Tuesday 24 November 2009

PIlgrims Antiques Centre Week 5 Christmas Entertaining.

Welcome to Pilgrims Antiques.
Christmas is coming!

This is the time to think and plan your Christmas entertaining. Many people like to have themes to enhance their Christmas table.
It is fun to put a little thought into dressing the table.

I am featuring today, items from many of the dealers in the centre who have suitable things in their stock. It can only be a small collection posted here - please come and have a look to enjoy more.

If you wish to see an enlarged photograph, just click on it and then use the back arrow to return to the main page.

And naturally I can't guarantee that items seen here are still available. Some things do not stay with us for long. The pair of Staffordshire dogs I featured last week have already sold.

To see earlier postings then scroll down after today's page or click on things in the archives section on the right.

Now settle down and dream of good food and drink in the festive days ahead.


Whether your guests are with you for the day or just a short visit, you will be sure to be offering a drink. Impress them with this lovely crystal decanter.
JS has a wide selection of decanters and glasses.
The candelabra is one of a pair that JS is selling.


Perhaps you need more cutlery - then this is the cabinet for you.
You can find bundles of knives, forks and spoons.
I have chosen more individual items - a ladle, a fruit spoon, grape shears, nutcrackers and the toast rack.
Some are silver and some are silver plate.


JC created a table decoration in her Sarreguemines fish.
It is standing on one of her table cloths.


I think I could have photographed almost everything in JN's area.
He has so much that is elegant and interesting, a dinner service, plates of all kinds, jugs, glassware etc.
Above we see a silver plated coffee pot and tea pot, being sold together, and a sugar shaker.


Just imagine mouth watering glazed carrots and tasty sprouts sprinkled with bacon in these silver plated vegetable dishes.


And after a lovely dinner you can all relax with a brandy and some cheese.
Your fine selection of cheeses will seem extra special in this cheese dome.
I see SBG's ice bucket coming out in the evening - perhaps after the guests have gone there
could be a romantic sipping of champagne by candlelight.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a cake.
Your beautifully decorated cake would sit proudly on this glass cake stand (maybe called a tazza).
TJ also has a boxed embroidered table cloth and some candlesticks.

MC has a wide range of lovely Webb Corbett crystal glasses - there are glasses for all variety of drinks. She has tumblers too for water or soft drinks.
She has 38 such items in all.
In the cabinet is some silver ware - a specimen vase for that single special flower and a delicate napkin ring.

It's tea time!
Imagine bringing out this lovely 1930s Shelley tea set in the late afternoon and offering some turkey sandwiches and cake.
This is a set with 8 place settings - cups, saucers and 2 different sized tea plates. There are two larger bread and butter or cake plates and the teapot and the milk jug.
Very elegant!
The tea set is part of PM's stock.

You may think of Midwinter as having the more jazzy designs of the 1950s and 1960s. But they were manufacturing before that.
This floral chintz two tier cake plate is by Midwinter. I am not sure when it dates from.
The Bristol Blue decanter is by Dartington Glass.

More decanters - sadly a bit out of focus.
This pair on the stand are Stuart Crystal. They are very heavy and very fine. The set is being sold by GR.
They are standing in front of a polished silver tray. It is beautiful - but that is why the picture is not well focussed! I couldn't stand in front of it, because you didn't want to see my reflection!

Finally, after the modern collectable, Midwinter, we return to "real" antiques.
The glass is Georgian and would make a very special present for an enthusiast.
This is a cabinet newly started by JD.
The little grape shears are from the same cabinet.
They are standing on one of the table cloths that JW has in her extensive range of linen and lace.

This is such a small collection of items. I hope it has given you a taste of the sort of things you can see in Pilgrims Antiques.
You will always receive a friendly greeting and you will find that our dealers love to engage in conversation if that is your wish. But we are also happy for quiet browsing too.

Wednesday 18 November 2009

Pilgrims Antiques Centre Dorking. Posting Number 4. Animals.

Welcome to Pilgrims Antiques Centre.

I have said before that we are very fortunate to have people in the shop who create interesting window displays. I would like to record all of them. The window changes every couple of weeks.
This time I decided to try and capture a little of the window from inside the shop. This avoids having reflections of West Street in the picture if I stand outside and photograph through the window.
I am not sure that this week's method has worked very well.





Each week I will look for a theme to demonstrate the range of things that we all sell within the centre.
I can never guarantee that what you see will still be in the shop.
I mentioned last week about a Hornby Dublo train set that had just come in. It has sold already.
This week I shall show you animals. I try to pick something from everybody's section.
But some themes do not suit everybody's stock.
I thought that the animal theme could show that our stock can range from Victorian (and earlier) antiques, good collectable pottery, interesting collectables and also bric a brac.
The cheapest item I am showing today was only £2.
If you wish to see any picture enlarged, click on it and the use the back arrow to return to the blog.

WGM has Britains and other die cast farm animals and also some china birds.


AG has some lovely Crown Derby animals in her cabinet.


HC has some lovely jewellery. I found these bird brooches in her cabinet.


JS specialises in glass, but has other interesting and stylish items too, including this pair of lustre butterfly vases.


JC has lovely linen items. This week she brought in some of her lovely lavender bags in white lace and broderie anglaise. These are a bargain at £7.
She also has all sorts of bits and pieces, including this cat string holder and some frogs.


JN has lovely quality Victorian items. He has several pairs of Staffordshire dogs at the moment.


SBG is selling this gurgling fish vase. There are so many different types and makes of these fish vases to appeal to all collectors.


MAB and JSB who work together have this Poole Pottery dolphin and the decorative plate with great tits on.


