My husband, Keith, and I personal 8,450 teapots. All of it started in 1983, a few years after we married. We have been younger and establishing a house in Kent. We had a glass show cupboard in our kitchen – we tried placing our pantry stuff in it, but it surely seemed a bit cheesy, crammed with cans of baked beans.
My nan provided us a teapot as a substitute. It was a blue and brown one, hand-painted with yellow flowers. We preferred it. Then my aunt provided us a teapot from her marriage ceremony set. It was considered one of her most prized possessions, the sort of merchandise that will get used solely on Christmas Day. We gladly accepted.
For the primary couple of years, we collected conventional teapots. My first novelty pot was a Cardew Royal Albert. However it wasn’t till we went on vacation to Devon that we realised we have been obsessed. We noticed a leaflet in our B&B for a teapot manufacturing unit. Keith mentioned, “Now we have to go!” We’ve purchased each teapot the proprietor has designed.
Over the following 20 years, we collected 3,800 teapots. We used to journey the nation – vintage and bric-a-brac gala's, jumble gross sales, automotive boot gross sales, you identify it. If associates discovered an uncommon one, they’d get in contact. When our son, Luke, obtained married in Barbados, a neighborhood craftsman was promoting them within the lobby. We had to purchase one.
As the gathering grew, we have been nonetheless residing in a four-bedroom home in Sidcup. We had a storage full, they usually have been hanging from the beams within the kitchen – with extra within the attic. A TV crew got here to movie an episode about collectors. Liza Goddard offered the programme. She mentioned, “You shouldn’t hold these teapots hidden away, it is best to let the general public see them.”
She planted the seed for us to open a museum, and in 2003 we moved our assortment to Yalding, close to Maidstone. Teapot Island was born. Since then, we’ve added 1000's of teapots, with 1000's extra in storage and on the market. Our goal is to have considered one of every thing. There are not any duplicates. We’ve entered the Guinness World Data twice, however the document was taken from us by a person in China who is alleged to have 30,000 teapots.
Now we have spent effectively over 1 / 4 of one million kilos on our assortment. However to us, it's priceless. Who can say what all of them collectively are value? Now we have them insured, however it could possibly’t come near the actual determine. If I need to get my fingers on a teapot I don’t have, I typically ask another person to bid on my behalf in auctions, as a result of if individuals work out that I would like one actually badly, they understand it’s uncommon and are much more eager to get it.
Most of our assortment are novelty teapots. Now we have all kinds – impolite ones, celebrity-themed ones and particular designs. All people who goes around the museum is wowed. Even individuals who don’t suppose they’ll fancy it are laughing by the tip. Now we have coach events of pensioners, and you may all the time hear them guffawing after they get to the impolite ones.
In 2014, Prince Charles and Camilla got here to see us. We made certain they didn’t see the one which depicted them, the place she’s proven as his “pipe dream”. The deal with is formed like a smoking pipe, he’s wanting up at her, and he or she’s carrying a crown – the concept being that he hopes she is going to in the future turn into queen. We didn’t need them to be offended. However Camilla wished to purchase a camel teapot, as “camel” seems like Camilla. Charles got here by way of and mentioned, “Are you haggling?”
We love tea, in fact. We drink so much. You'll be able to’t beat a cup of tea made in a teapot. However over time we’ve seen the demise of the teapot business. We now have our personal on-site teapot designer, Gary Seymour. Teapots was once within the high 10 of issues individuals collected. Primary was stamps. How boring is that?
Luke has grown up with teapots; we've dragged him round in all places. We hope he’ll hold the gathering going. Folks come from everywhere in the world to go to Teapot Island.
What would our lives have seemed like if we hadn’t been on condition that first teapot 40 years in the past? We wouldn’t have had our museum or met the longer term king. However due to our assortment, we’ve had new experiences and made individuals completely satisfied. We should be mad to have devoted our lives to teapots, however what else is there?
As advised to Sophie Haydock
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