Christmas Shopping

Are you looking for a way to get into the Christmas spirit yet be away from the madding crowds?
Well, down here at the London Silver Vaults, I think we can offer you just that.

On Thursday the 27th of November we throw open the doors for our annual Christmas shopping event. The event takes place after normal shopping hours, between 5-8 pm.

You can sip, nibble, and browse in an unhurried atmosphere while gathering inspiration that is sure to take the pain out of gift buying. Have a glass of champagne to help you into the festive spirit and try some of the delectable treats we will be offering up. Ding dong.

Enjoy a little festive music while you glide down the corridors and whatever the weather you will be warm and cosy and well looked after.

You are sure to find something down here to please even the most discerning of loved ones.
And, when you've found that ideal gift, you can make the whole process even more painless by taking advantage of our gift wrapping service.

Christmas at The London Silver Vaults; it’s a wrap!

Click image to see full size. 

Movember

Well, here we are midway through Movember or, as I like to call it, Hipster Month. In fact, I believe the reason we even have hipsters is linked to the popularity of the Movember movement. In case you weren't aware, November has become the month when the clean shaven can down tools and attempt to grow some facial hair for charity.

Image Via.

LAPADA Object of the Week

I normally don’t post twice in one week but we are very excited to have one of our most prestigious pieces chosen as LAPADA's object of the week.
Lapada (The Association of Art and Antique Dealers), is the body which represents our industry, so we are extremely proud of this acknowledgement.
If you wish to see this truly fine example of beautifully crafted silver for yourself then please come and visit our shop down here at the London Silver Vaults. It will be on display until Christmas.

So, what is this item, you ask. Please read on.

This impressive wine cistern sits on our sister shop, Olliver Vanders, in the LSV.

Poppies

Thank You, Ernest George...

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It is soon to be Remembrance Day and it is of particular note this year, as the time lapsed since the start of the First World War reaches its centenary.

Throughout the Commonwealth, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is observed with a two minute silence to remember our fallen soldiers. This timeline is significant because that is when, on the 11th November 1918, the guns on the Western Front finally fell silent after more than four years of combat. This day is now known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day or Poppy Day.

All Hallow's Eve

Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Image via.

It’s Halloween!
Well, the witching hour is nearly upon us once again. As a child, being Canadian, Halloween was almost as important to me as Christmas. The excitement would set in as soon as the calendar was turned to October. I’m not sure if it was the sweets or the costumes or the fact we were always allowed hot dogs for dinner on the night, but the powerful combination of all those good things at once meant it could never come quick enough.

Winter Nights by Candle Light

My candle burns at both ends

It will not last the night
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends It gives a lovely light

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Some examples of our candlesticks and candelabra in popular styles.

Well, if the weather itself wasn't an indication that we are heading towards winter, then the clocks going back surely is. Those long dark evenings are upon us once again and the need to create a cosy atmosphere becomes ever stronger. What better way to create more light and ambience than with the glow of a candle?

Of course, for more than a hundred years, we have had access to electricity and are able to provide our homes with more light by the simple flick of a switch. It enables us to have the light we need for getting on with our daily lives, but sometimes candlelight creates that ambient mood we simply cannot achieve with mere electricity.

Beer Flood of London

200 years ago today, on the 17th October 1814, a freakish and bizarre event occurred. Right here in the heart of London, in the parish of St Giles, the Horse Shoe Brewery (Muex and Company) on Tottenham Court Road had a disastrous accident.

Due to structural failure one of the huge vats containing 135,000 gallons of beer ruptured. The vat burst with such force it caused other vats in the brewery to erupt as well and, as a result, more than 323,000 gallons washed onto the streets.

An artist's impression of the incident.