Tile collector

Stourbridge, Fieldings Auction House 12 January 2008

Born and bred in Birmingham, Shelia Huges (1937-2006) first began collecting tiles in the early 1970s. Driven by the desire to save her local architectural heritage at a time when so many old houses in the city were lost to redevelopment, she began by encouraging demolition men to save her cast iron fireplaces. Later, as her passion for the subject grew, she would catch the coach to London where she would visit specialist dealers for the day on the tiles.

When family members began to clear the contents of her Arts and Crafts home they found numerous banana boxes of largely Victorian and Edwardian tiles. They were alongside a collection of some 2000-3000 garden tools and a tail-lift van full of clothes, close to 3500 tiles arranged according to a somewhat byzantine filing system, choosing to sort her tiles into subjects.

Predictably many of the major sums were paid for the 16 tiles by de Morgan. most highly rated were two 6in (15cm) early Fulham period 'beast' tiles painted in deep blue to a turquoise ground. A stylised peacock in walking pose took £1550 and a tortoise £1600 (estimates £600-800). But perhaps a more interesting feature of this sale was the competition for the rare Victorian and Edwardian dust pressed transfer printed tiles. There were tiles here that many dealers and collectors had not seen outside reference works.

- www.antiquestradegazette.com

Seized or Recovered?

Art Loss Review Jan 08 - Letter to the Editor

Sir,

I am trying to encourage people, especially in the media, to correctly apply the terms recovered and seized with respect to stolen goods.

In my view an item is not recovered until it has been proved to have been stolen, and returned to its rightful owners. The police normally seize goods they believe to have been stolen, and these goods remain seized until an owner claims them, at which point they become recovered.

Therefore most of your 'Recovered by Sussex Police' type of ads should say 'Seized by Sussex Police'. When seized goods are not subsequently claimed by their owners, they cannot be defined as recovered, and are often returned to the criminal who allegedly stole them, some time later. These goods could properly be described as released from seizure, but could hardly be called unrecovered. I believe that the police, public and government would better understand the concept of seizure and recovery if the correct words are applied. I would be interested to hear your views.

Yours etc
Thornton Kay
Salvo Llp
www.theft-alerts.com

Porticos and staircases set the trend

Stone porticos and cantilevered staircase are becoming the must have feature for homes of distinction, say Cheddar-based Wells Cathedral Stonemasons.

"We have seen a huge increase in orders for neo-classical pillared stone porches for door-ways. Demand for porticos is now matching the orders for carved-stone fire surrounds. Most orders are coming from architects working on new homes but we're also being asked to create porticosowners have recognised that traditional stone features - whether they are internal fireplaces or external porticos add a unique distinction to their property. We have also seen a boom in demand for cantilevered stone staircases," said Peter Arkell, the managing director of Wells Cathedral Stonemasons.

Opportunities from building material reuse centres (BMRCs)

BMRC social enterprise re-use centres, across Britain

In the USA and Canada there are hundreds of building material Reuse Centres, or BMRCs as they get called; one in almost every large community.

USA BMRCs are financially sustainable retail outlets that sell reusable building materials to both trade and general public customers. Sales income is further increased by providing charged services such as;

* Clearing site materials
* Undertaking commercial salvage jobs and/or deconstruction,
* Partnering with regional or national builders
* Providing vocational training, including mainstream construction
* Delivering external awareness and training

Meanwhile the UK is yet to establish a BMRC network. What we do have is a wealth of effective wood reuse projects, successful architectural salvage business, a growing social enterprise sector and many organisations interested in BMRCs. There is a lot of potential for growth.

Bio-regional are working with wasteWISE and MASCo to publish a BMRC business plan toolkit by April 2008 and develop an e-network of enthusiastic BMRC partner enterprises. This will be linked in to wider networks. Our aim is to support the establishment of 3 to 5 major new BMRCs across different UK regions. This initial work is funded by the Centre for Remanufactoring and Reuse.

The core business model will be based on vibrant retail outlets, run as social enterprises. Outlets will source "as new" products from the excess materials of new build and regeneration construction projects and reclaimable materials from the wider building sector. These new businesses will complement existing salvage and recycling companies.

UK BMRCs could be created the following ways:

* An expansion opportunity for an existing social enterprise (such as the wood recycling projects or NVQ training schemes),
* A not-for-profit venture for business or reclaimed industry,
* Co-located with a major development project site
* As a partnership with a council-led initiative such as an expansion of a civic amenity site, new waste/recycling facility or resource recovery park.

There is already a wealth of social enterprises across the UK successfully retailing reused materials such as wood, furniture and commercial off cuts. Up until now, none have focused on the huge opportunity presented by the reuse of building materials.

There is, therefore, a clear gap in the UK market to recover far more substantial volumes of useful building materials and sell them at affordable prices to the general public and small-scale builders.

