Uncovered mosaic to be part of Coventry city centre revamp

source - BBC News

Uncovered mosaic to be part of Coventry city centre revamp

Back to Coventry again now for more good news on the heritage front with the remarkable discovery, during regeneration of the city centre, of a two century-old mosaic that was once part of a long-demolished public house The White Lion Inn.

The White Lion Inn, Smithford Street – from murderous deeds to philanthropic endeavour

source - Coventry Telegraph

Having survived being buried under a shopping precinct for over 65 years, not to mention making it through World War Two and the Coventry Blitz with only minor damage, the future of this rare piece of local history seems to be assured with the council rightly seeking to preserve it by incorporating it into the design of the new shopping centre.

The attitude of the councillors involved is a welcome one and I am pleased to see that they recognise the importance of this small piece of prewar history and the necessity of preserving it for generations to come.  It is perhaps because Coventry suffered so badly during the war that this attitude is so prevalent, as Councillor O'Boyle's comment shows.  With so much of the city's buildings destroyed on the night of the 14th-15th November 1940 (and much of the city rebuilt postwar) anything that has survived through to today is of special importance and I can well imagine that finds like this will be taken to the hearts of Coventrians who will no doubt be engaged by this rare glimpse into their city's past.



I for one am also delighted that this charming-looking mosaic is to be made part of a modern redevelopment in such a sympathetic way, as well as noting that a later 1960s-era statue is also to be restored to the Upper Precinct once the regeneration is complete.  What with this and Coventry Rebuilt virtual history app previously mentioned on this blog it would seem that the history of Coventry is in safe hands and destined to show future generations in both Coventry and around the world the past times of this noted city.

Slipper, (car) boot, hat and kettle - no, it's not Monopoly!

Only about half as big as this today, the Nevendon boot sale
(since when did boot sales have their own website?!)

First of all apologies for a week of radio silence, but some times these dry news spells come along and as much as I would like you to think I was gadding about during my "birthday week" I actually wasn't up to much of interest - I really am rather a boring fellow most of the time!  Although I did go to my first car boot sale for years today, a length of time made all the more shameful by the fact that it takes place just a mile down the road.  Two (or three if there's a bank holiday) times a week.  Today I resolved to check it out though and I must admit I've rediscovered the car boot bug.  I didn't end up buying anything but among the piles of charity shop rejects and dubious electrical appliances there were a few interesting items and I shall certainly be returning there in short order.

However, I did promise to show you my birthday presents when they arrived.  Well... most of them still haven't!  This is what comes of liking things that are not readily available in your high street shops, which these days usually results in money changing hands with the instruction to "buy something you like, you know where to get these things".  Not that I am for one second ungrateful for this, not a bit of it, but it of course adds to the equation time spent ordering gifts and waiting for them to be delivered.  A wait compounded by the presence of a bank holiday in the week following my birthday.  What this means is that of the objects I am about to show you, only one is currently in my possession - the others are still en route.

Churchill Grecian Slipper in brown (also available in black)
£17.50 (from £60) plus £5.75 p+p from Samuel Windsor

The item that has already reached me, that I have on my feet (big clue!) even as I type (not with my feet, you understand) is a new pair of... slippers!  I've never been one for just taking my shoes off indoors so the only gentlemanly answer is a pair of comfortable slippers.  Every other year or so I buy a new pair when the old ones wear out but this year I thought I'd try something a little different.  Whereas since time immemorial I've had standard cloth, rubber-soled jobs from Clarks et al., for some while I'd had my eyes of a pair of allegedly "handmade" full leather slippers from Samuel Windsor.  The splendid-sounding (and -looking) Churchill Grecian Slipper "comes from the Edwardian gentlemen's era" (so that had my attention immediately) and is supposedly handmade from the "finest" leather - upper and sole - and wool (for the lining).  The price - £17.50 (plus £5.75 p+p), still no more than I would have paid for a normal pair, from a RRP of £60 - ensured that my attention did not wander and the promise of "hardwearing properties" sealed the deal.  I've heard mixed reviews of Samuel Windsor and its wares in the past but I honestly can't envisage these being any worse than your bog standard house shoe, so I'm looking forward to these moccasins lasting longer than a couple of years.

When they first arrived they were a little tight despite being the size 10 I usually take, but a helpful note included in the box suggested that if this were the case I should remove the wool-lined innersoles and wear the slippers for about a week to allow them to "give" a little for "a perfect fit".  This was the one surprise for me; being used to a cloth slipper that would give and feel completely comfortable almost instantly these initially felt more like proper shoes, which being all-leather should not have come as a total surprise.  I'm happy to say that they are becoming more comfortable by the day (they arrived on Saturday) and I have high hopes that within a fortnight they should indeed be a perfect fit.

