Gatehouse School - Aspire Magazine

Antiques & CollectiblesAntique Hunting©Britainonview / Daniel BosworthOur own individual quirks are what make us different andfor many of us there’s a special item that we’re somehowdrawn to collect. From vintage toys to miniatures, footballmemorabilia to stamps, many of us like to fill our homeswith items that catch our eye.Stamp collecting is considered to be one of the world’s mostpopular hobbies and dates back as far as stamps themselves.After the Penny Black – Britain’s very first postage stamp –was introduced in 1840, stamp collecting became popularthroughout the country and by 1860 had spread across theglobe. Many stamps are now collected for their historicalimportance and geographical aspects, but stamps featuringcertain images, such as those of birds, ships or monarchshave also proved to be very popular.The differences between antiques and collectibles arevery clear; an antique is considered to be a valuable andcollectible item whose beauty and age, rarity and uniquefeatures make it stand out amongst the crowd. To be classedas an antique, an item must be over 100-years-old, whilst theterm collectible is used to refer to those items that are under100-years-old, but are seen to be the antiques of the future.Auctions are a great place to pick up an antique orcollectible bargain, especially if you know what you’relooking for, but for work by up-and-coming artists, a visitto a local gallery is a must and may prove to be a fantasticinvestment. Whether you’re investing in a painting or acollectible piece of memorabilia, once you’ve splashed thecash there’s no point hiding your item away, have it framed,show it off and tell everyone all about it.Programmes like ‘Antiques Roadshow’, ‘Cash in the Attic’ and‘Bargain Hunt’ have made us all take an interest in thoseancient items that are lurking around our own homes and atfairs and carboot sales, but for those who want to discoverexquisite pieces, a visit to Antiques For Everyone is a must.Taking place at Birmingham’s NEC from 21st to 24th July,Antiques for Everyone is the most popular prestige art andantiques fair of the summer. With tens of thousands ofdesirable, rare and unique works of art, fine furniture andcollector’s items from around the world, it’s Britain’s largestvetted antiques fair and is renowned for its huge range ofexhibits.From ancient Roman glass and Chinese antiquities to fineselections of English and European ceramics and periodfurniture, you can find it all at Antiques For Everyone. There’llalso be a wide selection of designer Art Nouveau and ArtDeco items, fine sculpture, folk art, French and English dollsand toys, Persian carpets, paintings, silver, jewellery, lightingand, new for 2011, many mid-century modern pieces fromthe post-war period – an area increasingly popular withyounger collectors.Tickets are priced at £12 in advance or £15 on the door,book yours or find out more atwww.antiquesforeveryone.co.ukWORLD STAMPAPPROVALSIncludes locals, Cinderellas,postal auctions three timesa year - January,April and SeptemberContact: M. E. Allen4 Glan-Yr Ely, Ynysmaerdy, Pontyclun,Mid Glamorgan, Wales CF72 8LJTel: 01443 224 506ORIEL METALCRAFTSOriel Metal Company LimitedCraftsmen Fabrication of Wrought Ironwork• Staircases • Balustrades • Railings • Gates • Handrails• Guardrails • Security bars and grilles • Period cast ironwork• Renovations • Repairs and restorations• Sheet / plate and general metalwork• Mobile workshop and welding sitework6 Cavendish Way, West Wickham, Kent BR4 0LGTel: 0208 7774898 Mob: 07941 439212 Email: orielmetalco@aol.comMagnificent Metalcrafts fromOriel Metal Company LtdDelightful and adorable, Cute andCrafties’ accessories are all lovinglymade by hand and make the perfectaccompaniment for any dolls house.Whether you have an Edwardian,Victorian or modern dolls house, theseamazing miniatures will fit right in.Keen crafter, Rose Lumley, set up Cuteand Crafties in March 2010 as a way ofsharing her unique work with others, asRose explains: “I’ve been quite crafty mywhole life, but I’d always wanted a dollshouse, so when my husband bought meone as a gift, I was thrilled to discoverthat I had quite a knack for miniatures.”It wasn’t long before Rose was takinginspiration from everyday householditems and after discovering a book onminiature furniture weaving, therewas no stopping her, she says: “I startedoff making little accessories like fooditems, then I tried the wickerwork lookfurniture from a book by Sheila Smith.I very quickly found that I enjoyed thewickerwork most of all, so I have basedsome of the designs on the book, butalso make some designs up of my own. Iwould say my favourites have to be thelittle cribs and Moses baskets, which justlook adorable. The larger ones usuallytake me about a day and a half, but itdepends on how creative I’m feeling. ”From baby blankets to woven highchairs,apple pies to three-piece furnituresuites, whatever your heart desiresfor your dolls house, Rose is happy tocreate, she says: “I’m happy to createany bespoke item, if someone has anidea that they would really like to seein miniature, but as each individualitem is finished differently, they’reall completely unique. Most of thefurniture pieces are made in white butcan be finished to fit any decor needed.Everything is made to a high standardand I believe that I can give customers awell made piece that is value for moneyand, if requested, can be entirely uniqueto them.”With a crafty mind and busy hands,Rose has always got new ideas up hersleeve. Currently, the miniature maestrois working on a woven swing seat and ababy’s cradle rocker, both highly detailedand highly realistic.With prices ranging from £1.25 to £25,all of Rose’s unique items are easilyaffordable. To see more of her handywork or to buy online, go tohttp://cuteandcrafties.webs.comAlternatively, if you have a bespokeitem you’d love Rose to make, contacther directly by emailing roselumley@talktalk.net or call 01983 299306.Cute & Crafties,74 Adelaide Grove, East Cowes,Isle of Wight PO32 6DDWrought iron has been used throughout thecenturies across Europe, whilst cast ironwasn’t introduced until the 15th Century. Aniron alloy with a very low carbon content,wrought iron is tough, malleable, ductileand easily welded, making it ideal for anumber of uses including gates, railingsand balustrades; however due to itsbrittleness, cast iron could only be used fora limited number of purposes. Demand forwrought iron reached its peak in the 1860swith the adaptation of ironclad warshipsand railways, but it then began to declineas mild steel became more available.Established since 1945, Oriel MetalCompany Ltd are a company ofexperienced and talented wrought iron andcast ironwork craftsmen based in WestWickham in Kent. With almost 70 years’experience, the company is owned and runby experienced craftsman Peter Rowland.Peter told Aspire: “The business wasfounded just after World War II by W.HDear, who was a friend of mine and anexpert welder. Along with his brother-in-lawhe created Oriel Metal and I joined themafter leaving the RAF in 1947. A few yearslater we made the business a Limitedcompany when another craftsman C.W.GHayden joined us as equal shareholders.I now run the business and employ fourhighly skilled ironworks craftsmen, carryingout work mostly around London and in theHome Counties, but we do travel the lengthand breadth of the country should workrequire us to.”Oriel Metal Company Ltd specialise in:• Staircases • Railings and Handrails• Gates • Period Cast Ironwork• Renovations • Repairs and RestorationAs well as restoring ironworks, OrielMetal Company Ltd can design bespokecommission work, incorporating your ideasto fit seamlessly into any scheme, whetherit’s modern or more traditional.“Although the bulk of our work involvesthe restoration and conservation of bothwrought and cast ironworks for commercialcompanies, we are able to create bespoke,one-off pieces for domestic customersacross the UK,” Peter said.Aspire recently awarded Oriel Metal witha Certificate of Recognition for Quality &Service. Sales Executive, Barbara Stone,says: “Oriel Metal are experts in theirfield. Over the years they’ve worked forprestigious clients on properties in CentralLondon, such as W1 SW1 SW3 (Belgravia,Westminster, Kensington, Knightsbridge,Maida Vale and the like). They fullydeserve recognition for their knowledge,expertise and experience so I’m thrilledthat they’ve been awarded this Certificateof Recognition. I hope it brings them morework from the Aspire region.”For more information on Oriel Metal Company Ltd, please contactTel: 0208 7774898 Mob: 07941 439212 Email: orielmetalco@aol.comOriel Metal Company Ltd, 6 Cavendish Way, West Wickham, Kent BR4 0LG20 ASPIREASPIRE 21