Tag Archives: Agatha Christie

Not So Driving For Deco

No doubt, few of us have been Driving for Deco due to recent world events.  Regular readers know about our weekend finds, items we passed on and regretted, antique vacations and history of long-gone deco monuments. It seems we are in  perfect harmony and agreement at all times.

Not!

And that is what this post is about.

Several times (OK, really many times) we find ourselves disagreeing as to whether to get something or not. Inevitably, one or the other talks the other into a purchase or, defying the other, purchases it anyway. Here are a few:

Chase French Watering Can: Produced between 1933-1937, this is a large and hard to find piece.  When I spotted this one, it was very tarnished, and Anthony was unimpressed. Seeing the maker’s mark Chase, I convinced him to take the chance.  His opinion changed after we polished it up. It lives prominently displayed in his home. And where else but by his plants

Pillow Vase and Machine-age Lamp: After the local Vietnam Vets Thrift store closed in Rochester, the new tenants, Green-o-vation, a co-op, moved in.  We occasionally find items here but not as often as the VA thrift store.

The first was a pillow vase by Russel Wright / Bauer. As a tactile person, I picked it up and drew his attention to it. Anthony stated he saw and passed up what he thought to be a not-too-attractive, mid-century vase.  I noted the signature on the bottom and a quick internet search and he was interested. At $15.00, it came home with us. Often mistaken for a piece of mid-century pottery. This is a heavy piece was produced between 1945-1947. The line was not successful and pieces are difficult to find.

The second thing he passed on was a rather grubby deco style table lamp in the back room. I saw it and dragged him back to take a look. To say he was unimpressed is an understatement. Beside the general grime, it was covered in rust. Also, it wasn’t priced.

I liked the overall lines and figured it could be cleaned up and if necessary, painted – if the price was right. He was still not convinced. Fortunately, the owners had a 70% off all their merchandise. And the final sale price was $7.50. A quick clean and the “rust”, which was nicotine stains, wiped away to reveal a beautiful chrome lamp. After rewiring and a new shade, it proudly resides in Anthony’s TV room.

Homer Laughlin, Clematis: On one of our trips to (the sadly closed) All That Jazz Antique Mall, Anthony spotted a box of china. Lots of china! I was initially ambivalent. I liked it, but we have so much dishware already. The pattern and the price were nice and didn’t take much convincing and it is very deco.  I walked away with a box of Homer Laughlin Wells china with the Clematis (also called Red Beauty) decal for $42.00. After some research, we found it to be one of the more desirable decals and difficult to find, let alone 92 pieces!

1934 World’s Fair Cocktail Shaker: On one of our frequent trips to The Heart of Ohio Antique Mall we this Century of Progress cocktail shaker. Anthony really liked it but the price was off-putting.  I asked if he’d ever seen one before and if not, what were the chances of seeing one again. It was the most expensive item purchased on the trip.

Vintage Books: Anthony is a great collector of vintage books.  He found a vintage copy (6th edition) of the Maltese Falcon, and as it was not a first edition, he passed. I convinced him that for $9, and the fact he’d never seen one before – take a chance. Glad he did. This edition issue in similar condition sell online for $150-$200.

Speaking of books, we regularly visit One Potato Two Antiques in Bloomfield, NY. Anthony spotted a vintage Agatha Christie (one of my favorite authors). On the rare occasion I didn’t want to spend money, I passed on it. However, in his extreme wisdom, Anthony asked, “How many Agatha Christie’s from the ‘20’s do you see floating around?” Point taken (I hate when he uses my own logic against me!) and I bought it. Anthony has added to this collection over the years.

So, although we don’t always agree, we still enjoy the search and “challenges” when driving for deco.

Be safe, and hopefully we’ll be on the hunt again, soon!

Chris & Anthony, The Freakin”tiquen Guys

Welcome to Florin Court

Quick, name a famous London detective and their address. Most would respond Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street. While 221B Baker Street is an actual address, there is another famous detective who lives in Whitehaven Mansions which is – in a way – a fictitious address and building.

On our recent trip to London, Anthony surprised me by bringing me to Charterhouse Square. There, dominating the park, stood Florin Court. Those who watch PBS probably know the Agatha Christie Mysteries (my favorite author) and will recognize Florin Court as “Whitehaven Mansions” home to that famous Belgian detective, Hercules Poirot.

