Pilgrims Antiques Centre. West Street Dorking. Easter weekend.

I wish you all a Happy Easter Tide.

You might be in church, in the garden, in the countryside,browsing for bargains, visiting family.......whatever you do I wish you peace and contentment and hope that we all can enjoy some lovely Spring weather.

My theme this week is, of course, Easter.... combining it with Spring.

The window display has the same theme and I have interspersed pictures of the window with those I set up.

Oh those window pictures! So difficult to get a good wide shot because the glass picks up reflections of the buildings on the other side of the road.

This time I tried putting the camera right up to the window and photographing just a small section.

This picture, with the happy Easter bunny in pride of place in the lovely child's chair was taken from within the shop.

I created a small "Easter Tree" with eggs hanging from some stems of pussy willow that I cut outside the back door of the shop.

Will you be having a boiled egg for Easter?

Will you have decorated it first?

Spring flowers - crocuses on the set of tea plates and an appropriate page in an old Ladybird Book.

This year Easter occurs very close to 1st April, which in France is poisson d'avril.

Just like in the UK it is a day for tricks and jokes.

I am glad to see a fish in the window to mark the French 1st April.

Bunnies.

Bunnykins china is always very popular as are the Beatrix Potter books.

The little bunny jug is by Sylvac.

Eggs in a crystal glass fruit bowl.

Love birds.

What a jolly Toby egg cup!

More miscellaneous Easter themed items.

The bakelite egg sold on the day of the photograph.

Get the gardening books out for a busy start of the season in the garden.
I was always told that Good Friday is the traditional day for getting your seed potatoes in the ground.

An Easter bonnet.

Feathers and fairies and a most beautiful Spring necklace.

You might want to see that necklace in more detail. Just click on the picture. Then use the back arrow on your computer to return to the main page.

I hope you will enjoy special foods and lost of chocolate!

It is a special weekend.

What a shame that these days it is almost like any other weekend. What a shame, too, that hot cross buns are available for most of the year. When I was a child my family would cycle to the bakers who would open specially on Good Friday morning to see their hot cross buns.

I am sure we all good memories of the "olden days".

Pilgrims Antiques centre West Street Dorking. Metal Ware.

I'll begin with a picture today showing all sorts of brass and copper from Sue and Brian's area.

Welcome to the world of Pilgrims Antiques.
The lovely shop window display already reflects the arrival of Spring and approaching Easter time.
I will choose things with that theme next week - and hopefully we will be enjoying beautiful Springlike days.

This week I picked a random theme.
Metal - there was so much to choose from and I sure I shall return to this theme at a later date.
Metal can be anything from awe inspiring to delicate, from useful to decorative.
Our transport system is based upon metal - and the bridges that carry rail and road.
Our kitchens are full of metal - saucepans, cutlery etc.
We wear metal in the form of jewellery.

I have browsed the antiques centre for you to show some of the range of metalware on display.
At the moment there are 16 people selling in the shop. We share the duties of looking after the shop and greeting the customers.

These items were all in the shop yesterday, but there could be a chance that some will be sold by the time you arrive for your own browse.
If you want to see any picture enlarged, then click on the picture and then return to the main page using the back arrow on your computer.


Jonathan has lots of metalware.
I opened one of his cabinets and photographed half a shelf of silver and silver plate.


Jonathan has lots of tea sets at the moment - teapots, jugs, sugarbowl sets.
I picked out 3 different teapots and 2 different jugs to show you.
And there is a muffin dish.


Most of these items can be found in Jonathan's area too.
Some are Julie's..... see them in more detail in the picture below.

Judy has a wide range of cutlery and individual attractive spoons, ladles, cake knives etc.

Bill found Dobbin quite recently. The horse looks very proud to be on display in an antiques centre.

The horse and cart are sturdy and heavy.

The traffic signs are more fragile.

The brass shell cases, both engraved, have a history to tell.

Cigarettes are slipping out of fashion. There is no need of classy desk cigarette lighters anymore, but they have become sought after collectors' items.

Toy soldiers.

Farm animals and farm workers.

Sue and Brian specialise in good metal ware. They have facilities for cleaning and polishing and thus the old items look very classy for use and display.

