This is today's catch from a junk market. I haven't been gathering for ages, but I was looking for things for a school visit this week when we'll make a large hanging sculpture and need some structural objects. No luck there so I shall raid my own collection, but I found some useful things. Very often it's only stainless steel cutlery in charity shops these days so I do buy older cutlery when I find it in the smaller sizes - for my Jelly Bowl Lanterns. I love the warm colour of the plating and the makers marks. Normally they say Sheffield and I always feel sad about the lost age of our great industries. However some of these said Turtle, Croydon.......
.......so I googled and found that Louis Henry Turtle had come from Sheffield and set up business in Croydon. The family business seemed to evolve into a hardware suppliers and last over 100 years, the shop closed in 2008 and clearly locals were devastated to lose it. I also found that his son died in the 1st World War in 1917, plenty of sad history in these forks, but as with all family histories. I wonder how old the forks are? anytime from around 1900 possibly. When I use them in a chandelier I shall think fondly of the long service they gave and all who were connected to their existence.
And for £1 I had to bring this tiny stove home, it's cast alloy and with the lid bit down is only 6cm high, I can squeeze it into the cabinet of curiosities.
