GO WEST!

Hi folks!

After a few manic weeks of hunting around for new things, stock-listing and then pricing everything, I'll be loading up the jollopy this weekend and heading west!

Along with Arcane Publishing, we'll be at our unit at The Customs House in West Bay, Dorset, for a bit of housework. We both have so much new stock to show you, that there will be a fair bit of rearranging of everything!

Whilst down there, we also plan to do a bit of walking and sightseeing. We are hoping to get to the intriguing and mysterious pathway near Symondsbury called Hell Lane!
So we'll be getting the maps and walking boots out!

Tune in next week for some pictures of all the new stock in the unit, and see how we got on in Hell Lane!!
I'm also hoping to post some piccies of our recent sojourn to Kent, in particular a visit to the lovely town of Deal.

Bye for now and don't forget, if you are down Dorset way, come and visit The Customs House at West Bay!!!

BATTLE OF BRITAIN – 75th ANNIVERSARY

The summer of 1940 remains one of the most poignant periods of our history.

In the skies above Kent and southern England the largest air battle ever seen took place. The Phoney War was now firmly over and the threat to Britain was very real indeed.

Step forward The Few...

Churchill's phrase for the pitiably small amount of pilots the RAF actually had to fight and the fact that a whole country could be saved from potential invasion by such a tiny band of people.

Stretching over the whole summer, the battle lasted from 10th July to 31st October. I thought I would dig deep into the ArtPix Archives to find some interesting items to illustrate those events of 75 years ago...

This is an original Second World War pamphlet brought out by the Ministry of Information, just after the battle, giving a detailed look at the events.

Here we have a copy of my favourite vintage magazine, PICTURE POST, from October 26th 1940, just 5 days before the battle was officially over. In typical Picture Post fashion, it features a really striking image, this time of Sir Charles Portal, the new Chief of the Air Staff at the RAF.

This cartoon is from a bound book of PUNCH magazines from July – October 1940. The whole book is full of exquisitely executed drawings from their dazzling array of talented artists that included Fougasse and H.M. Bateman.
I absolutely love the spirit and attitude of these cartoons, this one included, that belied a tucked away steeliness to what was going on around people.

 

A fabulous set of Royal Mail stamps from 1965, that marked the 25th Anniversary. They are an imaginative and bold group of designs, with simple silhouettes to denote the different aircraft involved. I absolutely love them for their individual approach to illustrate the battle.

Various postcards and leaflets of the many sites you can visit in Kent that are associated with the battle. These include RAF Manston, the fantastic Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge and the hugely evocative Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne near Dover. This features the statue of a lone pilot looking out to sea. For me Kent will always be the Battle of Britain, the area somehow still resonates with it. I always think about it every time I visit the county.

Much to my surprise, having stayed in a farmhouse near Warmwell in Dorset many times, I discovered that there was a huge Battle of Britain airfield right next to it! 
RAF Warmwell was right in the frontline to protect the south coast, particularly the naval base at the Isle of Portland. Now long gone, there are still tantalising clues to be found over the vast area it covers.

This memorial stone, commemorating the station, is right in the middle of a housing estate.

The Control Tower is now a private house, lucky them!

And more poignantly there are the graves of many RAF pilots in the church at Warmwell.

A stark reminder that pilots from many other countries fought in the battle. Here lies Jaroslav Hlavac from the then Czechoslovakia.

This is the stunning and inventive Battle of Britain Memorial on the Embankment near Big Ben in London. If you are in town, do have a look, it needs to be seen to be believed.

The figures feel alive as they dash towards their planes.

Every pilot who took part is mentioned along with the emblems of all the squadrons.

There is so much detail on the sculpture, with the vibrant figures representing all walks of life, not just the pilots.

Look closer and you will find lovely touches of humour.

I've left the most poignant items until last...

These are actual pieces of aircraft that took part in the battle.

This is a part of the engine casing of Spitfire MK II P7309.
It was shot down and crashed at Pickdick Farm, Brede in Sussex on October 25th 1940. I'm glad to say the pilot, P/O Peter Olver,  survived the crash having baled out, and went on to serve in Italy and live until he was 95.

This is also part of an engine casing, this time from a German plane, a Messerschmitt BF110 (2104). I don't have any details of where it crashed or who flew in it, but it remains a lasting and treasured piece of history.

60s FRENCH CHIC!

Bonjour!

Fancy a bit of groovy French 1960s chic?

Well how about sipping your coffee from one of these spectacularly cool coffee cups?!

Made by the venerable French company Vereco, the emerald green cups just ooze 60s cool!

As there are 6 cups and saucers, you can join in with friends for coffee and a munch on a croissant and brush up on your French!

Zip along to my unit on the 2nd floor of The Customs House in West Bay, Dorset and snap them up now!!!

Bonne chance!

DRENCHED IN DORSET!

Had a fantastically British August holiday experience this weekend, SUN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN!!!!!

I was back in West Bay to stock up and tidy up the unit The Customs House. Pleased to say that sales are going very well. So hurry up and get down there to get your hands on some vintage inspired art!!

Ominous clouds over West Bay, run to The Customs House next door for shelter and shopping!!!

The wonderful Arcane Publishing's haul of books!

Rest of the unit, hurry up, the retro footie stuff is going like hot cakes!

