Tuesday 16 October 2012

Seeing spots


We had a really lovely day out yesterday when we went - as always - to Hay-on-Wye for the day and came home with a few extra books.  I also  did very well on the Torquay Pottery front too!  These lovely spotty pieces came from an antiques place on the way - the big jug dates from 1952-1962, as do the bowl and plates in front of it, and are Babbacombe Pottery (that's a little area on the coast at the edge of Torquay).  The teapot/coffee jug (it has a strainer, so I'm inclined to think it was meant to be a teapot) dates from around WW1 - 1920s, and is Torquay Pottery.  You got more spots for your money in those days.  It is slightly damaged inside the lid as that part was always liable to be bashed a bit in use.  Now the conundrum - I need to defray my costs on buying these, so do I sell the perfect jug and keep the damaged piece, or do I sell the damaged piece and keep the perfect jug which will then be worth more in due course.    Perhaps I should just sell the plates and bowl and keep both the other pieces.  Decisions, decisions . . .


 I also came across this slightly wonky pinch-topped vase and had a gut feeling it was Torquay pottery too, although it was made from white clay.  The pinch-top is something used on some Torquay vases and jugs.  Then I turned it round and found it had a proto-Scandy design with the leaf-like splashes of colour which later turn into a full-blown Scandy pattern, so my hunch was right.  It probably dates from the late Victorian period.  I know - I'm becoming an anorak about this subject aren't I?!

 
The books we bought will be the subject of a seperate posting.


Meanwhile you will have to be content with one of the few photos taken at Hay, as I forgot to take my camera out of the car!  Arggggggggggggh!  This is the view of the Brecon Beacons (Pen-y-Fan to the right with its twin flat peaks) as we headed towards  home.

5 comments:

  1. That's strange, we were in Babbacombe on Sunday, eating ice cream and riding on the cliff railway, up and down to the beach.
    I've noticed you often write about something and I go...it's funny you should mention that...

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  2. Hi Kath - I think it's called Synchronicity isn't it?! I had a dash of that yesterday, as I was looking at a Christopher Isherwood novel in one shop and thinking really I should spread my reading a little wider, went to another and there was the same book (not difficult in Hay, I'll admit, and then a little along was a book about Sally Bowles - also written by Isherwood and I had only just been reading an article about Sally Bowles at the weekend.

    Glad you enjoyed the ice cream at Babbacombe!

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  3. I love reading about your torquay pottery ...so interesting about that vase ....to sell or not to sell???? do you collect mainly vases/teapots/jugs or have you lots of plates too...I would sell the plates and bowl,if not ....or try to keep the lot xx

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  4. Just one plate so far Angie. I have mostly jugs and a few vases and bowls. I really wanted something to represent the Spots side of the Torquay potteries range, so may keep the bashed coffee pot as it has more age and character.

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  5. I have a friend who went to Babbacombe yesterday so even more synchronicity!

    Love the spotty pieces, particularly that bowl. Lovely to see and there's nothing wrong with being an anorak....

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