A life in antiques - In the name of love...
Above: .
With the seductive charm of Valentine’s Day around the corner, we have been looking for something spectacular to sit centre stage in our display of unique and beautiful love tokens – designed to mark the occasion with panache. Having discovered many unusual and covetable ladies’ gift ideas, we were struggling to find anything truly amazing for the many treasured gents among us…
So, when my business partner Tony stumbled across a mid Victorian gentleman’s travel box and came back to The Packhouse with a glint in his eye, that suggested immediately he had fallen in love with something quite special, I knew our mission was complete.
Better than chocolates... Buying for male loved ones can be a tricky thing, as I am sure many of you understand. Yet, having seen this particularly stunning piece, it is clear that the original owner was very lucky to have been given such an intimate and personal gift, by what must have been a very dear partner.
The top of the box bears the name of the original owner, “LGV Starkie”, and the date shown, “3 Dec 1949”, is very likely to have marked the occasion on which the gift was presented. All the silver has been engraved with what is probably the family crest and this mark can be seen further on the ivory handle of the cut throat razor.
This style of box was designed for the travelling gentry in Victorian times and would have been made for a gentleman of considerable social standing. It contains a full shaving kit along with various trinket and scent bottles. Under the tray is hidden storage for jewellery and monetary notes and the lid provides the perfect home for a mirror and correspondence – including I am sure a bundle of keepsake love letters. The superb quality of the construction,
and the internal fitting, is a fine example of the workmanship that was an essential requirement to prevent damage to the contents on long horse-drawn coach journeys.
An ongoing love affair...
The glass, silver, mirror, lining and leather are all original, as are the cut throat razor, the silver handled, horse hair shaving brush and the iron scissors. It is a wonderful piece and would make a most delightful gift with the added delight and mystery of its heritage.
It is exciting when a plan comes together and, for us, even more rewarding that this time our star attraction is something so perfect and preserved in such fabulous condition. I have spent much time thinking about the characters behind the travel box; the craftsmen and the couple themselves. To leave such a thing of beauty has and will continue to be a source of rich inspiration. I can’t help wondering though what did happen to Mr Starkie and his beloved, and hope that the love affair with this piece will continue for generations to come.
Alison Hougham lives in a renovated Victorian ground floor apartment near Farnham. When not at home or at
The Packhouse, which is also in Farnham, you will often see her over the Surrey Hills piloting her hot air balloon.
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