Love this #60: Kingston's Creative Heart

Sometimes you're just meant to go to a place aren't you? Well it seems for me that's Kingston. Despite not making it there to cheer MOH on during Ride London recently, I did find myself visiting last week. Arriving earlier than planned for my appointment I had a wander around the town.

It's not a place I know well, but I soon found myself in the Market Place.  And that's the only part of Kingston I could claim to recognise. Funny how these things happen isn't it?  As I looked around I noticed this sign outside the Market Place House.

Well I didn't need much encouraging to step inside.  Just inside the door there was a display of fabulous vintage items. An old Singer sewing machine, books, records, ceramics and the classic rotary dial telephones.

Yes WOW. Definitely wow.

Wandering around was simply a feast for my eyes; there were things that reminded me of my 1970s childhood, things I was tempted to buy and more things that I thought would come in useful, for I know not what!

There was lots of choice and that was a good thing - as I couldn't decide what one thing to buy!  Thankfully I'd come on the train so being able to carry my purchase home easily across London was also a factor.

And still I wandered around, looking in drawers and dressers full of crockery and niknaks.

Kingston's Market Place has been used since 1170 when Henry II was on the throne. In the past 800 years it's been used for much more than selling produce. It's been a place for both celebrations and punishment, with the busy Market Place being the ideal place for Kingston's criminals to get their comeuppance in the stocks.  Not so much today though, although it could come in handy...

Towards the back of the shop I was drawn to the book covers; there were many titles that I remembered reading as a child on the shelf, including my beloved Twinkle. But when I looked closer although they were covers, they weren't books... Someone has cleverly adapted them to be tablet and e-reader covers.

Moving hastily away from the Twinkle tablet cover I saw a suitcase of wooden scrabble letters - remember the WOW from earlier - well you could have so much fun with these.

It was the sort of shop that whichever way you turned you discovered something equally intriguing or fascinating, these ceramic buttons were just so pretty and prove my point.

It's a shop that I could have spent a lot of time - and no doubt a lot of cash - in. Thankfully it's not local to me or it could become very dangerous, but it was lovely to spend some time wandering around discovering just some of the items on sale. If you're in Kingston then do stop by as I'm sure you'll also find it a real treasure trove!

Boxpark, Shoreditch

Last week I had a bit of an East End expedition, walking through Petticoat Lane and Brick Lane before arriving at Boxpark. It's a "Shipping container, pop-up mall for independent and global, fashion and lifestyle stores and cafes" and it's amazing what you can do with a shipping container. 

It's not a run of the mill shopping mall either, as you'd expect from anything housed in a shipping container.  There's a wide mix of goods available from fun to innovative. The shop that drew me there was Decorum which sells gifts and accessories for the home, with an eclectic mix of vintage, modern and contemporary and a great use for old wine bottles (see below).

DECORUM

 DECORUM

Both Tusch Und Egon and Gift Box were packed with bright colourful items and I was particularly taken with the Pop Up Pets in Gift Box, but I wasn't sure if it was responsible to get all four...

GIFTBOX

The Swedish Hasbeens was the busiest unit and i'd be tempted to pop back and try them out, well they are shoes and you know me and shoes! They look comfortable, even though the soles are wooden.  There's a vast array of shops too - clothes, shoes, gifts, glasses and hair products.

SWEDISH HASBEENS

DUMDUM DONUTTERIE

SMILEY

PLAYN EYEWEAR

After I'd explored the containers, and I went in most of them I headed towards Shoreditch High Street. You can see London's skyline - with the Gherkin - in the distance. And then I walked past and advertisement for something I'd not seen before, and that's Zorb football. It looks odd, but oddly fun.

As I turned to cross the road, I spotted the repurposed tube carriages of Village Underground so stopped for a picture or two! It's a non-profit space and four recycled Jubilee line tube carriages along with yet more shipping containers make up the space for creatives where up to 50 artists, filmmakers, musicians and designers can work.  

Baubles, Fortnum & Mason style

I've said it before but I'm a bit of a magpie when it comes to sparkly things. So imagine my glee when MOH suggested popping into Fortnum & Mason on our way to Afternoon Tea. Somehow we just ended up in their Christmas shop, I just don't know how that happened...

It was a Saturday and the shop was rammed. Last year or the year before we'd bought F&M mince pies and they were gorgeous and worth their hefty price tag. Spotting the mince pies on the ground floor, we grabbed a box before heading towards the stairs and the upper levels, pausing to admire the suspended Christmas trees over the atrium and those throughout the store. 

So with mince pies in hand we found the Christmas shop, it's on the third floor, alongside the fabulously named Gentleman's Accessories if you just want to happen upon it too.  There were tables of jars, pots and baskets of baubles - a magpie's heaven.

Just look.

There were silver ones, mirrored ones and clear ones...

And gold of every shade, embellished with swirls, glitter and frosting as well as plain - if a gold decoration can ever be plain.

Or there were owls of varying sizes, either for the tree or for your mantelpiece.  

Or perhaps you'd prefer the cute silvery bird above nestled in your tree? If birds aren't for you, perhaps feathers. The baubles below are feathered and were beautiful, however they are completely different to any of my existing decorations so having just one or two wouldn't cut it, and having enough to make an impact would be expensive. 

There were of course plenty of reds and greens too - beaded, glittered and beautifully hand-painted with poinsettas. 

The pinks and purples weren't left out either, with almost every shade represented. 

And then there was a quieter, less riotous table where the pastel shades gathered in bowls of shiny and pearlised gloriousness calm. 

But for me, the real star of the show and the thing that got our most serious consideration was the penguins. Of course, what every house needs is a wooden penguin! The smaller version (not shown) was £35, and they were incredibly tactile. MOH wasn't convinced because if there's one thing the Christmas adverts have taught us this year, it's that you can't just have one penguin, now can you?

So with our fill of glittery treats and Afternoon Tea beckoning, we paid for our mince pies and headed towards The Hampshire in Leicester Square and its oasis of calm to while away the afternoon with sandwiches, scones and the odd bottle of fizz. A completely different atmosphere - and one I'd recommend - to the frenzied shops nearby. 

Our tree is now up at home and any of these baubles would look great on it - I'll admit though I tend to buy decorations after Christmas when they're better value. And while I love a coordinated look, it's something I don't think I ever quite manage, unless "throw-it-all-on" (or as least as much as I can before the tree groans) is a look!  I'll share some pictures of our tree tomorrow, but what's your tree decorating style -  do you have a themed look which changes year on year, or do you have a more "organic" approach and add to your stash each year?

I'm linking this post to Our World Tuesday.