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 Issue 2, January 2006Happy New Year, and I hope 2006 turns out to be a really excellent year for you all. Peter and I had a lovely relaxing time in the holiday, which was much appreciated as we could hardly keep up with all the mail order parcels over the Christmas period. Numerous late nights were spent in the shop cellar, wrestling with brown paper and string. However, we're most certainly not complaining - many thanks for helping us to make 2005 our most successful year so far!I am also grateful for all the good feedback we received after sending out the first newsletter. One nice chap even said that he read it "from cover to cover"... A very small number of subscribers couldn't see it properly (this is the case if it's not coming through in glorious Technicolor, with images) so we have now taken the precaution of featuring the newsletters on our website. You can view all the past and future editions here: Read more » Lucie Victorian Paint Colours and Authentic KitchensThis month's two articles are courtesy of The Victorian Society, which is responsible for the study and protection of Victorian and Edwardian architecture and other arts.Is it true that Victorian iron railings were always painted black? No; various colours have been found on historic ironwork. In the first half of the nineteenth century 'invisible' greens (so called because they would blend into a background of foliage) were used for fences, gates, railings and garden furniture. In 1840 Humphrey Repton recommended a 'bronze' finish, made by powdering copper or gold dust on a green ground. Green was used throughout the mid Victorian period but dark blue, red and chocolate brown were also popular... Read more » What was the purpose of the scullery? In the Victorian period, it was universally understood that the kitchen was used only for cooking. Washing-up, scrubbing vegetables and all the messy, low-status activities that involved water were done in the scullery. Even the smallest Victorian houses had a separate scullery, and it was rare for sinks to be installed in kitchens before the twentieth century... Read more » Testimonial"Just wanted to drop a line to say my roller towels, dish brush and carbolic soap arrived this morning. What a smell! Opening the box was like being punched in the face by the 1920s. Many thanks for your continuing attention to quality and customer service. Now, what excuse can I find for buying more of your stuff...?"L. D. from Frome, Somerset Wonderful WebsitesSo many people asked me how I produced the newsletter that I thought it best to reveal my sources: the design is my own, and I came up with it after following one of Paula Gardner's excellent courses at Do Your Own PR. My ideas were then implemented by the wonderful Simon Heath (who also taught me all the HTML I need - it didn't take long!) at www.onespaceman.co.uk.A fabulously eccentric site which supplies everything you could ever want when it comes to old bicycles, from vintage cycles to traditional bells and baskets for your handlebars, as well as every spare part under the sun: www.theoldbicycle.co.uk If you're ever suffering from antiques fair withdrawal symptoms, as I sometimes do, a handy site to visit is Antiques Magazine. Click on the link and then visit the Fairs Calendar. This is an indispensable guide to antiques fairs all over the country, and should make you feel better instantly! Each time we go on a buying trip and need accommodation, our first port of call is Alastair Sawday's excellent Special Places To Stay series. Those of you who haven't already discovered these books are in for a treat, as they feature beautiful houses, interesting people, authentic experiences, possibly the best breakfasts in the world and not a Corby trouser press in sight: www.sawdays.co.uk Win A £100 Period Features Voucher!The winner of December's voucher competition was Jill Murphy from Devon - well done! The answer was of course Home Help! Tips & Inspirations For Your Period House.Twice as good as last month's £50 competition, this month we've teamed up with Period Living & Traditional Homes Magazine to offer a £100 voucher. This is an online competition only and you can find it on their website, along with many other competitions! Just click on the link below and answer one simple question. After the closing date of 28 February 2006, the magazine will pick a winner at random from all the correct entries received. Read more » Enquire WithinHere at Period Features, we're quite good at knowing where to get things - even if it's not something we sell ourselves. On a similar note, if you need to know how to repair, care for or maintain your period house, we can point you in the right direction. And we really like being helpful... so we'd love to hear from you, and maybe we can help solve your problems!Renovation and repair of old locks Mr Mitchell from Sandon asked where he could get an antique lock renovated, and in particular where he could get an appropriately old-looking key cut. I thought this was a great question which could well be helpful to many of you, as it's not widely known that you can get authentic keys cut for old rim locks &c. One good place to go is The Lock Restoration Company run by Michael Brown. We have used him in the past and been delighted with the results. Another company I found on the Internet (although we haven't used them yet) is The Old Lock & Key Company. Companies that do this kind of work tend to operate on a mail order basis, so you can just take the lock off the door and post it to them. Please do keep sending us your questions; the most relevant and/or interesting will be published in future editions. Email your queries to us at Enquire Within One Last ThingI've been asked to speak at the Wire Conference on 9 March 2006. Wire stands for Women In Rural Enterprise; it is a dynamic networking and business club which helps women to start and maintain their own rural business. I went to the conference last year and found it tremendously useful, so other female readers with their own businesses may also benefit from joining. What's more, membership is only £30 a year, so it's well worth it!I thought I would ask my staff for their Top Tips; it's not that I can't think of any, but you never know what they might come up with. However, the initial results weren't promising. Tracey thought long and hard, eventually volunteering the information that it was helpful to wash up at least once a week. Perhaps it would have been better to mention it was for the newsletter? Anyway, I thought I would ask all of you instead. If you have any Top Tips you would like to share with other readers, just send us a quick message and we'll put your name next to any tips we use. Last but not least - if you have any suggestions or comments, then please feel free to drop us a line. We'd love to hear from you! Email us at One Last Thing Kind regards, Lucie Storrs, Proprietor |
 Don't forget that we can deliver Farrow & Ball paints and papers straight to your door. There's a £3 delivery charge and it's a very speedy service. Ring us on 01538 372202, or just send us an email: Order Farrow & Ball  These highly authentic Ceramic Light Pulls, complete with a rubber ring to protect your wall, are available with chrome or brass fittings and cost £15 each. We also have cistern pulls to match. Click below to visit our Lighting & Electrical department. Read more »
 These Roller Towels are really useful and very hard to find. They cost £8.50 each from our Kitchen department. Oak roller towel holders are available at £22.50. Read more »  Do you have a sudden urge to do some spring cleaning? If so, these fabulous Scrubbing Brushes may well come in handy. They cost £3.50 each; we also have many other cleaning products such as carbolic soap and feather dusters. Read more »
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