way - indeed many people start there.
Jonathan has shelves there for his bargains.
John also uses The Pilgrim's way for his barometers.
Do come and see our shop for yourself.
We are open Monday to Saturday from 10 o'clock until 5 o'clock.
Don't forget that if you want to see more detail in any of the pictures, click with the mouse and then use the back arrow on the computer to return to the home page.

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Pilgrims Antiques Centre 17. Pancake day - Shrove Tuesday.

Welcome again to the world of Pilgrims Antiques Centre in Dorking.
Each week I give more details about things to be found in the shop according to a theme that comes into my head.
Sometimes we look at grand things and at other times we might be concentrating on the more humble.
Some things are well over 100 years old and others come from the trends of 40 or 50 years ago.

I try to feature items from all the sellers, but this is not possible every week. Some sellers have very specialist interests.
If you would like a larger image of any item that interests you, then click on the picture and then use the back arrow on your computer to return to the main page.
And of course I cannot guarantee that items seen here will still be in the shop when you call in. Things are sold and new stock arrives every day.

Today is Shrove Tuesday.
Like many in this country I have made and eaten pancakes.

I was thinking of this expectantly as I arrived at Pilgrims Antiques yesterday - it would be the theme for this week's posting on the shop blog.
Great minds think alike, they say..... and clearly Sue had been thinking on the same lines when she created the new window display.
Both the blog and the window display are about the nurturing and caring that emanates from the family kitchen.





I enjoyed looking round the shop to find yet more images to highlight this week's theme.

How do you like your pancakes?
As a child it was always lemon juice and sugar. Today I also had chocolate sauce for a grand daughter.
These items are to be found in the sections of 4 different sellers.


I had my recipe and my lemon squeezer at the ready and then began the fun of pancake making.
Look I tossed the pancake - and caught it again.
This was not in the shop of course.


JW has a full kitchenalia section.
It depends on your colour scheme which sort of thing you might like to decorate your shelves.

JW has a range of bowls and moulds.


She also has this chef - the pig chef.
He is very heavy. If you bought him, you would need to get your car and quickly park outside the shop (watch the traffic wardens!) to collect him.

TJ also has various items of kitchen ware.

The bread board, jug and brass scoop are sold by SBG. The earthenware storage jar is mine (PM).


SBG sell a lot of well prepared old copper and brass.



I cannot claim that we have a kitchen sink to sell - but almost anything else, including this old solid wood draining board in MC's area.
The other items are from TJ.


JN generally does grand! I couldn't find much of the more humble kitchen character.
But this splendid blue and white dinner service with a huge tureen makes one think of large family lunches.


My pancakes were served with a wooden spatula - but how lovely to get out silver or silver plated beautiful serving slices etc. These are from the cabinet where JAS has her stock.


Table cloths and fine china enhance any table.
Here we have table ware from JC and JW.


Finally I will share a couple of kitchen shelves in my own section.


If you have eaten pancakes today I hope it was an enjoyable family occasion.
The rain has been incessant today - doubt that pancake races would have been much fun.
What a shame.

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Pilgrims Antiques Centre 15. "Let's Fall in Love"

It is still a time of romance in the Pilgrims Antiques Centre.
It is such a joy to help people find a treasure for a loved one; and with only a few days now until St. Valentine's Day, love is in the air.

My first thoughts were to make my theme this week simply - birds.
February 14th has been deemed to be the birds' wedding day in the country for centuries.

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
This was written by Chaucer.

Gradually I altered the theme a little after I began to sing "Let's Fall in Love" to myself.

I was not able to find something really suitable from every person selling in the shop. But over the weeks each person's items are featured on the blog postings.
Remember that when you come to the shop not all the items that I photographed will still be on the shelves - but always ask about anything that interests you.
If you want a closer look at any item in the photograph, you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it and then using the back arrow on your computer to return to the main page. Sorry to repeat myself - but more people are finding the blog every week.


Feel free to add comments to the posting - I would love to hear from you. During the last week there have been visits to this blog from people in India, Sweden and France and of course many more local people.

Now, back to "Lets Fall in Love", the 1928 song by Cole Porter.
This song has clever lyrics - somewhat risque in places for their time and a lovely tune. It has been recorded by many major artists; I guess my favourite would be by Ella Fitzgerald.

It begins with
"Birds do it......"


Here are a collection of lovely bird ornaments from WGM.
They are well know makes - Goebel, Nao, etc.


A glass paperweight in the shape of a bird and a little stork from JS's shelves. The jug is from JN. The cherubs reminded me of Cupids.


More birds - blue tits and a glass penguin.(PM)
And a Swarovski heart pendant as a symbol of the love between the birds.


Love birds - budgies on a tin. (TJ)
The rooster and hen are a salt and pepper pot. (PM)


More Nao birds from JW.
The plate is on JSB's shelves.

Bees do it.......


Honey pots are always popular. The one on the right is by Goebel and on JW's shelves.
The one on the left has no maker's mark and is very traditional. This item is on JC's shelf.

Even educated fleas do it......
Don't worry, there are no pictures of fleas!
But as I photographed and chatted, I recalled this little verse.

A strange little thing is a flea,
You can't tell a he from a she.
But he can,
And she can,
Whoopee!

In shallow shoals English soles do it
Goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it.......


