Hungerford Arcade has been especially pleased to see our old friends since re-opening. It is so wonderful to see familiar faces and catch up with what they’ve been doing during the months of lockdown.

We were delighted to welcome back Peter and Sharon Allen, who came from Brighton on a day trip to see us.  They are regular visitors and had stored up a lot of supressed retail therapy as they left with boxes of items from a dozen different dealers!

Peter is a military historian and retired member of the Royal Naval Reserve.  He has a particular interest in the Royal Naval Divisions of the First World War. His website, https://friends-of-the-royal-naval-divisions-in-ww1.co.uk has interesting information about the items in his extensive collection of memorabilia.  He is a great raconteur who researches his finds and has a wealth of fascinating stories to tell.

We look forward to seeing them again soon.

Snuff is a smokeless tobacco made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves.  It is inhaled or “snuffed” into the nasal cavity, delivering a swift hit of nicotine and a lasting flavoured scent (especially if flavouring has been blended with the tobacco). Traditionally, it is sniffed or inhaled lightly after a pinch of snuff is either placed onto the back surface of the hand, held pinched between thumb and index finger, or held by a specially made “snuffing” device.

Snuff originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century. Traditional snuff production consists of a lengthy, multi-step process, in tobacco snuff mills. The selected tobacco leaves are first subject to special tobacco curing or fermentation processes, where they will later provide the individual characteristics and flavour for each type of snuff blend.  Snuff is usually scented or flavoured, with many blends of snuff requiring months to years of special storage to reach the required maturity. Typical traditional flavours are varieties of blended tobacco leaves considered original “fine snuff” without any addition of scents or essences. Varieties of spice, piquant, fruit, floral, and mentholated (also called “medicated”) soon followed, either pure or in blends. Each snuff manufacturer usually has a variety of unique recipes and blends, as well as special recipes for individual customers.

Then, of course you had to have a snuff box to keep it fresh. Snuff boxes are made in pocket sizes – holding a few grammes for immediate consumption – and as larger, table boxes. 

The Miser’s Snuff Box – Unit 125

This snuff box is made of brass with a fruitwood base.  It is Scottish and dates from c1840-1860.  The top brass plate with figure of eight opening swivels to correspond with the lower brass plate.  This type of snuff box is often described as a miser’s snuff box as the figure of eight opening only allows one to take a very small pinch of snuff. 

Hungerford Arcade owners, Hazel and Adrian, managers, Rita, Wendy and Richard, all staff and stallholders wish Prince Louis a very Happy Third Birthday.  The beautiful photograph below was taken by his mother. The Duchess of Cambridge this morning and released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Happy Birthday Prince Louis!

Hungerford Arcade has the St. George flag flying high outside in celebration of St. George’s Day.

http://gallerix.ru

The earliest documented mention of St George in England comes from the Venerable Bede. His feast day is also mentioned in the Durham Collectar, a 9th-century liturgical work. The will of Alfred the Great is said to refer to the saint, in a reference to the church of Fordington, Dorset.  Early (c. 10th century) dedications of churches to St George are noted in England, for example at Fordington, Dorset, at Thetford, Southwark, and Doncaster.

St George rose to high popularity as a warrior saint during the time of the Crusades, but he had no special identity as a patron saint of England during the High Middle Ages. The saint most closely associated with England until the 14th century was Edward the Confessor.

In 1348, Edward III gave St George a special position as a patron saint of the Order of the Garter in thanks for his intervention at the Battle of Crécy.

From that time, his banner was used with increasing prominence alongside the Royal Banner and became a fixed element in the hoist of the Royal Standard.

St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle was built by Edward IV and Henry VII in honour of the order. The badge of the Order shows Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon. Froissart observed the English invoking St. George as a battle cry on several occasions during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453). Certain English soldiers displayed the pennon of St George.

St George’s Day was elevated to a “double major feast” in the declarations of the Province of Canterbury in 1415 and the Province of York in 1421.

Happy St. George’s Day everyone!

Hello Again

I collect Buddhas which I would imagine is a pastime that I share with many others (or maybe not).

What do you call a person who collects Buddhas?

I would imagine that you would be called a person who collects Buddhas.

Yet, I have never paid for a Buddha as I consider it bad luck to purchase your own Buddha and ask Caron or whosoever I am with to purchase them for me (even though I reimburse them later on).

This silly luck thing stems back to the 1970s when I picked a rather jolly stone Buddha up in Hanwell in West London.  It was as I was running up stairs to catch the train that the stone Buddha (it was destined for the garden) unbalanced me and I fell up the stairs cutting my forehead open.

