Have you noticed how old thatched cottages seem to wink at you? Their romantic roofs have curves and eyebrows that tease and draw you close, making you want so much to be invited inside. You know there will be low ceilings, broad window sills for your vase of Spring flowers and your cat, large hearths with wood piled around ready to feed the welcoming fire, doors where you must duck your head, a narrow staircase and uneven floors. The warmth of a special home will surround you ~ that's just the way a cottage is.
So, needless to say when the call came ~ "didn't you say you were interested in motto ware with cottages and words" ~ I was all ears! Susie, at SuzAnna's Antiques, said there was a man with lots of Torquay motto ware standing in front of her at the shop and would I talk to him. Long story short ~ Sunday morning I sat surrounded by motto ware trying to decide which pieces I wanted and could afford! I'm not planning to start a collection but am going to enjoy these few pieces I will use. The seller was most generous as he wanted me to have something reminding me of home.............his prices were below what I saw on the Internet, plus he gave me a 50% discount which was wonderful. These are the six pieces I purchased, all in excellent condition, all with cottages. Because the mottos are in regular English, not the Devonian dialect, I imagine them to be pieces from the early 1900's, and all came from two of the Torquay potteries.
The large jug is my favorite, the motto being "Say Not Always What You Know But Always Know What You Say". The egg cups, "New Laid" and "Laid Today", for our soft boiled eggs, are so cute with attached heavy bottoms so will not tip over. The sugar bowl "Say Little But Think Much" and creamer "Fairest Gems Lie Deep" will be used at teatime, and the handled mug "Heaven Send Thee Many Happy Days" is already holding daffodils on my narrow kitchen window sill.
And so, from beautiful Devon, England via Canada, Minnesota, New York and then here to North Carolina (and sold by a gentleman from Honolulu), came these little treasures to remind me of home. These two cottages were in an East Devon village - one of many I passed through last October. Now if only I could get my roof thatched..............................well we all have to have a dream, right?
Wink, wink!
(Please scroll back to my previous post to see Part I)
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I love your Motto Ware...I wasn't very familiar with it, so it was fun seeing and reading about it. The cottage pictures are just charming, too!
ReplyDeleteOh it is so beautiful and what a deal! The cottages look absolutely perfect!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you managed to buy some! I love it all. Sal;-)
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you got them! What a nice collection... I have a small piece that says 'say little but think much" that is my favorite. I keep it on the windowsill by the kitchen sink and look at it with pleasure every day.
ReplyDeletesherry
I love, love, love them and can just imagine the mug with your flowers in it resting in the window. Enjoy them :)
ReplyDeleteJanet
My cat would appreciate a nice cottage window. :) Just stopping through your blog linked from a friends. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Mary. Just wanted to pop in and say "hello", and that I was finally able to get my blog to accept photos. Thanks for your help. Please pay me a visit at my blog! Sincerely, Sharron
ReplyDeleteAll good things come to those that wait
ReplyDeleteA motto not seen on any Torquay ware I am afraid but pertinent all the same
I am glad that you found what you were looking for
The cottages are a dream.
I would give someone else's right arm for one ;) lol
Now you are going to have me looking for this pottery. It is really beautiful. I so love England, the (no longer) red phone boxes, the post boxes, and the wonderful cottages and thatch. I love the stone walls and on and on.
ReplyDeleteOh and the shopping. Get the picture? LOL
You are very bad Mary! You are going to get my mother hooked on collecting yet one more thing as she loved this. I must say that I have never heard of motto ware and I try to keep up with things watching alot of shows on the BBC. This has never passed by on the shows I watch. Wonder why? Is it becoming rare? I can see why you love it as it really is reflecting the thatched cottages in England. I too love thatch and we have looked at houses with thatch.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your new pieces and you have the right idea. Things should be used and enjoyed.
Hugs ~
Heidi
I love the Torquayware, I don't have any but I do remember it from our visits to Devon for holidays in the 1950s. It's very expensive now, you are lucky to have found such lovely pieces. I do agree with you about thatched cottages, they have a very special feel to them and speak of home comforts and beautiful gatdens. Lovely post Mary:)
ReplyDeleteThe pottery is lovely. The photographs of the thatched cottages made me yearn to step inside.
ReplyDeleteThese two "china" posts were so very very enjoyable! Thank you for sharing; I've learned that there is a Devonian dialect, and all about Devon Motto Ware, two new bits of information to me. I love the china with its charming folksy paintings! And, of course, the thatched cottages...a very pleasant tour. I, too, dream of calling a thatched cottage home...
ReplyDeleteI like the cottages. A lot.
ReplyDelete