Staying with the sartorial theme my favourite online hatters (who I will continually recommend to anyone who will listen) came up trumps again with a sunhat that I hope will get some use before what passed for summer this year comes to an end.  Some of you may recall the grey fedora I purchased from Village Hats back in '09 (actually just before I started this blog, but I have mentioned it since).  Now along with the still-available (albeit now slightly more expensive) felt version a new straw one seems to have appeared as well!  I'd been after a new Panama-style hat for some time; the one I currently have, a Debenhams purchase from some years ago, while perfectly serviceable always had too high a crown I felt.  Attempting to counteract this by pushing the hat down low would only leave me with a noticeable dent in my hair(!).  This new hat, being a C-crown, shouldn't cause me to suffer from the same problem.  Plus at only £16.96 how could I resist?  (Admittedly this was with a 15% off code and free shipping - but I really do suggest signing up to Village Hats' newsletter which frequently contains such discounts on top of their already quite reasonable prices).

Jaxon Hats Summer C-Crown Fedora in Ivory (also available in Natural)
£19.95 (plus £1.50 p+p) from Village Hats

My final item is a mixture of style and necessity.  I believe it was Jeremy Clarkson who once said that you know you're grown up when you start buying useful things you actually need, but I still see no reason not to inject a bit of vintage charm into the proceedings.

Having gone through three electric kettles in a little over one year I have decided to turn my back on this new-fangled electricity (that's a lie, really, as I'll still be using an electric oven) and invest in a good old-fashioned hob-top whistling kettle.  No more burnt out elements and dangerously leaky spouts - just a plain old kettle with a whistle.  Hardly plain, though; this is what I'm getting:

Kitchen Craft Le'Xpress Coloured Whistling Kettle in Chilli Red
(also available in Midnight Black and Seashell Cream) from Amazon, price varies

Well that's it, that's all for now (although there will undoubtedly be other sundry purchases that I may show later, especially if and when I go back to the car boot sale) and it's enough, I reckon!  Another birth day, week and month is nearly over and done with; soon it will be time to look forward to the big 3-0 next year.  In the meantime I hope to resume normal service very shortly and see what new fun and frolics are occurring in the vintage blogosphere.

Tinkerty-tonk!

The family business expands

Back at the end of 2010 I took the liberty of telling you all about a vintage eBay store run by my aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh.  Of interest to all nostalgia aficionados, it is a full-time job for them both now as they continue to travel around Pennsylvania visiting estate sales and clearance auctions uncovering rare and unusual items - items that are available to buy!  All sorts of things, much like this blog a selection of interesting ephemera - including books, clothes, hats, jewellery and everything else in between, all usually with a story to tell.



Well now I am pleased to announce that VintageRoyalTreasure (there are no monarchical connexions, I'm afraid - Royal just happens to be my uncle's name!) has opened on Etsy!  And in keeping with Etsy's status as the doyen of the online vintage shopping scene, some of their best finds will feature in their shop.  You can see an example of some of their stock above and I have put a little widget on the left of this blog which will take you through to their Etsy shop (as well as the one for their eBay store, which can still be found at the bottom of this blog).

It's still early days for them in the world of Etsy but already they have some spiffing items up so do pop over and have a look if you want.  If any of you with a greater knowledge of Etsy, or even a shop of your own, would care to proffer any advice that I could pass on then by all means please leave a comment below - it would be greatly appreciated, I'm sure!  Thanks for reading and I hope you like it!

The family business

An aunt of mine who has lived in Pittsburgh for the last 16 years has recently taken to visiting estate sales (or house clearances, as they are known here) in west Pennsylvania. Many of my readers - mostly in America, where it is more commonplace - will be familiar with the concept; there's often a bargain or two to be had at these things, so I understand. I wish we had more events like that here in Britain, some of the things my aunt has found are amazing!

Anyway, this aunt has got quite adept at spotting many a great find at these clearances, so much so that she and her gentleman friend have set up shop at both eBay and Amazon. By all accounts the venture is a roaring success and most days find them travelling up and down the state attending various sales. This has resulted in an eBay store that in a way is a bit like this blog - a variety of articles of a vintage nature. Great care has been taken to research the history of each and every item and descriptions are accurate and detailed; needless to say everything is fair and above board.

Now, this blogger is not above a little bit of harmless nepotism (!) and it occurred to me that many of the items featured in the store would appeal to my readers. So from now on if you scroll to the bottom of the page you should see a little widget (or blidget, or eejit, or whatever these things are called) detailing a few items and linking to my aunt's website. Or just click on the picture at the top of this post.

There are a whole host of items that, as I said, you might find really tempting. Even I have to restrain myself when browsing - but don't worry, my favouritism doesn't extend to having things "kept back" for me(!). It's all fair here! Highlights for me include this portable wind-up gramophone (right) and this tea and coffee pot set (above) but there really is something for everyone. Hats and jewellery for the ladies, razors and cameras for the chaps, and a whole host of other items in between!

So whether you're after that something a little different for a Christmas present or, like me, just enjoy browsing places like eBay for vintage and longing for half the items that get thrown up, there's now another store for you to look through. Thanks for reading!