I missed the train and was forced to walk from Hanwell Railway Station (well worth a visit) to the nearest A&E where after I was cleaned up and given a pain killer, was told that I would not need stitches as head wounds are often bloody, but are normally pretty simply treated (there were no concussion protocols in those days).  My mother made a fuss and the Buddha was placed in the garden with very little ceremony.

If my memory serves me, I went to Chelsea that evening to see a game and suffered no ill effects apart from a dull headache and looking like I had come second in a fight.

But I was hooked and have collected Buddhas ever since (it could be worse I might have become a trainspotter).

Now as most of you know, there are different types of Buddhas some are quite upright and stiff whereas others are seriously obese and round.  I should know the differences, but sadly, I probably know more about nuclear fusion than Buddhism.  It is just that Buddhas make me happy and calm me down (I often used to think of Buddhas when I was  being trampled flat in pre-lockdown London – gosh how I miss it).

Buddhism is not a religion I follow and I would prefer to be in awe of its mysteries rather than research it to death as I have done with other religions.  Caron once said to me that ignorance is bliss and I think I agree with her as Buddhas just bring me an inner peace (well apart from the Hanwell Railway Station incident).

When I was visiting a dear friend a few years ago, he pointed to the stream that ran through his garden.  It was a pleasant yet ordinary fast flowing stream, but then he showed me what he called his water feature which impressed me greatly.

He had collected about twenty Buddhas of differing shapes and sizes (mostly made from stone and resins) and had positioned them along the banks and shallows of the stream.

The idea was glorious in its simplicity and I was blown away.  I tried to replicate it in my garden in Maidenhead, but alas, we had no stream so I added a pond and a few Buddhas which was a bad idea as the local cats kept knocking them in.

But what has this to do with the arcade you might ask?

Well at certain times of the year, the Arcade is a good place to find all kinds of Buddhas. 

There are usually some to be found in the garden section to the rear of the Arcade itself and are rather nice.

Caron has purchased the odd Buddha for me from the Arcade, being the lovely person she is.

She also found my first Deal Buddha which sits peacefully opposite me as I write.  I tend to keep my Buddhas in all my rooms (apart from the loo) so they can look after me.

However of late, both Wildchild, Damien and Sassy Lil have taken an interest in Buddhas.

This in short means that I can purchase Buddhas again without the fear of falling over in railway stations as they are not for me.  It is a form of Nirvana I suppose, but do not let me complicate things.

All I can say is the next time you are passing the arcade do pop in.

There might be a Buddha just waiting for you.

Peace Love and Happy Hunting.

Stuart Miller-Osborne

Hungerford Arcade owners, Hazel Browne and Adrian Gilmour, Managers, Rita, Wendy and Richard, all staff and stallholders wish Her Majesty  Queen Elizabeth II a very Happy Birthday.

God Save The Queen

Hungerford Arcade co-owners, Hazel Browne and Adrian Gilmour, managers, Rita Kibble, Wendy Spare, Richard Brockwell, staff and stallholders send our sincere condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her family on the very sad passing this morning of her husband of 74 years, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh.  He was the foundation stone of the modern Royal family we, the Commonwealth and countries around the world know and love today.

Hazel remembers the day when Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip on 20th November 1947.  It was a breath of fresh air after the dark days of the war.  There was great excitement and a sense of optimism in the country.

I watched some television today, dedicated to the incredible life of the Duke of Edinburgh.  He was a very special man and a very modest man who did very much to empower young people.  The hugely popular Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme which he started in 1956 helped tens of thousands of young people over the years.  He was also very much involved in saving wildlife and conservation long before it was fashionable and widely talked about.  The Duke of Edinburgh was a very modern thinker and from the early days of technology, right up to the present day, kept the Royal household in step with each new development ensuring they were very much in the 21st century.

Prince_Phillip_looking_at_City_Hall,_November_2008.jpg: Flickr user Steve Punterderivative work: Andibrunt, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Attribution

RIP

His Royal Highness The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh

10th June 1921 – 9th April 2021

Hungerford Arcade is buzzing with stallholder activity as they get their units ready for  Monday the 12th April grand reopening.  At last, it looks like there is a light at the end of the tunnel after two long lockdowns.  We are all hoping that this will be a new beginning for all of us to get back on our feet and start trading again without interruption.

We are looking forward very much to welcoming our customers back and the many new ones who have made enquiries whilst we have been in lockdown.

James, Cheryl, Sally and Izzy, Alexanders Tea Room have been very busy reburshing the outside garden area.  As you will see from the photographs, it looks fantastic.  There is also a cycle rack where you can park your bicycles in safety (see the separate blog for Alexanders by clicking here).

