Victoria, Wonderful Video by UK History

I hope you are watching Victoria on PBS... a very good adaptation. And there is a wonderful video series produced by UK History several years ago available on YouTube which includes royal family memorabilia not seen before, and the history to flesh out the TV adaptation. I highly reccomend it!

UK History Queen Victoria part I

Happy 200th Birthday Charles Dickens, Teacup Thursday, Win Trip To Downton Abbey

Today, Feb. 7th is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dicken's birth, and has been a day of celebration all over the world. I am late posting about this because of the Queen's Ascension Day yesterday which took precedence! I am joining Teacup Thursday with Miss Spenser and Vintage Thingie Thursday with Coloradolady as well.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla participated in a service at Westminster Abbey in London, England today honouring one of the most famous novelists of all time. A wreath was laid on the novelist's tomb in Poets' Corner. Prince Charles and Camilla then visited the Dicken's House Museum in London.

As part of the commemorative day, Dicken's novels are being read allowed in public places in nations all over the world, plays are staged and many TV reruns of plays are in progress or will be over the next few months. Many leading actors from Dicken's productions were at the Abbey for the service.

So I have chosen a Rosina, England teacup that was made in the 1950s to be sold at The Old Curiosity Shop in London, famed for the novel of the same name by Dickens.

I have had all sorts of pieces in the pattern. I just love it. And this is not the only Dicken's china there is:

A Lancaster & Sandland, England cheese dish from the 1920-1930s with Oliver Twist saying Oliver Twist Asks For More.

 A Sam Weller character jug from The Pickwick Papers by SylvaCeramics.

A Lancaster dish from the 1930s in purple luster that says Sairey Gamp Entertains Betsy Prig from Martin Chuzzlewitt.

Another rendering of Sairey Gamp from Martin Chuzzlewitt by New Hall pottery also from the 1930s.

And Mr. Pecksniff from Martin Chuzzlewitt also by New Hall in the 1930s. All of these and more are available at Time Was Antiques. Just click on the photos.

Charles Dickens had a dramatic effect not only as a writer but as a crusader for improved conditions in England, and laterally of the world. His depictions of poverty, child labor, child crime, the workhouse and the social ills of his time were a voice for change and improvement. He lives on as a writer of incredible depth, humor and pathos...the supreme storyteller...and as a man ahead of his time in working for those who were often preyed upon in English society.

Happy Birthday Sir! 

And for Downton Abbey fans...PBS has just announced the Masterpiece Classic Sweepstakes. Win a trip a personal VIP tour of Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey and afternoon tea wth Lady Caenarvon! The trip is Sept. 17-22, 2012! Airfare, transfers, Hotels stays...the lot! Also Leeds Castle. To enter daily, here is the link:

PBS Masterpiece Classic Sweepstakes Downton Abbey 

Secrets Of The Manor House on PBS tonight

For you fans of Downton Abbey who like a more documentary, scholarly approach to what living in an English Edwardian stately home was like, PBS airs Secrets Of The Manor House tonight on PBS. On our PBS it is at 7pm just prior to last week's episode which is aired just before tonight's episode. It looks very interesting. 

The Edwardian era, named for the time Edward VII was king after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and stretching to the crowning of George V in 1910 is an era that is fascinating for it being so transitional on so many levels in English society, affecting the home, economy, government and individual right. I love the insights.
Here is a preview video from the PBS site:

Watch Secrets of the Manor House - Preview on PBS. See more from Secrets of the Manor House.

Jane Austen and Downton Abbey. A great night of TV

What a fabulous night of TV last night! It rarely happens in our neck of the woods and on our modest TV package...basic + Fox Soccer channel!!! But we have a PBS...struggling at the moment, but there.

First we had Jan Austen's Persuasion with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones which is a very good shortened version of the book. I actually like Amanda Root's Anne Elliott a bit better, and the longer version has more of my favorite book moments, but a good Jane Austen at any length is a treasure!

Then we had Miss Austen Regrets...taken from many of Jane Austen's letters to her sister Cassandra and niece Fanny. The dramatization tries to establish the factors leading to her characterizations and story lines. The movie starts Olivia Williams who was Miss Fairfax in a PBS Emma and Hugh Bonneville from Lost In Austen and currently Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey.

Then we had the 2 hour opening episode of Downton Abbey. We so enjoyed being back to that great series! Although a bit more difficult to get through because of the warfare scenes, it was as absorbing as season 1. I was also so pleased that PBS US finally got smart and credited the American public for the ability to enjoy full length period drama. We in the USA got only 1/2 of season 1, as the PBS pundits thought the USA would be unable to follow or be interested in the concept of entailed inheritance and so sold the USA drastically trimmed versions. I was furious! But this season is the full length. Huzzah!!!!!

Roll on Sunday evening!

