Sometimes when I am browsing through the Arcade, I come across the most unexpected items.

Today, I had a little time on my hands so I decided to pop into the Arcade to see if I could find any ballet related items for my granddaughter who has commenced ballet lessons in her home town.  On this occasion I could not find anything on ballet, but I did find an old cardboard tube and four certificates which aroused my interest as they had once belonged to a Irene Hewitt and are dated between 1938 and 1944.  They were just four random certificates sitting next to an empty tube amongst many other items in the Junk Shop, as it is affectionately known.  The ticket price was all of fifty pence, but what I had found was a window into the life of a woman during some of the most turbulent years of the last century.

In date order, the first certificate was issued to Irene by The Institute of Commerce on the 4^th of April 1938.  It informed her that she had been awarded a first class certificate in Handwriting  This certificate had been issued in Birmingham but noted that Irene was from Warrington.

The second certificate was issued on the 18^th January 1939 by the Pitman’s Shorthand Institute in London.  It tells us that Irene had been taught her shorthand by The Business College in Warrington and that she been examined by Pitman’s and was able to copy shorthand at a rate of one hundred and fifty words a minute.  One might have thought that Irene was destined for a career as a secretary and that she might have passed other similar examinations at the time.  But, the two remaining certificates that I found showed that Irene had appeared to have changed direction in the years after 1939.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Grand_piano_and_upright_piano.jpg

The certificates in question were issued in 1943 and 1944 by the same institution namely The Royal School of Music in London.  The 1943 certificate notes that Irene had achieved a Grade Seven Advanced on the pianoforte under the instruction of a Miss Fry.  The 1944 certificate is similar but notes that Irene had achieved a Grade Eight Final on the pianoforte under the instruction of the same teacher.  And that was it.

I met Irene in 1938 but did not see her again after 1944.  Her life was contained on four certificates which are rich in detail but shrouded in mystery.  Had she changed her ambitions after the war started, although it is quite a big jump from the office to the pianoforte?  Or, was the office only a filler whilst she pursued her main ambition?  After all, I only have four certificates in my possession and for all I know, there might have been many others detailing her achievements in both fields.  It is unlikely that I will ever find out unless I engage in a forensic examination of her life and times.

Looking at the dates on the certificates I would hazard a guess to say that Irene was born between 1910 and 1920 so there is a chance that she might still be with us.  This said, as you are aware, I purchased these certificates from the Arcade which does tend to indicate that they were part of an estate.  I am not an expert, but I have seen this type of ephemera show up there before as the result of house clearances and the like.  In a way I do not want to find out as I am satisfied with this small window of Irene’s life.

I would like to think that Irene excelled on the pianoforte and lived (or is living) a long and happy life and that she did not sink in the boredom of office life as many of us do.

Music is a gift from the Gods but sadly shorthand is not a gift from the Gods, however brilliant it is.

If you knew Irene or are/were related to her please drop us a line.  The Arcade will be glad to hear from you.

Happy Hunting

Stuart Miller-Osborne   

L-R, Hannah Warner, Jeanette Kearsey and Jennie Rochford sell cakes for Speakability

Hungerford Arcade were delighted to discover fresh homemade cakes on our doorstep this morning when the local branch of Speakability held a cake stall on the Town Hall steps.

Speakability is a national charity dedicated to supporting people with Aphasia and their carers.  Aphasia is difficulty in communicating following a stroke, head injury, brain tumour or a neurological disorder such as Parkinsons.  Judy King, the local organiser explained that it’s all about encouraging speaking and building confidence. They meet regularly for a range of activities. Singing is sometimes easier, as it uses a different part of the brain, and our local group are supported by the Rock Choir who produced a workshop where everyone sang music from each decade.

We can vouch for their cake baking skills – the display was superb and we are very pleased that we got there early as they were doing a brisk trade!  The lemon drizzle was a particular triumph!

Hungerford Arcade co-owners, Adrian, Hazel, managers, Rita, Wendy and James, all the staff and stallholders wish Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II a very happy and joyous Birthday.

Original: Joel Rouse/ Ministry of DefenceDerivative: nagualdesign [OGL 3 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3)]

Hungerford Arcade has many connections with people from all walks of life whether

Photograph Courtesy of Granddaughter, Claire O’Neill

L-R Claire with Arcade Manager, Rita

they are local or far, far away.  This time, a lovely young lady, Claire O’Neill called in to tell us about an Antiques Fair in honour of her grandad who recently passed away.