Here you can see Adrian and James showing off the new bicycle rack.

This is just a tiny selection of some of our units.  Look out for other photographs over the coming days.

Hungerford Arcade has been buzzing with activity, getting ready for the end of lockdown

on 12th April.  Arcade co-owner, Adrian Gilmour has once again invested lots of money in getting all the lighting changed over to LED as an ongoing part of our green policy which has been going on for many years now.  It all started with using recycled paper donated to us by customers and stallholders, along with carrier bags.  However, we have gone one step further by giving customers recycled boxes instead of plastic bags.  The market traders (especially the Fruit and Veg people) donate their used boxes to us on market day, which is every Wednesday.

Pete with daughter Laura (his right hand woman)

Pete who owns Pipes & Wires said, “It’s been a pleasure to work with Adrian, Hazel, Rita, Wendy, Richard and all the stallholders at the Arcade to help improve the old building’s ambience via improved lighting and electrical upgrades.  Adrian and Hazel taking the initiative to look at the positive aspects of another lockdown by carrying out refurbishments has been a Good Tactical Decision! The benefits passed on to customers and traders will include improved light levels and durability. Taking a proactive step to lower CO2 emissions is admirable”

We are all very excited at the prospect of reopening on the 12th April.  Stallholders have been giving their units a good sort out and restocking them ready for the big day.

We are all looking forward very much to once again welcoming all our customers back into Hungerford Arcade on 12th April 2021 at 9.15 am

Hello Again

You are about to read the shortest ever article that I am ever likely to write but before I continue here is some background to my humble offering.

As you might have guessed, I am something of a railway buff and like nothing better than spending my pocket money, travelling on a train to exotic destinations such as Acton Main Line and beyond.

Another silly habit of mine is that I collect old railway magazines and herein lies a tale as in about 2017 I remember purchasing a small bundle of railway magazines dating mostly from the 1950/60s from the Arcade.

I did not read them at once, but when doing so found the following account of a trip on The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway in Battersea Park in 1951.  Whether it was a fiction or a fancy or something else is hard to tell as it had been written, it appeared, quite rapidly on a scruffy piece of paper.

At the time of my discovery, I copied the contents onto my laptop with the view of using it later on in an article (I often do this).

Well fast forward to January 2021 when I decided that I would need to rationalise the contents of my laptop as it was rather disorganised to say the least.

After a short while, I found the The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway detail that I had stashed away some years previously.  It was then that I decided to put this very short article together if for nothing else, but to cheer us all up during these dark lockdown days.

Then, problem number one occured as I had just moved to the sea and even six months down the line, I still haven’t unpacked all my books (This is due to pure laziness on my behalf and nothing else).

I believe that both my railway and bus magazines (I have about sixty) are sharing a nice comfortable box with Aldous Huxley and his pals amongst other authors.  This meant in short that any attempts to find the magazine in question would be more difficult than climbing K2.

So hopefully on a fair summer’s day with the windows thrown wide open, I might open the correct box and place their contents on my rather nice new bookcases (It will be a choice of that or crashing out on the beach).  I had heard of The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway as my late mother had told me about it for I was not even a twinkle in 1951.

The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway was the brainchild of Rowland Emett and began its life in Punch Magazine in 1939 as a series of cartoons.  But when the Festival of Britain came along, Rowland was asked to help out.

Ben Brooksbank / Festival of Britain Exhibition, 1951

The miniature railway was a third of a mile long and carried passengers through the Battersea Pleasure Gardens.  It was very Heath Robinson in its design and presented a rather silly view of our rural countryside.

For those familiar with Rowland and Heath Robinson’s work, nothing was to be taken too seriously which is why the attraction proved so popular carrying some two million customers during the festival.

But once the festival closed and the exhibits were demolished (with an almost obscene haste I must add) the railway alone lingered on until 1953 when it was moved to another part of the park.The actual railway in its new home finally closed in 1975 and I personally have no real memory of it although, I am told that a cutting can still be seen.

It was one of those gloriously eccentric railways that for some reason we excel in building (The Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway is another odd example).  As I noted, this was going to be a short article and I thought that it would be fun to share it with you whether it was a fiction or a fancy or a remembrance of things past.

If nothing else, this anonymous account of how a day out on this lovely little railway etched itself into the memories of a child is evocative to say the least and a memory of an England now somewhat forgotten.

On the subject of The Festival of Britain in 1951, one can usually find items associated with the festival in the Arcade.  I have seen the festival brochures on sale on a number of occasions and the specially minted boxed souvenir coins show up from time to time.  But before I close, here is the small account that I found in my railway magazine.

When I was very small my parents took me on a trip on The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway in Battersea Park.