Really pleased to have also made it to the Buckham Fair. This fabulous show is organised by the actor Martin Clunes and his wife Philippa. It has become a real part of Dorset's yearly calendar and Martin is very much a hands-on part of it all, he really looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. 
Everyone there braved the awful weather, which finally cleared,  and were treated to some great events. My fave was The Southern Golden Retriever Society Display Team, who were brilliant!

Somme-like conditions at the Buckham Fair!

Cute 'Thelwell' type pony, looking for a Polo!

Martin Clunes judging a dog competition, in his trademark Stetson.

It was all too much for her though!

The brilliant Golden Retriever Display Team!!

Action shot of a clever dog doing the assault course. And just look at that scenery in the background!

The Grand Finale of the day was the Heavy Horse Show. Here is Martin Clunes again, this time proudly showing off his Clydesdale horse, which won 1st Prize in its class.

As the sun decided to hang around a bit we finished our day with a fantastic stroll down at Cogden Beach, which is a lovely stretch of the huge Chesil Beach.

Lovely yellow poppies actually growing on the beach at Cogden.

Just the two of us! Down on Chesil Beach.

RETRO NEWCASTLE UNITED

Welcome to the unveiling of my latest Retro Football collage ... NEWCASTLE UNITED.

A black and white striped tribute to the Toon Army, packed with Geordie heroes!

The legend who leads the way is of course JACKIE MILBURN. Newcastle has always been famous for its legendary no. 9 centre forwards, and Wor Jackie is perhaps their most iconic. Throughout the 1950s he captained them to three F.A. Cup triumphs and bagged a sensational 200 goals.

Other strikers from down the years also get a mention, including 70s marauder Malcolm Macdonald, Bryan 'Pop' Robson and 80s icon Peter Beardsley.
Classic 1970s sticker albums are also in there, alongside original programmes, cards and a commemorative coin from the 1972 Esso F.A. Cup Centenary Coins set.

Fantastic smiley portrait of Super Mac from 1973!

The England striker enjoyed cult status on Tyneside in the 80s.

Great selection of 70s footie cards.

Programme from 1976, costing a whopping 12p!

Newcastle United profile from the Football 79 sticker album.

The most unusual item I had for this collage is a letter from 1983. Clearly showing their distinctive club badge on the letterhead, it concerns their travel arrangements to get to and from a match at Chelsea!

Rare letter from Newcastle secretary R. Cushing, confirming their coach to take them to a match in 1983.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about Newcastle is their lack of silverware in modern times. So I wanted to include their last big successes. There is a feature on Bobby Moncur, who captained and scored in their 1969 Inter-City Fairs Cup victory and original pictures from their last major domestic trophy, the F.A. Cup of 1955.

Bobby Moncur helped end Newcastle Cup famine in 1969.

Great original pictures from their 1955 F.A. Cup win over Man City.

My favourite item of the collage is the fantastic cigarette card of HUGHIE GALLACHER. An extraordinary centre forward and personality who played for the Geordies in the late 20s, scoring an amazing 143 goals in 174 appearances. He fired them to the League Championship in 1926/27 with 36 goals. The card, issued by Player's Cigarettes in 1926, features a brilliant portrait of the impish but fiery Scottish striker.

I hope Newcastle fans young and not-so young enjoy this collage, and hopefully can inspire today's Toons to a bit of success this season!

This weekend I'll be adding a framed picture and some fridge magnets of this collage to my unit at The Customs House in West Bay, Dorset. I might see you in there!!

P.S. Some fans may notice a distinct lack of pictures of the legendary KEVIN KEEGAN! The simple reason for this is that, unbelievably, I couldn't find anything on him in my collections!! As with all my collages, I only use vintage items I actually own and don't just take things off the internet. If I get any bits with Kev on it, I'll add it to the collage, watch this space!!

Have a look at the other teams I've done in my RETRO FOOTBALL series HERE

And let me know which team you'd like me to do next!!

TAKING THE BISCUIT!

Take a peep at these fantastic retro biscuit tins from Huntley & Palmers....

The legendary biscuit bakers have been around since 1822, and have a fine tradition of tasty biccies and even tastiest tin designs! Over the years their hallmark has been for innovative and colourful containers for their wares.

These two are a tiny example, and show bright and inviting tins to tempt you!
I love the rich purple of the first tin with the fabulous illustration of the cocktail drinks in the corner. It dates from around the early 1960s, possibly even back into the 50s.

The vibrant red tin is from 1970, where your cocktail party would have been enhanced by this savoury selection!

Of course, now you wouldn't want to store your biccies in them, but they have both become very handy little storage tins!

Anything like spare change, loose buttons and bits of string can be kept together in there. Or perhaps something a little bit more exciting, like a collection of vintage cigarette cards or postcards!

And lucky you, they are both available to buy in my unit at The Customs House!!!
Pop along now to the 2nd floor of the 200-year-old building in West Bay, Dorset right now!!

SKY TV

On a break from setting up our unit at The Customs House in West Bay, we sauntered over to the beach, which is just a few feet away...

While soaking up the views of the sea and the towering East Cliff, I laid back on the huge bank of stones and looked up at the sky and enjoyed the show.

You don't have to pay any subscription fees, this is Dorset's very own free SKY TV!!

Next time you visit us at The Customs House, don't forget to tune in!!