George had been a silver dealer for over 55 years as was his father before him.  He was a well respected member of the community and much loved.  George was very ill and became a patient at the Hospice in the Weald.  He was so grateful for the care he was receiving that he promised the Hospice he would hold an Antiques Fair to raise money for them.  Unfortunately, George did not live to carry out his promise, but in stepped his Granddaughter, Claire O’Neill who put the wheels in motion so that the Fair could go ahead on the day that George had planned it for, 28th April 2019.

The Skinners School has kindly donated the whole school for the occasion and as well as the Antiques Fair which covers two halls with over 55 stalls, there will be live music and refreshments kindly donated by Fuggles Beer Cafe.

The Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Len Horwood will be officially opening the Fair which will be announced by the Town Crier.  It is going to be a marvellous day.

George was still dealing on the internet while in the Hospice and even after his passing, was still selling and making money.  Nice one George!

Hungerford Arcade was very pleased to welcome Erik Thorbjørnsen all the way from Norway to do a special shop here at the Arcade. Erik stayed for quite a few hours and bought a whole host of beautiful items to take back to his shop Blå & Maritim Antikk Hvasser.

Erik said that many people recognise him from the restaurant Den Blå Brygge in Sandøsund, which was decorated with various objects from far and near. We quickly found out that guests wanted to buy these items.  We first started on a hobby basis, but now we have left the restaurant to others and are focusing on the sale of beautiful and old items full-time, both through the shop in the old bank room vis-à-vis Hvasser Motell, as well as at our online store.

I am particularly keen to track down objects that, in addition to fulfilling a function, also meet aesthetic and craftsmanship requirements.  Two words, professional pride, which is almost never used anymore, characterises much of what I can offer. Artisans and specialists who made run-of-the-mill items in ancient days often said that what they did was also to be beautiful, in addition to being solid and user-friendly. This is reflected in beautiful wood, shiny brass and great design.

You can visit Erik on his website at https://www.blaantikk.no/

This is a supplement to  a small series of articles in which I will discuss items that I have either purchased or just seen when visiting antique establishments in Hungerford and elsewhere.

A Spring Day

It was one of those early spring days which state clearly that winter is over, even though the air is still cool.  Blossom is on the trees and all kinds of creatures (including the crazy ducks) are engaged in complex courtship rituals.  One feels good to be alive, safe in the knowledge that the home test matches are two or three months away.

Today was such a day and Caron and I decided to catch up on a few chores that we had put off during the darker winter months.  Once these were complete, I decided to pop into the Arcade as Tesco’s was not my scene.  I purchased four items which I have listed below;

A vintage clothes brush in the likeness of a Marie Antionette (this is my best guess although I have never met her).

Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil) by Charles Baudelaire (a brand new paperback copy).

The Dryad Quarterly dating from Jan-March 1935 (which contained some great thirties advertisements).

A pamphlet containing the works of Edward De Stein (1887-1965) who was known as a First World War poet (he only published once in 1919 and this later collection appears to have been printed just for fun).

I do not intend to go into any great detail in this short article and have written it (whilst waiting for a train) to illustrate what can be found when just browsing within the Arcade and elsewhere.

As you can see, I love poetry and tend to gravitate in that direction and the Marie Antionette clothes brush was just a small gift for my wife for putting up with my general disinterest during the day.  It is great fun drifting through antique Arcades and shops and the like. You never know what you will find.  If I had set out with the above on my shopping list, then it is unlikely that I would have ever found them.

This was my journey and for the price of a book of stamps, I was able to purchase all these fascinating items  You should try this yourself (wherever you live) as it is great pastime.

Happy Hunting

Stuart Miller-Osborne 

 Hungerford Arcade have many classic car collectors come in looking for scale models of vehicles they own or, wish they owned.  Geoff was thrilled to pieces when he took delivery of his vintage 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air today!  There are many more where that one came from, so do come in and have a leisurely browse.

Don’t forget our Classic Vehicle Show outside the Arcade on the 19th May 2019 with the West Berkshire Classic Vehicle Club and their fabulous cars!