I have a little china cup, once upon a time it lived in the glass fronted cabinet in the ‘front room’ of my great, great aunt’s house, one of those late Victorian rooms of heavy furniture and creaking floor boards, the lids of the china teapots in the cabinet rattled as you walked across the room. Here she is seated, centre, I don’t remember her a being very jolly, but I do remember, in the 1970’s her then white hair, had a nicotine stained quiff of yellow,
Time passes and the little cup then moved on to my mum’s dresser, and now it lives in my cabinet of curiosities. It’s marked Coalport China
I thought I might find out a little about it at the Coalport Museum. What I discovered is that my plain little cup has some much grander cousins (excuse the shaky photo).
It seems Coalport sold undecorated china, and it was often decorated by other companies to their specification. I prefer my little white cup, just the way it is, I like its simplicity.
I can’t think that this little print came from the dour great Aunts house, it seems far to whimsical for her taste, but who knows.
March 27, 2019 at 8:38 pm
Life catches one by surprise sometimes. It’s not so much turning into ones parents, it’s understanding why they, and ones grandparents, did what they did and finding as you age, 60 next year, that you would do the same.
March 27, 2019 at 8:40 pm
As time passes, I seem to both understand more, and have more questions!
March 27, 2019 at 11:51 pm
Have you ever drunk tea from it?
March 28, 2019 at 7:41 pm
I’m a drinker of tea in industrial quantities, a mug for me, I’m quite picky about which mug though. Your comment reminded my of a poem by Julia Darling, called Chemotherapy ‘I never thought that life could get so small, that I would care so much about a cup,the taste of tea…
March 29, 2019 at 12:53 am
A sobering thought to go with my next cup of tea. (I don’t like mugs for tea at all.)
March 28, 2019 at 2:27 pm
Nice post and pictures. That cup is a fascinating shape, and like you I prefer the plain white one. xx
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