The Birmingham Back to Backs

It has been a while since I have had time to update the blog, Life has been the usual whirlwind with very little free time to think about blogging.
This week I had time to draw breathe and take some time out. On Tuesday we visited this fascinating National Trust 19th century courtyard of back to back houses and shops in the centre of Birmingham.

The perfect treat for somebody like me who loves nosing around houses! Sadly the sweet shop was closed when we were there, so just had to press our noses against the glass to see inside. The shop has been restored to how it was in the 1940s.

To the right of the sweet shop there is an arched entrance into the communal courtyard. In some parts of the country this tunnel-like entrance would be known as a ginnel, the guide gave us several regional examples which broke the ice between the group.

You do need to book a tour of the back to backs as there are tiny rooms and very steep stairs to navigate. Sadly I was unable to take any photographs inside the houses, but there was access to the (very basic) outside facilities!

At one stage in the 19th century as many as 100 people would have lived in these houses and shared the three outside toilets.

Across the yard from this house was the wash house, equipped with an impressive mangle and other essentials for washday.....

There was even a washing line with original 19th and early 20th century washing.

Below are two views of the interiors (scanned from the postcards)

 The kitchen and living space in the 1870s house

 Table laid for the Sabbath in the 1840s house. Most of the rooms were wallpapered and there was an additional exhibition of wallpapers showing how the conservators had discovered over 140 different examples when the houses were restored by The National Trust. In each house, candles, coal fires and gas lamps burned and gave great atmosphere to the rooms. Clothing was strewn over beds, giving the illusion of occupation. My eagle-eyes did, however spot a gentleman's shirt with a 1940s CC41 label in the 1930s house.

The houses facing into the courtyard have been sympathetically restored with great attention to detail. This is the only remaining example of this type of housing left in the country. At one time huge areas of Industrial cities would have been covered with similar homes.

The last building in the tour is the shop that belonged to George Saunders. He was a tailor and the shop remained open until the 1970s. When it closed, he left much of his stock and belongings which are now on display.

 The top floor store room in the shop of George Saunders. The wallpaper had been a 1950s cowboy themed paper, but sadly very little remained so it has been re-papered with a familiar high street design!

I really enjoyed the tour and would thoroughly recommend the back to backs.

The Decorative Living Fair and Talent for Textiles!

As promised, some piccies from The Decorative Living Fair at Eridge Park. The weather was in strong contrast to last year.

This was our third year at the fair, there are more images from 2011 here.

There was a strictly floral theme to my stand this year...

 Whereas Jacquie (aka Kittys) went for the fantastic and original "Garden shed" theme!

 Opposite was this lovely stand.... King John's Nursery and garden.

There were gorgeous stands wherever you looked...

Above is The Old Haberdashery

Lois Kirsten (below)

There were of course many more stands than this! I didn't have enough time to get around them all before the fair opened. It is a stunning event in an amazing location, so well worth a visit next year.

Several days later we were back on the road again. This time we were selling in the beautiful town of Bradford on Avon. Despite having lived and married in this area, I had never sold there. The doorway above led into the hall, piled high with textiles and other treasures. The event was the Talent for Textiles Rag Market. Watch this space with news of their next event and news of their exciting new website.

There were cellars underneath and outside stands too....

With quirky views in every direction, this stone roof and pretty window caught my eye...

Once again, we had a busy day selling to a crowd of enthusiastic customers who certainly thought nothing of getting up early on a Sunday morning to bag a bargain! It was a fantastic day, if the idea of a Vintage Rag Market grabs you, do come along to Frome on Saturday 29th of June. The Vintage Bazaar is holding its 2nd annual Giant Vintage Rag Market in the Cheese and Grain. Click on the link for more details. Many of you are aware that I run The Vintage Bazaar with my friend Clare, we have been nominated for The Best Vintage fair. If you would like to vote for us, just click here. We have worked incredibly hard to make The Vintage Bazaar a success so all votes very much appreciated!

Textiles Part one.....

It certainly has been a busy month for Textile Fairs!

 These images were taken last week at The Talent for Textiles Fair at Dean's Court in Wimborne, Dorset.

A delicious combination of textiles and decorative bits and bobs for the home and garden...

 Situated in a pretty marquee in the grounds of Dean's Court, it was the perfect spot for a Vintage Textile Fair.

We were certainly lucky with the weather this time... some of you may recall my post last year when the heavens opened on us at Yarlington House.

  Here is Donna Flower's stand looking wonderful. I love the attention to detail, right down to the trimmed display boxes.

Hopefully the photos speak for themselves, this is the first of 3 fairs. I will share the others next week. If you are looking for a Textile fix this coming weekend, we will be at The Vintage and Handmade Fair in Chipping Sodbury on Saturday 25th May and then at The Vintage Fair at Cheltenham Racecourse on Bank Holiday Monday

Vintage Costume and Memories

Many people comment on the stack of old photographs that I usually have somewhere on my stand at fairs. The sight of a black and white picture stirs memories, and the usual remark is “How sad, who are these unknown people?”

The same can be said for selling Vintage clothing. One might dwell on the question of who wore the garments and to which special occasion? In general it is the “best” dresses, hats or coats that survive the years as they have been cared for, and stored away.

Recently I met a lovely lady who had some clothing that she wanted to place in the Dreweatts and Bloomsbury auction in Bristol. She showed me dresses and silk dressing gowns that had been carefully placed into boxes with tissue paper layers to protect them that had been put away by her Aunt over 40 years ago.

Amongst the collection was a wedding dress, lovingly folded within its own box, along with a photograph of the wedding day. The story was a poignant one.

The Aunt had been a nurse for many years and had worked alongside a man who she adored. They were finally able to marry in the 1960s, but tragically he died just 10 months after the wedding.

We both felt emotional at the thought of such a life, waiting all those years for the chance to wear the beautiful dress on such a momentous day, and then having such a short time together.

The vendor kindly copied these photographs for me. The first one shows her Aunt in her nurses uniform and the Doctor who she worked with.

The second is taken on the happy day when they were married.

I come across many collections of costume and textiles whilst working for the auction, but very few of them have a story to tell as the information has usually been lost.
 On Thursday May 23^rd. The Collectors sale will take place at the saleroom in Baynton Road Bristol. The Textile and costume section has over 100 lots of assorted treasures, most of which have come from private sources and will be seeing the light of day for the first time in many years.

Viewing is on Wednesday 22nd from 10.30 to 6 pm and on the morning of the sale from 9am.

Live bidding on-line is also available via the saleroom.com.

The catalogue can be viewed on-line here.