Bécherel The City of Books. One of the highlights to a recent trip to Brittany was a visit to Bécherel The City of Books also the Village of Books. Being a collector of first editions, antiquarian and children’s books it was exciting to visit the 15 or so bookshops all […]
Collecting Butlins Badges and Butlins Memorabilia Each year millions of people head for sunnier climates to enjoy their annual holiday. Whether travelling to Spain, Italy or Florida, no-one gives a second thought to boarding an aircraft and jetting off to all the different corners of the globe. However, this wasn’t […]
If you combine Disney, ENESCO and talented artist Miss Mindy you get a wonderful and unique re-imagining of Disney with The World of Miss Mindy. The collection has definitely struck a chord here at WCN and everybody loves Miss Mindy’s take on Belle, Cogsworth and Lumiere. The launch collection of […]
Whilst travelling back from a toy fair where I saw a couple of Banana Splits toys, The Dickies version of the Banana Splits Tra La La song came on the radio. I was a massive fan of the show when I was younger so I thought I would indulge myself […]
Ida Rentoul Outhwaite Her Fairies and Postcards Ida Rentoul Outhwaite (1888 – 1960) was an Australian illustrator of children’s books and most noted for her work depicting fairies. Born on 9th June 1888 in Carlton, Victoria to Rev. Dr. John Laurence Rentoul and Annie Isobel. She married Arthur Grenbry Outhwaite […]
Tunbridge Wells is located in Kent about 40 miles south-east of London, and situated in a pleasantly wooded district. In the seventeenth century, before many fine trees were cut down to provide fuel for iron-smelting, there was so much timber that woodwork became the town’s staple industry. For over two hundred […]
Toys to Delight – Sugar and Spice Toys by Sue Brewer Is there a difference between girls’ toys and boys’ toys? Well, yes, quite often there is. Sometimes it’s a fairly obvious distinction; as a rule of thumb girls are given dolls, cradles, dolls’ houses, toy brooms, fluffy creatures with […]
Masons Ironstone China The 19th Century saw a massive growth in the British pottery industry with the production of functional, durable and decorative ceramic tableware. The durable nature of the pottery being produced and the ability to use transfer-printing, meant that customers still wanting Oriental patterns could now have the […]
English glass of the early eighteenth century was plain with the Queen Anne taste for simplicity clarity, and as such there was no for applied decoration. Several factors saw this change including a period of peace with the Treaty of Utrecht, which was signed in 1713, and led to an opportunity for the […]
Sunderland lustre (luster and lusterware in North America) is a general name given to a type of pottery with a pink lustre glaze made by a number of potteries in the 19th century including Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Bristol and Swansea but principally and most famously by a number of potteries […]