This is a pair of large brass fire dogs.

A shelf in one of Sue and Brian's cabinets.

That is a lovely brass cycle lamp on the right.

Stephen, who collects and sells old telephones, also has some copper and brass.

Some metal from Ann, Jean and Jill.

Jo's churn.

For me, this is the star item of the week.

You may well have already seen something you like better.

That is the advantage of a friendly antiques centre - the tastes and interests of the sellers match the varied interests of the customers.

This churn is large and very heavy. I dragged it across the floor to photograph it - wouldn't have wanted to carry it!

Terrie has all sorts of things in her part of the shop.

The plain and useful watering can looks lovely with the flowers.

The crocodile is probably some nutcrackers.

Terrie works in co-operation with her daughter Emma, who will take over the reins for a while as Terrie learns to cope with a new knee. Good luck to both of you.

The churn is Terrie's and the large blue enamel bucket is in Jo's section.

These items are all from Monika's cabinets.

From Jonathan's beautiful silver teapots to my (Paula) basic household items made of metal.

I have kitchenware and tins etc.

The little pickle forks reflect my interest in the 1950s.

These metal heads were in the previous picture.

I just don't know what they are!

Could they be modelled on the huge stone heads of Easter Island?

And who was R Nesbit, whose name is engraved on the base? That name does not appear on Google.

They are only a few inches tall, but are very heavy.

More things that would have started their useful lives in some humble dwelling somewhere.

My picture of Hilary's metal jewellery was a disaster!

So I finish with a beautiful nugget of gold instead - not for sale in Pilgrims Antiques!

The skies are grey today and rain is falling, but daffodils have now started to bloom.

Let us believe the springtime message that the daffodils bring.

Next week let us prepare for Easter with a glad heart and sunshine to lift the spirits.

Pilgrims Antiques Centre. St Patrick's day.

Welcome to Pilgrims Antiques Centre in Dorking.
This week I celebrate with the Irish - 17th March is St. Patrick's Day.
It is the day to find your green jacket, sport a bunch a shamrock and open a bottle of Guinness.

Patron Saint of Ireland - 17th March.



If you should want to know more about St Patrick there are many websites. I really liked this blog that I found........

http://kdstonebraker.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/st-patrick/

In Pilgrims Antiques I found lots of green to symbolise the green of Ireland.

Spot the other Irish symbols to be found in many of the pictures!

Here are some of Jill's items. Jill specialises in glass.

Janet has the lustred green fox in her cabinet. The green paperweight is Julie's. The green glass dish is to be found in Jean and Ann's area.

Jewellery from Hilary.

Glass and china from Jonathan. There is a set of the dinner plates.

Monika has the tall green pottery dog and the Scandinavian little bowls.

There is also a silver bracelet with green stones - very Celtic!

A trio being sold by Gill and a glass jug and leaf plate from Brian and Sue's area.

Jo has this stylish green 1950s vacuum flask and the green glass ball.

The jug is Denby Manor Green - but looks quite blue in this picture.

And the Royal Doulton lady is wearing green - a deep sea green; the camera has turned it blue.

Green glass items being sold by Terry and Emma.

I (Paula) have a green shelf.

That square item is a delightful 1930s tea pot.

These things are mine too - not actually very green.

The candle stands are very Celtic in the Charles Rennie Mackintosh style.
They are modern and were once being sold by Past Times.

Jonathan's Staffordshire dogs - don't you think the markings have a look of shamrock leaves?

Two Surrey books from my area - which just happen to be green.

Gill's green glass vases.

A Denby Greenwheat coffee pot being sold by Jonathan.

Note the price.... this is from amongst his bargain items in the Pilgrim's Way alley.

The red ticket prices are rock bottom prices - there is absolutely no way these can be lowered - sorry!

A small Shelley vase with a tall Beswick vase

and a millefiore paperweight.

There is little more to be done now apart from wishing you

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig !

And maybe we should now open the bottle of Guinness which has found its way into many of the photographs.

I hope you have enjoyed this visit to Pilgrims Antiques Centre and that you might wish to call in and see much, much more.