Downton Abbey England Trip Sweepstakes, knife rest with hearts

Win a trip to visit the real Downton Abbey...Highclere Castle, Agatha Christie's home, Bath...Jane Austen's favorite city and Oxford where Morse drop his Jag coutesy of PBS, British Airways, The British Heritage Foundation and MacDonald Hotels. Entry must be made before April 26th for travel in September...one of the best times to visit, in my opinion.

Here is the link:

Downton Abbey PBS Sweepstakes

On a Valentine's heart theme...which I am enjoying this week...here is a Victorian era fancy knife rest at Time Was Antiques with pierced hearts in the sides. How cute is that! The knife rest is EPNS, or electro plated (silver plated) nickel silver and has a great "barley twist" central bar. The name barley twist is used on furniture and decorative items with twisted bar features because they are like the barley sugar confectionary sticks that were popular in the 18th century. I have a THING for barley twist. LOVE it!

For more info on the hearts & barley twist knife rest at Time Was Antiques, click on the photo.

Have a great day today...hopefully with friends and tea!

Downton Abbey catch up and Edwardian lavalier coral and pearl

We were away for a break with friends for a week and could not get to watch the first 2 episodes of PBS' Downton Abbey. Checking my missed blog friend posts, I found out from Jane Austen Today that I could catch up by watching online at the PBS Masterpiece website.  WOO HOO!!! Life is good! Now I'm up to speed for Sunday's episode 3.

After watching, I think Maggie Smith...who regularly is a scene stealer of the best type...had some of the best lines. What a crack up and what a snobbish battleax she portays!  The settings are the stars as well, down to the great period details. I love the imari teaset the dowager Countess was using and the way she properly warmed the teapot and used the slop or waste bowl...I think I have that set online at the moment...or at least some similar...

For those of you who aren't familiar with imari...the English china that appeared in the 1850s was actually a copy of the just discovered colorful design of the Imari region of Japan and were wildly popular until the 1920s when they began to wane in popularity. The colors were bright cobalt blue, rust, green and almost always had imaginitive hand painted gold accents and trim. All the major potteries made imari design of one kind or another.
You can see more examples at Time Was Antiques here is a link to our Imari china category:
Imari at Time Was Antiques


Another neat example of the Edwardian period so beautifully illustrated by Downton Abbey is the jewelry styles. Edwardian is technically from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 to the reign of George V in the early 1920s-1930s when a more modern style with less belle epoque ornamentation came to the forefront.
This is a period example of an Edwardian lavalier necklace of 10kt gold with a genuine branch of coral and a fresh water pearl, ornamented with pink and green gold.

For more info and photos use this link:
Antique Edwardian lavalier at Time Was Antiques


I hope you have a wonderful day...and don't miss the next episode of Downton Abbey which is a tour de force of period mores, styles, attitdues and traditions as well as drop dead gorgeous scenery and ambiance. To watch online, visit:
Masterpiece Theater Downton Abbey on PBS

Homer Laughlin Home plate Tri-States Pottery Festival, Downton Abbey on PBS

I had a fun time researching this plate....and learned something invaluable. Did you know that there is a National Door Knob Throwing Championship of the USA? Neither did I...but it is an annual part of the Tri-States Pottery Festival in June in East Liverpool Ohio, home to quite a number of potteries including Homer Laughlin and Hall China.


All this from picking up a plate at an estate sale. The plate has a drawing by Hans Hacker of the Homer Laughlin Home that wooed me with victorian charm. Then, the back started my quest for info, introducing me to the history of the Tri-State Pottery Festival which started in 1968. I love breadcrumb trails to great facts! This is the back of the plate:

I then found the website for the festival:  Tri-State Pottery Festival


andit was browsing the website that I found the info about the National Door Knob Toss. How cool is that!!! Apparently, you whang ceramic door knobs at a 4 inch hole in a sand filled tire.

I am just so sad I'm so far away. I would LOVE to go and watch that! Anyone in that area?


You can see more about the door knob toss at:
National Door Knob Tossing Championship


To see more on the plate at Time Was Antiques visit:
Homer Laughlin Home souvenir plate




To change gears....if you love British period drama there are treats on the horizon. PBS will bring us Downton Abbey which airs on on Sunday here in the US, unfortunately in a shortened version. The story concerns the breakup of a titled family after a death on the Titanic & the breaking of the entail...which the Brit producers thought the US couldn't follow....tchahhh. Balderdash, but...

You can visit the PBS website for more info at:
Downton Abbey on PBS
there are quite a few trailers you can watch there...quite fun. Word has it that there is Shelley China used in the film, so I'll be looking for it.


To follow some of the controversy of the cuts made, visit Jane Austen Today as they have some great links as well.


Have a great day and start practicing your door knob tosses and tea etiquette!