These two books were found together, and probably came from the same house. Both beautifully illustrated tales for children, but an interesting contrast in styles. Firstly – The Mudlarks (sadly missing its dust jacket), by Vernon Stokes and Cynthia Harnett and published in 1941. It is a tale of hard times on the banks of the river [...]

  This appeared to be a rather grubby, vintage linen tablecloth with unfinished embroidery snaffled up in haste at a boot fair. It was a curious thing, although it featured floral details, the embroidery transfer pattern was a mix of grid and floral motifs, stopping and starting in a peculiar arrangement if intended for the tea table. On closer inspection [...]

For those who don’t really like traditional Christmas cake there is a delicious alternative. Tunis Cake is a lemon flavoured madeira cake topped with an extremely thick and luscious layer of chocolate. In the 1970′s the one made by McVities was decorated with exuberant frills of pink and yellow icing. Traditionally it is decorated with marzipan fruits, but since these [...]

This is how collections begin. Pick up a piece or two around the place and suddenly things start leaping out from everywhere you look. Recent irresistible additions to the Crinoline ladies collection include this (unfinished) embroidery from the early 1950′s.It is now awaiting framing but will probably remain unfinished and all the more charming for that. [...]

There is no mantelpiece above the fireplace in the cottage – just a simple brick arch where only the smallest things may cling, like stranded climbers on the ledge of a cliff. Accidents are not unheard of. However, the piano stands on the opposite wall. It is tall and the wood dark and glossy. Over the last few months it has [...]