Who is Phil Monk? Phil Monk was born in 1946 in Gloucestershire and unfortunately recently died this year (2021). Phil was taught at The Royal Masonic School in Hertfordshire. At 16 he went on to study sculpture at the Southampton College of Art. In 1962 he attended Ravensbourne College ofRead More →
Brief History Christmas decorations have been in existence since ancient times. Evidence of this is noted in descriptions of the Saturnalia feast (a festival to honour the god Saturn) from around 5th century BC. The decorating of the tree was something already being observed by the Scandinavians for the YuleRead More →
A Brief History Oil lamps have been a source of heat and light for thousands of years. An oil lamp has a container at the bottom in which oil is stored. A fabric strip is placed in the oil via a small opening into the container. The end of theRead More →
Introduction Buying items at auction can be quite exciting. It is important to understand what kind of items you are looking for, have a budget in mind and don’t get caught up in the atmosphere of the moment. In this blog I will talk you through a recent purchase (boxRead More →
Introduction Before the use of glass bottles for milk, the local milkman would fill the customers own jug to the required quantity. Between 1860 and 1890 diary farmers were experimenting with the concept of bottling milk in various jars. It wasn’t until 1878 when George Henry Lester patented the firstRead More →
Introduction The antiques and vintage business can fluctuate month on month. It all depends on what’s hot and what’s not at a specific period in time. However there are some specific items that are always popular amongst collectors and can keep the market steady. At the time this blog isRead More →
Brief History The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen. The name Lego is taken from the Danish words Leg Godt which translates in English to Play Well. Originally the bricks were made of wood and used to stack in creating structures. In Denmark in 1947 production of plastic interlocking bricks beganRead More →
Introduction Model Aircraft Kits have captured the imagination of children and adults alike for many years. Once these kits were a favourite pass time amongst fathers and sons, long before the world of modern technology. The kits were primarily made of plastic moulded parts (although other versions of kits madeRead More →
Hand operated vacuum cleaners (pump vacuums) usually had 2 people to operate them, to make the process easier. One person would pump the vacuum while a second would manoeuvre the vacuum to clean. However the early vacuum cleaners were expensive. More commonly purchased by wealthy households to assist the servantsRead More →
A Brief History Of The Vacuum Flask The story of the invention of the vacuum flask starts in 1892 with a Scottish scientist by the name of Sir James Dewar. Working in cryogenics he turned his attention to the possibility of keeping a liquid in a flask at a stableRead More →