At last i have made the decision to open a shop,it has been an idea for the past 10 years but like all ideas they get put on hold with the questions of can i afford it ,will it be worth while ,do i need it etc etc.

Well i feel now is the time and yes i do need it ,i did not realise how much stock i had working from the kitchen table and having items stacked up in a warehouse ,my mother's house and scattered around the odd shop here or there and it is great to finally see them all arranged together as a whole collection.

I am in Gardner Street in the villiage of Herstmonceux East Sussex Bn27 postcode area.

Herstmonceux is famous for its Medieval Castle ,Observatory and Praise The Lord House .

Praise The Lord House is where my shop is situated and is now called Winslow House.

 Gardner street once sported the very recognisable Praise The Lord Cottage. Recognisable because of the amazing cotoneaster creeper which grew up the front of the cottage,which the owners had carefully and very skilfully clipped into the words 'PRAISE THE LORD'.

'Big Jim' Crouch bought the house in Herstmonceux with this extraordinary creeper in about 1957.The previous owners had planted the cotoneaster and clipped it into the shape of Praise The Lord in protest at the building opposite being turned into a public house,the current Brewer's Arms.The family were extrmely anti-alcohol and took great exception to a public house being opened opposite their cottage.
Big Jim decided that the shrub ,which had actually died,had to come down;so down it came within six months of the family moving in.The cottage was then re-named Cotoneaster cottage after its one-time famous shrub.When Big Jim cut the creeper down,the granddaughter of the previous owners found out and put a curse on him-The curse of the cotoneaster.This didn't seem to bother Big Jim overmuch,and the Crouch family lived in the cottage until about 1984 and subsequently Young Jim continued living there for a number of years...

This is how it looks now ...

I plan to be in the shop as much as possible but will be open Thursday to Saturday so please call to make sure i am in or so that i can be there to meet you.

Sorry about the yellow broom in the corner,it would be good to see you anytime just call or email and i will make sure i am in...

Sadly but thankfully summer is nearly over and we can all get back into the routine of school runs and for me work,i am well rested and back on the hunt for wooden treasure.....

Starting with an advert in this septembers edition of Antique Collecting magazine,this is the first time i have ventured into the realms of  advertising so lets hope (for me anyway) that it gets my site out to a few more collectors and my images out to others ,i have a Henry VIII period carved board chest of tusk tennon construction ,and a linenfold chest coming soon and i am sure more booty thoughout the autumn.....