Call us now on: 0800 731 5905 - Viva Lewes
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HENTY’S<br />
TWENTY<br />
knock him down with a feather<br />
The news that <strong>Viva</strong> <strong>Lewes</strong> editor, Alex, has<br />
promised to hand me a twenty pound note<br />
each m<strong>on</strong>th to purchase a collectable object<br />
somewhere in the town has seemingly spread like<br />
wildfire! For example, even in my own road, as I<br />
walked to the shops recently, a young neighbour<br />
at the start of her school holidays asked me if I<br />
would like to buy …a peacock’s feather.<br />
With her brother, enterprising ‘Autumn’ had<br />
a collecti<strong>on</strong> of the exotic items swaying in a jar.<br />
“There are nineteen of them” I was informed,<br />
“And they’re twenty pence each”. “Beautiful” I<br />
replied, “I’ll buy <strong>on</strong>e if you’re still here when I<br />
return from Waitrose.” She was and as we shall<br />
discover later, the feather was a bargain.<br />
Not every<strong>on</strong>e’s quite so keen <strong>on</strong> my new<br />
journalistic endeavour though. Down at the Pells,<br />
a woman with her dog shouted at me across the<br />
p<strong>on</strong>d “Your stuff’s all very well in <strong>Viva</strong> <strong>Lewes</strong> but<br />
it’s not much help for real antique collectors like<br />
me. I’m looking for a nice bit of Chippendale.”<br />
Now I k<str<strong>on</strong>g>now</str<strong>on</strong>g> it was foolish of me but – as I raced<br />
up Brook Street pursued by the woman and what<br />
I assume was a young Rottweiler dog – I have to<br />
admit that asking her whether she meant a tallboy<br />
or a toyboy was a mistake. You live and learn in<br />
this b<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>iness and what I should have replied, of<br />
course, was that a visit to the new St. Peter and<br />
St. James Hospice Store (opposite Laura Ashley)<br />
might have been a more helpful suggesti<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Chippendale? Unlikely, but an impressive selecti<strong>on</strong><br />
of named quality furniture is proving very popular<br />
I’m told, in the light and airy showroom. Friendly<br />
staff too.<br />
Worried by the Pells experience (it wasn’t <strong>on</strong>ly the<br />
dog that was barking) and c<strong>on</strong>scio<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g> that my brief<br />
appearance <strong>on</strong> the BBC1 One Show in Aug<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>t<br />
w w w. V I VA l E w E s . C o M<br />
A N t I Q U E s<br />
might create more unrest, I chose to wear disguise<br />
a couple of days later for my visit to the Emporium<br />
Antiques Centre in Cliffe.<br />
My wife, Sylvia, and I shared a stall there a few<br />
years back so owner Michele Doyle is k<str<strong>on</strong>g>now</str<strong>on</strong>g>n to<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g> and it’s always a pleasure to trawl through her<br />
3-floor treasure trove.<br />
Once she had persuaded me to remove my<br />
disguise – “Men d<strong>on</strong>’t wear the Burkha, John,<br />
and the beard’s a dead giveaway!” we got down to<br />
the serio<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g> b<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>iness of finding a collectable item<br />
for the <strong>Viva</strong> “score”. I always seek help <strong>on</strong> these<br />
occasi<strong>on</strong>s to ensure that the chosen object has a<br />
wider appeal.<br />
Michele pointed me to a cabinet <strong>on</strong> the ground<br />
floor which had j<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>t been re-stocked. From a<br />
mix of jewellery, silver ware and small ceramics,<br />
we chose two cloiss<strong>on</strong>né cylindrical boxes which<br />
had been attractively hand-painted with enamel<br />
paint in a metal wire design. She told me they<br />
were probably tourist gifts from the 1920s or 30s,<br />
originating in the Orient and were valued at £24<br />
for the pair. I liked them. She accepted my £20.<br />
Happily, The Emporium was doing good b<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>iness<br />
for a M<strong>on</strong>day afterno<strong>on</strong> and you k<str<strong>on</strong>g>now</str<strong>on</strong>g> what?<br />
On <strong>on</strong>e of my favourite stalls inside (“Pastimes”)<br />
peacock feathers were selling at a pound each. Still<br />
a bargain!!<br />
John Henty<br />
8 7