British awards and decorations have many fascinating stories. There are two major categories: campaign medals and gallantry medals. Campaign medals are awarded to members of the British Armed Forces, ...

Different from the simple overglaze 'bat' printed wares produced at the Worcester and Caughley factories from the 1750s, Spode's ingenious method involved first the engraving of a design onto a copper ...

When they first came into use in the 1830s, friction matches were hazardous and could combust without warning, so vesta cases were something of a necessity. But as their production became more ...

A UK gallery or institution will need to raise £280,000 + VAT to acquire a work by Henri-Joseph François, Baron De Triqueti, before it leaves the country. The sculpture is a unique double portrait and ...

The British Antique Dealers' Association (BADA) has awarded artist Rafael El Baz its 2025 BADA Art Prize for his work 'Soft ...

On the same day that Freeman’s Hindman announced it would rebrand simply as Freeman’s, the firm held a $2.5m two-part sale of Old Masters and 19th century European art. Offered at the morning session ...

That, at least, was the theory. In fact, relatively little Irish ‘provincial’ silver made the journey to the metropolis to receive official approval – for reasons of security and economy. It is a ...

The form emerged in the early 18 th century, though the origin of the name is obscure. Chairs of this type were manufactured in large numbers in the Thames Valley in Buckinghamshire, and Windsor may ...

Although now familiar to generations of children, the industrial process of die-casting only came into being towards the end of the First World War. Forcing a molten alloy into a mould under pressure ...

After 1840, F. & R. Pratt of Fenton in Staffordshire, became the leading (but not the only) manufacturer of multicoloured transfer printed pot lids and a huge range of related wares. Long admired for ...

An enlarged copy of the original ‘His Masters Voice’ picture by Francis Barraud (1856-1924) is now on display at a museum in Rochester.

A group of Kangxi bird paintings from the celebrated ‘Imperial Manual of Birds’ sold for a combined £600,000 at Roseberys in south London.