A video of my stand can be seen at this link

One of the pleasures of being a dealer is helping items find the right home. That was very much the case for this splendid Birmingham Guild of Handicraft key that was used at the 1937 opening of St Pancras Town Hall, latterly Camden Town Hall. Located opposite St Pancras Station, the Hall is undergoing a remarkable transformation. This stunning neo-classical building will soon be a special event space boasting a versatile layout featuring a main hall (one of central London’s largest), two smaller venues, and dedicated workspaces on the upper floors. The versatile venue, slated to open in Winter 2024, will cater to events of various sizes. Whether the key is to be used at its opening or simply displayed remains to be seen.

An examination of the Hardman ledgers has identified the specific entry for June 7 1852, priced at £12. Full details have been added to the product write-up in the archive at this link

I am delighted to say that following extensive research, I have just listed two sterling silver pieces designed by Augustus Pugin.

I retrieved some original Hukin / Dresseer registered designs for 1881 claret jugs from the National Archives. This threw up two insights. One being that the jugs were entered as “coffee percolators?” I am sure their radical design confusing the registrar. Also written below the designs is “metal protected only”, suggesting the bottle shapes could be copied, as we do see by other manufacturers of the period. Full details at this link.

Lilian Simpson was the star art school pupil who died whilst still a student. One of her very few completed works, fully documented in The Studio, is now listed and researched at this link.

A bit of random research has revealed that Fisher was commissioned to make two plaques for the Lusitania. See the atteched newspaper article. The Lusitania was sunk in 1915 quite probably taking the plaques with it, though just possibly they would have been removed on the ship’s conversion to a merchant ship for the war effort. I think you can see one of the plaques in the main lounge of the Lusitania in the attached image. The frame of the picture looks like Fisher’s work and I am guessing the figure is rising from the sea and hence the title “Theconquest of the sea”.

Recently listed are a striking spoon and knife set, inlaid with abalone and very much in the style of Mary Thew. Unmarked. But are they by little known Ida Heynes. See this link for full research.

I have listed another amazing jug in solid silver in this ancient form and updated my research into the Collection’s original Melillo askos. For that new research see this link.

I am delighted to have sold the Collection’s utterly brilliant Peter Wylie Davidson “swallow in clouds” brooch to Wylie Davidson’s descendants. Five of these brooches were made for the women in his family and this one has returned home. For details on the brooch see this link.