BRIEF HISTORY of CHARTERHOUSE SQUARE

The area known as Charterhouse Square started (presumably) as a burial ground for victims of the Black Death (1347-1351). In 1560, the land belonged to the Carthusian priory and acted as a division between private residences and trade businesses. At the priory’s dissolution, the grounds became open park land.

By 1690, private residences with expansive gardens backing, and in some cases connecting, to the next street dominated the east side of the square. Four houses owned by Lord Grey occupied this area until 1694. A brewer, Peter Ward, acquired and demolished the structures redeveloping the land to build six houses.

Time marches on and during sewer construction in 1834, human remains found in the park were removed A newly constructed rail system on the south side made the land too shallow for practical building on the square.

Retail spaces and warehouses replaced the surviving buildings to the north and west with private homes converted to staff housing for local wholesale clothing firms. By 1894, the area started to fall into decline with the park used for illicit assignations and vandalism becoming common.

In 1902, the 107 room Charterhouse Hotel opened on the northwest corner. It is the first purpose-built property on the square primarily for business clients and to supplement the need for housing. Print shops dominated the other buildings, alongside retail/wholesale spaces. Sold and re-purposed over the years, it is currently a hotel called Malmaison London.

As this middle-class area degraded, most of the private homes vanished. The square continued to decline with the remaining residences on the east side demolished in 1935. This made way for a flourishing revitalization in 1937. The new Charterhouse Hotel was built in the moderne style by the architects Guy Morgan & Partners for Charterhouse Ltd. (by 1937 Charter Estates). The builders were J. Gerrard & Sons Ltd. with interior decoration by Mrs. V. M. Thomas. The cost? About £74,000 (about $6,963,005.33 in 2018.) This at a time when the average worker earned £201.60 per year!

The unusual façade of the building provided a view of the gardens below to the greatest number of rooms. The London County Council granted a special variance for the recessed center of the façade without the usual set-back. The only compromise to the design is that the two projecting wings have the uppermost floors set back allowing the top flats to have small roof gardens.

The building consists of a steel-frame, clad in mottled pale yellow and brown brick made by Williamson Cliff Ltd. of Great Casterton, near Stamford. Special bricks over the entrance showcased the cantilevered canopy, covered in copper and sheet steel. The lobby originally boasted a marble floor inset with the Charterhouse coat of arms.

Consisting of what are essentially 126 studio apartments, the architects hoped businessmen found the flats a convenient piedsà-terre (French for “foot on the ground”). Needing to be at the markets early in the morning, this avoided a lengthy morning commute from their primary residence. As seen above, only one flat per floor had two bedrooms and a sitting-room. The ground floor originally had a flat and office for the head porter. The basement consisted of a public restaurant, bar and club-room. Beneath was a garage with parking for twenty cars with squash courts located behind in a separate building.

Samples of real floor plans via stirlingackroyd. com (copyright photoplan)

By the start of World War II, the few remaining print shops on the square could barely meet their financial obligations and one clergyman remained as a reminder of better, gentrified times. Post war Charterhouse Hotel struggled on, diversifying its clientele and by the 1950’s housed several small business offices.

In 1988, architects Hildebrand & Glicker and interior designer Andrew Dandridge renovated and restored the east side of the block at a cost of about £2 million. Renamed Florin Court, the building became fully residential boasting newly restored roof-top gardens, a gym, jacuzzi and a basement swimming-pool.

The first series of Poirot started shooting in 1988 with the newly renovated Florin Court selected to represent the façade and some interior shots of the fictional “Whitehaven Mansions”.

(Information from British-history.ac.uk)

REALITY VS. FANTASY

So, what more can I say? Consequently, fantasy is so much more than reality. Hercules Poirot’s beautiful flat would occupy the square footage of at least 3 actual units. Also, it would encroach on the structure next door due to the unusual slope of the northern wall of the real building.

Before I compare the fantasy vs. realty, lets look as some of the beautiful details thoughtfully and, in most cases, restored to their original beauty.

The comparisons below show the fantasy versus the reality.

While I could, no doubt, see myself living in the fantasy apartment, I am not sure I could manage the reality as a primary residence.

Chris (One half of the Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)