Different from the simple overglaze 'bat' printed wares produced at the Worcester and Caughley factories from the 1750s, Spode's ingenious method involved first the engraving of a design onto a copper ...

When they first came into use in the 1830s, friction matches were hazardous and could combust without warning, so vesta cases were something of a necessity. But as their production became more ...

A Paris court has delayed the sale of the earliest-known calculator. Scheduled for sale at Christie’s in Paris on November 19, the auction of the scientific instrument w… ...

Pocket watches owned by Horatio Nelson, Thomas Hardy and Cuthbert Collingwood and consulted throughout the Battle of Trafalgar, are coming for sale next month. They will be sold together as a single ...

The form emerged in the early 18 th century, though the origin of the name is obscure. Chairs of this type were manufactured in large numbers in the Thames Valley in Buckinghamshire, and Windsor may ...

That, at least, was the theory. In fact, relatively little Irish ‘provincial’ silver made the journey to the metropolis to receive official approval – for reasons of security and economy. It is a ...

The British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) is launching a new fair in the East Midlands.

After 1840, F. & R. Pratt of Fenton in Staffordshire, became the leading (but not the only) manufacturer of multicoloured transfer printed pot lids and a huge range of related wares. Long admired for ...

Although now familiar to generations of children, the industrial process of die-casting only came into being towards the end of the First World War. Forcing a molten alloy into a mould under pressure ...

It was very much a local concern and local is the best word to describe the scope of factory and its wares, the geographical spread of its original clientele and, by and large, the nature of its ...

A rare visual record of a ‘legendary’ boxing match that took place in Gretna Green in 1816 drew a strong contest itself at an auction in North Yorkshire. Offered at Tennants (24% buyer’s premium) sale ...

The inaugural auction at Sotheby’s new headquarters at the Breuer Building in New York produced a series of fireworks, not least a record for any lot ever sold by the 281-year-old firm.