Gurgling fish vases - the green one is Wedgwood (from PM) and the white one is Dartmouth Pottery (from JC).
In the 1950s lots of shapes and sizes of glass fish were produced in a variety of colours. This one is from PM.
The porcelain fish plaque is from the Norwegian manufacturer Porsgrund. It is in MC's cabinet.
Let's do it, let's fall in love........

JN has this pair of Victorian nodding dolls. The heads pivot and nod in a delightful way.

JN also has this pair of Royal Doulton figurines designed by Peggy Davies. They are being sold separately.


What a lovely love scene on this box of Dubarry talc and bath cubes.
This item is being sold by JW.


More from JW.
The Nat West pigs continue to hold their value, particularly the older characters, which were always harder to get hold of.
I love the expression on her face - very happy to fall in love!


A 1950's vase from PM's collection - lovers on the steps.


Hummel figures from JW.
I hope there is love in your life. The ways we express love may vary but it is always to be treasured.
I would like to add that I have had a comment that my use of the seller's initials detracts a little from the flow of words.
My purpose in using them is to help visitors to this site realise that Pilgrims antiques is a centre where different people sell, with varying tastes and interests. It might also help anybody who sees an item they would like to look at in the shop to be able to track it down.
I would like also to share with the other sellers my way of looking at things - things which we all might not get to know so well on a daily basis.
Comments please!

Tuesday 2 February 2010

Pilgrims Antiques Centre No. 14: Valentine's Day

Hello from Pilgrims Antiques Centre.

When I arrived yesterday morning I was delighted by a beautiful new window display - thank you Sue.
I decided to change my plans for a blog theme, so that I could try to match the display. I had thought to wait until next week to promote ideas for Valentine's Day.

What a thrill St Valentine's Day used to be - way back in my teens.
Would he have noticed me enough to send a card?
Nowadays vast amounts of money can be spent on making sure a loved one feels treasured on this special day.
Rest assured that in Pilgrims Antiques you can find both real treasures and beautiful, interesting small tokens to mark your love and affection.

I have photographed items from almost all the sellers in the shop and enjoyed a good browse for suitable items.
Browsing in antiques shops is a wonderful occupation - it doesn't always lead to a purchase but always leads to pleasure. Come and try it with us!


Remember that when you come to the shop not all the items that I photographed will still be on the shelves - but always ask about anything that interests you.
If you want a closer look at any item in the photograph, you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it and then using the back arrow on your computer to return to the main page. Sorry to repeat myself - but more people are finding the blog every week.

Let us look first at the window display.




Now, using the window display theme let us look at things from all round the shop.


Perhaps the day for you will include some champagne to celebrate your love.
The champagne cooler is from SBG. The glasses are from JS and the cranberry glass decanter is from JN.



Sweet dreams! The cushion is from JC - our French seamstress.
The cranberry custard glass is from JS and the trinket pot with roses on is from JN.


Tea for two in bed on Valentine's morning.
This delightful set is Royal Doulton and being sold by JN.


Diamonds are a girl's best friend, so they say.
And diamante is the next best thing!
The ring, which I have not photographed clearly enough has diamonds - from HC's cabinet.
The necklace of pearls is from the same cabinet.
The large diamante ear rings are from TJ. These actually sold later in the day.


Something for the man in your life maybe.
A stylish ink well and pen stand and pin tray for your executive man's desk.
And decanter for his whisky.
Both from JN.



Jewellery from SBG - all at very reasonable prices.
The little brooch of red roses would seem to say the right thing to your lady love!

A very pretty barbola mirror from JW.
She has Victorian scraps and these red roses could adorn a specially hand crafted card.


Two photo frames from SBG.
The mother of pearl is picked up in the little cigarette lighter and cigarette box being sold by WGM.
We all know that smoking should become a habit of history - but not all have managed it yet.
And the case could be used for cards and other small items in a handbag.


More jewellery with a silver backed mirror.
The mirror is from HC's cabinet.
The lizard brooch, the amethyst bracelet and the lovely buttons are from MC.
The fine cut paper weight is from GR - it reflects colours amazingly.


Items from TJ's area.


A few items from my own area (PM).


JW has a lot of small furniture - and sells it quickly.
I spotted the heart in this kitchen shelf.


Old Valentine's cards - from the late 40s and early 50s.
Only the one which says it is to a wife has been signed.
The others are blank and would make a wonderful romantic card for somebody who loves retro things.
These are in my area (PM)

Having photographed all these items I suddenly realised that I had not found very much at all for her to give to him.
Goodness, you men can be difficult sometimes to find romantic gifts for!
So, I searched again. There are certainly masculine related items to be found. And yes, I know that is sexist! Either sex can find almost anything appealing and interesting, but I guess you know what I mean.



WGM's cabinet.


You can imagine the billings and cooings of some 1920s couple into the mouthpiece of a phone like this.
SK is the man who has the old telephones.


A classy gift - an aneroid barometer.
It reminds me of a ship's wheel. This is from JK.


Model trains from WGM.
He has more waiting to come in - still being enjoyed at home I guess!
Ask about his three rail stuff that will be sold.
We are expecting another cabinet to have a more masculine theme shortly.
I think a miltaria man will take up residence with us at the end of February.
Lots to look forward to then.
As a country girl I was always told that Valentine's Day is the bird's wedding day.
Birds might be my theme next week - but decisions are made to be altered perhaps.