JW has some Sylvac dogs. That little green one looks so sad - come along and give him a good home!


A framed print being sold by MC.


This Tony Wood cat tea pot is also in MC's section.


TJ had these 1950s dogs.


PM has a lot of animal ornaments at the moment.
This stylish threesome are from the Carn Pottery, Cornwall and they are signed.


More from PM - a large porcelain tile showing a cat and dog nestled together and a Siamese cat and a USSR lioness.


More cats from PM. The Large one is Beswick and the small one is Goebbel.


And finally a fun item! A rabbit which has been decorated with decoupage using the Beano comic.
It would be an ideal Christmas gift for somebody who likes something quirky.

Look again next week to see what the theme of the week is.
Scroll down to see previous postings.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Pilgrims Antiques Centre Posting Number 3. West Street as an antiques Centre

Welcome again to Pilgrims Antiques Centre.

I have no new photos for you this week. I decided to wait until Google or other search engines could find this blog.
And now my Pilgrims Antiques Centre blog is listed - so hooray! I can continue to pass on news from our happy community.

The shop is always worth a visit. The window displays are always good - Hallowe'en has gone now and a display focusing on rich autumn colours is in place - lots of copper and wood. And this week many people have been re-organising their own areas to highlight new things.
JW brought in a satinwood chest of drawers yesterday.
MC has a fabulous modernist circular mirror.
WGM has a boxed 1950s Hornby Dublo train set.
PM changed her whole area - maybe just to show off the beautiful large Glyn Colledge bowl.
And so on........ whenever each of us goes in to do a duty day it is interesting to look around to see what the other people have brought in.

But we are not the only antiques shop in West Street, Dorking. It is a street renowned for antiques.
http://www.weststreetdorking.com/

Yesterday my husband and I had a look around one of the others. We will do this often and report back to you.
The biggest is probably Talbot House Antiques.
We found our visit to be a very pleasant experience. The many showrooms are well set out and all is very comfortable, with carpeted floors and faux open fires burning in the grates.
The range of items sold is vast from items costing below £20 to fine furniture.
http://www.talbotwalkantiques.com/index.php

http://www.citikey.com/dorking/category/shops-amenities/antiques-fine-art/antique-dealers/?page=2

This web site lists antiques shops and centres in West Street. I can't vouch for all of the shops being open at this time - life is constantly changing.
And it doesn't mention the antiques shop which opened most recently in September - that is Chanticleer.
Just one look at the list would suggest that you might like to make a day of it - browse the antiques shops, have some lunch and then maybe take a walk on Box Hill.

Finally this week I will share with you the website for James Roberts Antiques - the one immediately opposite Pilgrims Antiques Centre in the building where William Mullins lived before he set sail on The Mayflower with the Pilgrim fathers.
http://www.jamesrobertsantiques.co.uk/?mod=location

Please come to West Street - you never know what you might find - to enjoy or to buy.
If you come in to Pilgrim's Antiques then do mention Paula's blog, or come and meet me on a Monday.

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Pilgrims Antiques Centre Posting Number 2 More from our dealers

Welcome again to Pilgrims Antiques Centre, West Street, Dorking.

My plan is to add to this blog about our community of dealers each week. But I shall now wait to make more regular postings once the search engines have found me and start listing this blog.

There are 19 of us selling in the shop. For some it is part of their living, for others it fulfilling hobby that makes a little money.
For my part I am just happy to make enough money for a holiday each year.

This week I shall show you shelves within most of the cabinets in the shop.
I think I have now included items from everybody who sells.

I should just point out that on a blog it is possible to enlarge the photos by clicking on them and then using the back button to get back to the blog.
You might be glad to know this to see details of an item that interests you.


But first - why Pilgrims Antiques?

I thought perhaps that the name reflected the fact that Dorking is a town below the Pilgrims Way on the North Downs.
Perhaps it is partly that.
But right opposite the shop was once the home of one of the original Pilgrim Fathers who sailed to America.





Look! We have a working juke box. Music can often be heard wafting from this beautiful machine.
The base has chrome fins, just like on an American car of the 1950s.
It belongs to SK - I guess he wants to sell it, though he loves owning it.
The telephones are his too.


HC loves jewellery. She sells lots of lovely things. It is always a delight to open her cabinet for a customer. She has a passion for early bakelite and plastic jewellery as well as precious stones.



But as you see HC is not the only one who has jewellery. Many people have a little.
AG and CC share a cabinet and include lovely jewellery along with other lovely things - see the fine amber beads on the lower shelf.
On the middle shelf are some lovely Crown Derby ornaments.



JS sells cutlery - lots of lovely spoons as well as sets of knives and forks.


JSK has a cabinet too, but I have chosen to show her complete area. Her knowledge of glass is extensive. Talk to her on a Thursday about glass.


JC is not just a dealer, she is a craftswoman. She makes these lovely cushions with skills learned in early life in her native France.


GR is also a glass specialist.
She has fine sets of glasses at the moment. But my eye was caught by this wonderful decorated vase which is made by Hancock's Corona Ware.

MC - and a little more jewellery. Some beautiful blue 1920s beads. MC has 2 cabinets and also has small items of furniture and she has a lovely fireplace at the moment.



We call this Pilgrims Way. JN uses it for many items that he has reduced in price. It is a good place to browse for a bargain.
Though having said that we are known at Pilgrims for providing very good prices for both fellow dealers and the general public.
At the end of Pilgrims Way JK has barometers.


There are many types of barometer.


WGM has a cabinet for model cars, soldiers, farm animals etc.


I look forward to sharing more about Pilgrims Antiques with you, but I don't know when that will be.
If you have found this site through a search engine then clearly it is time for me to make more entries.