Tunbridge Ware at Amherst Antiques

News Page

News Page updated 25th January 2010
See below for details of 2010 programme

The Benjamin Enigma - An Update

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We are most pleased to announce the completion of ten specially commissioned Tunbridge Ware boxes, which were made by Peter Benjamin of Tonbridge to celebrate the one hundred years since Tunbridge Wells received its royal title from King Edward VII in 1909.

We first suggested the project to Peter in September 2008 and this has now resulted in the 2¾” square boxes, each containing a wooden puzzle and instructions and which have been named The Benjamin Enigma. Known as a tangram, the puzzle is Chinese in origin and consists of seven flat pieces called tans, which are put together to form shapes.

Mindful of its royal associations, kingwood has aptly been chosen for the background veneer of the frieze of the box, which is inlaid with a traditional nineteenth century style design incorporating the dates 1909-2009 in mosaic. Henry Hollamby was thought to have first introduced the use of mosaic lettering in Tunbridge Ware designs in the 1870’s and the technique continued in use into the twentieth century.

The design for the lid has a central star with radiating veneers, which has been chosen to represent the twenty first century. The veneers selected were all typically used in nineteenth century Tunbridge Ware and they especially enhance the design. These include mahogany, sycamore, amarella, ebony, London plane, coconut palm and chlorosplenium & spalted green oak. The inclusion of green veneers obtained from timber attacked by fungi, was particularly favoured in the second half of the nineteenth century by such eminent makers as Thomas Barton.

However, unlike the nineteenth century manufacturers, who enjoyed some considerable division of labour, Peter Benjamin has been responsible for all stages of production. This has proved to be big commitment for Peter, who has devoted almost three months to complete the project. For example, assembly of the central motif for the lid took two days for each box and the block used for the date contained over 1100 tesserae.

The Benjamin Enigma is certainly a unique project, marking Tunbridge Wells’ royal anniversary and displays modern craftsmanship at its best. Nine of the boxes were already ordered in advance of production, one of which has been purchased by Tunbridge Wells Museum to add to their collection. The tenth box has been reserved to sell at The Edenbridge Galleries, where it can now be viewed. Please contact us for further details.

Our Programme for 2010

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We are pleased to publish preliminary details of our Tunbridge Ware programme for 2010.

For the first time in many years we will not be attending the June Olympia Fair. A change of ownership of the fair and the subsequent prohibitive rise in costs has helped us to decide that our Tunbridge Ware can be marketed more efficiently through our own endeavours. Essentially we will be exhibiting at fewer antiques fairs in 2010 and instead will be concentrating on our own events and in maintaining our presence at The Edenbridge Galleries.

The BADA Fair 17th - 23rd March

Our first outing of the year will be at the prestigious BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair between 17th & 23rd March, when we will be offering a fine selection of new Tunbridge Ware stock. Details of some of the pieces to be exhibited will be sent with tickets to those of you who typically visit the fair.

This good example of a Tunbridge Ware stationery box by Thomas Barton is one of the pieces we will be exhibiting.

Tea & Tunbridge Ware on Saturday 24th April

We are pleased to announce that in April we will be holding a Master Class at The Edenbridge Galleries.
Entitled Tea & Tunbridge Ware, this will be held on the afternoon of Saturday 24th April and one of the pieces featured will be this recently acquired Tunbridge Ware basket, with what we believe to be an unrecorded view.
The Master Class will be followed by a champagne tea in The Gallery. Space will be limited for this event and although a priority booking period will apply for those on our Mailing List an early application is adviseable.

Details will be sent to those on our Mailing List in February .

Tunbridge Ware Day at Tonbridge School on 5th June

Our first full Tunbridge Ware Day will be held on Saturday 5th June at Tonbridge School, when Dr Brian Austen will examine the work of the Wise family. The day will also include a tour of the school, which was founded in 1553 in the reign of King Edward VI and is today one of the country’s leading boys’ boarding schools.

Tunbridge Ware Day at Hotel Du Vin on 26th September

On Sunday 26th September we will be returning to Hotel Du Vin for our second Tunbridge Ware Day, when we will concentrate on toys & games. The day will include a lecture by Deborah Jaffé, author & historian, who will give a lecture on the history of wooden toys.

Full details of the above events will be published nearer the time, so watch this space.