As part of the preparation for our 20 years celebrations we will have to have a brief period of partial closure, from Tuesday 5 – Wednesday 20 March when the house (including the shop and café) will be closed to the public. Our grounds will remain open. To find out more, please visit our opening times and prices page to find out more.

Spoon Lovers

Spoon Lovers

Hello everyone,

I thought this recent addition to our British Folk Art collection might be of interest to some of the spoon lovers amongst you.

We acquired this piece in late 2015 and installed it during our Winter closed period, ready for Compton Verney’s Spring opening.

Folk Art carved spoon

 

It is carved in the shape of a longcase clock, fashioned out of English Beech circa 1800.

There are numerous historical references to carved gifts such as spoons being given as romantic gifts, often carved with meaningful personal motifs incorporated into the design.

In Treen and other Wooden Bygones, E.H. Pinto describes a Victorian practice of couples being given a small wooden pair of shoes connected by a chain (!): “It was formally a charming marriage custom to carve and give them to the bride and groom, with a knob of coal in one and… and sugar in the other, to ensure that the couple never lacked warmth and sweetness.”

It’s a wonder the John Lewis wedding gift list ever took off!

 

 

 

 

 

I can admire the skill required to carve such a detailed spoon all the more, having made an attempt to carve a Beechwood spoon myself recently.

 

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My much simpler, less intricate effort took me a fair while –  it was near dark when I finally finished!

Just another 7 spoons, 8 teaspoons, forks, knives, spatulas and salad servers to go…. Best get to it.

John