We need to reverse the fact that the volume of materials sold by the salvage industry has been declining over the last 10 years. Negligible quantities of demolition materials are currently being reused in their existing form. Worse still, an estimated 13% of materials go to waste without ever being used; bought in excess to ensure that construction and re-build projects are delivered on time (EA, 2007)

Jonathan Essex of BioRegional said,"BMRCs could bridge the gap between commercial salvage and the social enterprise reuse sector which includes projects such as community re-paint, community wood recycling projects, scrapstores and furniture reuse. The push for recycling seems to have shifted the demolition waste stream away from the salvage industry. For example, ten years ago it used to process 700,000 tonnes of reclaimed timber a year but now it seems to be a lot less. We do not pretend that this can be plugged by social enterprise, but government support for reuse must exceed that for recycling, not the other way around.

"Our initial aim is to target surplus new construction products and low value reclaimed products that are not currently sold by the salvage trade. The key is to try to knit things together rather than drive things apart, including creating partnerships between local authority, community groups and business expertise. There is no reason why a salvage yard cannot be a part of this, and develop a BMRC as part of its retail strategy. BioRegional's role is to encourage new initiatives to start and to encourage existing organisations, which could include salvage dealers, to take on this opportunity."

For further information contact; Ronan Leyden, Reclamation Officer, BioRegional Development Group, ronan.leyden@bioregional.com, 020 8404 4897

Gaze Architectural Salvage Auction

T W Gaze, Diss Auction Rooms, Diss Norfolk; Saturday 26 january 2008

CARL Willows of T W Gaze said the sale on Saturday has over a thousand lots including 5,000 pantiles, 3,000 fish scale plain tiles, 120sqyds of excellent York flag (est £80sqyd), brickwork, nice marble plinth - light weathered cemetery piece, Preston Grange urns, good staddles, stained and painted glass, not so many doors but some super old oak doors and frames panelled and plank. A good mixed sale, he said.




Above: Lot:5941 A nineteenth century cast iron fire insert, Art Nouveau tiles. Estimate:£200-£300 Hammer price:£210


Above: Lot:5865 A cast iron roll top baby's bath. Estimate:£25-£40 Hammer price:£45


Above: Lot:5838 A pine surround with overmantle mirror, broken pediment top, scroll detail, reeded columns. Estimate:£400-£600 Hammer price:unsold


Above: Lot:5823 A pair of bow top panels of stained and painted leaded glass - ecclesiastical. Estimate:£600-£900 Hammer price:unsold


Above: Lot:5782 A pine framed octagonal with its surround.
Estimate:£80-£120 Hammer price: unsold


Above: Lot:5442 A cast iron garden table and pair of chairs.
Estimate:£235-£355 Hammer price:unsold


Above: Lot:5358 A circular enamelled cast iron bath.
Estimate:£100-£150 Hammer price:unsold


Above: Lot:5150 A cast iron tree seat. Estimate:£200-£300 Hammer price:£190



Above: Lot:5075 A carved stone horse and rider in the Oriental style 57" high. Estimate:£1000 - £1500 Hammer price:unsold


View catalogue now (after the sale this link will lapse)

La Fontaine de Tourny

Quebec city, Canada


Above: The Fontaine de Tourny installed in Quebec


Above: Marc and Daisy beside the Fountaine de Tourny


La Fontaine de Tourny was made by the French sculptor Mathurin Moreau and cast in 1850 by the Val d'Osne foundry. It was one of a pair that stood in the French city of Bordeaux. In 2007 it was shipped to Quebec from Paris and stored on lle d'Orleans, where specialist crafts people restored and refurbished it. The fountain was purchased from Marc and Daisy Maison, former Salvo Code dealers based in Parisa, as a gift to the city to celebrate its 400th anniversary, by Quebec fashion retailer La Maison Simons. The restored fountain was opened by the Prime Minister

Fountaine de Tourny

Remarkable chance discoveries

Lawrences Auctioneers, Crewkerne Somerset




One of the most remarkable chance discoveries in years, an 11th-century Fatimid rock crystal ewer, with a market value of up to 5 million, surfaced in Lawrence's Auctioneers in Crewkerne, Somerset on the 17 January 2008. It was catalogued as; A French Claret jug the rock crystal body carved with animals, the silver gilt mounts with enamelled decoration, 19th century, 30cm. (cracked and damaged). In fitted box of Morel a Sevres. With an estimate of £100-200. Although the clues hidden in the body of the jug was overlooked. It was cut with foliage and stylized beasts that bears comparison in form and decoration to ewers made c1000-50 for the treasury of the Fatimid Caliphs of Egypt. However, after a fierce bidding war the hammer finally fell at £220,000 (plus 17.5 per cent buyers premium).

Lawrences Auctioneers