It was at the end of a great trip to Hamburg, Germany when we stumbled across an amazing shop selling these fantastic HUSS incense burners. The variety of smokers (not referring to people of course) was amazing but it was the small stove’s that we fell in love with and the reason why we are so pleased to now stock them. Huss the company is really serious about its products and this comes through in the way it is manufactured. You will love the look especially when lite and whether outdoors or indoors it will we guarantee make people chuckle! Just remember in the winter you can use them for that Christmas festive aroma and make good use of them...
Many of the most amazing figures and tin toys ever produced were crafted in Germany during the late 19th / early 20th Century. In 1872 Georg Heyde based in Dresden, Germany started making toy soldiers and other figures like his many counterparts based in Nuremburg. Their quality and attention to detail made Heyde the leading exporter of toy soldiers in the world until WWI in 1914. Heyde also produced lead figures for other companies including the famous train manufacturer Bassett-Lowke. Heyde's business ended during WW2 due to the obvious situation. Among his many amazing toys are his Zeppelin models that are not only rare but very sought after by collectors and interior designers alike.
What kind of things have you found that were really different or amazing we are sometimes asked? Well one of them must be the amazing 1950s Austrian cable car we found in Germany. Luckily for us it was easier than we thought shipping it here to Cambridge and in fact it is relatively light and fit on a small pallet! The driver of the transport lorry was a little surprised though when he helped us unload it and realised it was a cable car. It was amazing for the sheer stunning look it had. The design is amazing and what we like is the kind of early aircraft look and feel it has partly down to the aluminum and rivets etc. We really...
We are often asked about the amazing robots seen at our shop or listed on here and so thought we would write a small piece about them. These amazing robots are made by a local artist Matt Brown who among other things has worked as a professional model maker.
Even before everyone else caught on Matt was using reclaimed objects in his pieces and is amazing at turning unwanted objects into fun works of art like the robots we list on Harold and Charles. These robots make amazing desktop or decorative pieces as they all have their own quirky characters.
Picket boats like the model we now have in stock were a type of small naval craft. Used for harbour patrols and other close inshore work, they were often carried by larger warships as ship's boats. Typically the Royal navy ones ranged in size between 30 and 55 feet with the main armament being a 3 pounder. Some saw action in WW1 and a few even in WW2.
Our wonderful new Picket boat model we think is from around the 1920’s. It is beautifully detailed and comes with its own case with plaque that reads Model of a Picket Boat R.N. The materials used include wood and brass. The details are amazing and the build is museum quality.
