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Home Help, Tips & Inspirations for your Period House

Autumn 2009

It's been a very rainy summer and autumn certainly seems to have arrived in the Staffordshire Moorlands! Appropriately enough, this issue looks at those home warming icons of style - range cookers, and how they are improving their green credentials. There's also information on the Farrow & Ball range available from Period Features and a selection of websites including forthcoming events and some top tips on saving energy to help the environment and your pocket.

We'd love to hear from you if you have a website suggestion that you think our readers would like, or a top tip of your own, or even if you think that we might be able to help you with a decorating problem. To contact me click here.

If you can't see this newsletter properly (this is the case if it's not coming through in glorious Technicolor, with images) you can now view it and all the past editions on our website at www.periodfeatures.net/newsletters

Suzy Dymock

PS. I am absolutely thrilled that our website has been chosen as 'Website of the month' in Period Living, November issue - on sale now.

Aga/Rayburn

Any Aga/Rayburn or cast iron range cooker owner will probably tell you that they would never want to switch back to conventional ovens. Many people covet owning a classic Aga or cast iron range cooker. However, there are often concerns from prospective purchasers about how economical or environmentally friendly this stylish addition to their home would be. Things have changed significantly in recent years with Aga/Rayburn introducing new appliances and features as well as items that can be 'retro-fitted' in order to make existing appliances more in keeping for an age in which green issues are at the forefront of everyone's minds. Aga, celebrating its 300th anniversary this year, with a range of free cookery demonstrations in its Aga shops, has introduced a system called AIMs (AGA Intelligent Management System).This allows your AGA to slumber when you're not using it to cook, but to be ready to use when you need it. The system was introduced in 2006 and has proved so popular that in the first two months of 2009 over half of all AGAs sold were AIMs models. It can also be retro-fitted to some existing models and offers a reduction in energy usage and consequent savings. Aga has also developed a biofuel ready cooker which can currently run on oil or diesel but with a minor modification will be able to run on biofuel as soon as it is readily commercially available. And as Aga enthusiasts will never tire of telling you AGAs are never found on scrap sites, are made from scrap metal in the first place, reduce your need for small electrical appliances and give a lifetime's service which means that you are not creating landfill either. For more information about AGAs including their running costs visit the AGA website at www.aga-web.co.uk The much overlooked sibling of AGA, and nowadays made by the same company, is the Rayburn. Rayburns are very similar in appearance to AGAs and some models offer the controllability of a conventional oven. Rayburns can be either cooking only models or provide central heating and hot water. The new Rayburn 380CD is the only range cooker with an 'A' efficiency rated central heating boiler built in. The boiler has been awarded this rating after being independently tested. Tests have shown the boiler is more than 90% efficient. As well as pioneering condensing technology, the Rayburn 480 CD also uses modulating technology which ensures it only produces the output required for the size of home. This means it can heat a two-bedroom property as efficiently as a five-bedroom home. For those looking for a carbon-neutral solution to reducing their footprint, Rayburn offer solid fuel models and for a more recent innovation the Rayburn Heatranger can now be combined with Solar Thermal Collectors to enable the sun to provide up to 65% of a home's hot water needs and achieve fossil fuel savings of up to 60% a year. For more information on Rayburn visit www.rayburn-web.co.uk

Just to say...

Your parcel arrived safely this morning I was very impressed with the way everything was wrapped I am thrilled with the wren box and the polish smells lovely. Thank you all at the shop for being so kind and I will certainly be keeping an eye on your interesting website and telling all my friends about it.

Thank you once again,
Barbara.

Enquire Within

Regular readers will know that Period Features is a stockist for Farrow & Ball paint and wallpaper. Farrow & Ball's traditional products are not something that you perhaps associate with hard wearing practicality so you might be surprised to learn that the range includes a wide selection of washable paint. When washability, stain and scuff resistance is required Farrow & Ball's Modern Emulsion is the perfect alternative to its Estate® Emulsion. With a slightly higher sheen Modern Emulsion is perfect for kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, children's rooms and other spaces with high traffic. Modern Emulsion comes in a wide palette of Farrow & Ball colours including all the most popular ones to provide you with period colour and modern practicality. What's more Farrow & Ball produces some of the most environmentally friendly paints available anywhere in the world. Unlike many other manufacturers, Farrow & Ball continues to use natural ingredients such as Linseed Oil and China Clay and does not use harmful ingredients such as ammonia and formaldehyde. VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) levels for most Farrow & Ball paints are so close to zero that the leading finishes, including Estate® Emulsion, Modern Emulsion, Estate® Eggshell and Exterior Masonry, are classified as 'Zero VOC' when tested to US Environmental Protection Agency standards.

The Farrow & Ball range can be selected and purchased at our shop in Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands where our knowledgeable staff is on hand to offer help and advice with your decorating problems. Alternatively, you can call us a few days in advance on 01538 372202 or email us at equiries@periodfeatures.net with your paint or wallpaper order and we can have it ready for you to collect. Alternatively, telephone us with your order and we will deliver it to your door for a nominal delivery charge.

Win A £25 Period Features Voucher!

This month we are giving away a £25 Voucher to spend on any of our lovely products, redeemable in store or online. Just answer one simple question and after the closing date of 30th November 2009, we will pick the winner at random from all the entries received.

To enter please take a look at our Toilet Roll Holders & Towel Rails which can be found in our Bathroom section then just answer the following question: What does our waxed pine toilet roll holder fondly known as 'Spend a Penny' come complete with? Email the answer to us at competition@periodfeatures.net. Good luck!

The lucky winner of our August/September competition, receiving a £25.00 voucher, was Stewart Rigby. Many thanks to all of you who entered.

Wonderful Websites

Blue Lotus Products sell simply delicious cakes for special diets. Their tempting range includes cakes suitable for vegans, vegetarians, those with food intolerances, food allergies and diabetes. If you know someone who follows a special diet or if you are expecting a guess for dinner or the weekend who avoids particular ingredients Blue Lotus can deliver an irresistible treat to your door for them. The cakes make great birthday cakes, luxurious anniversary, wedding or christening cakes and are a very thoughtful gift to send to people with special dietary needs. For more information visit www.bluelotusproducts.co.uk

Is your house overflowing with books? Do you find it hard to part with them? www.bookcrossing.com may be the answer that helps you to set your books free on a journey... bookcrossing gives you a way to share your books, clear your shelves and recycle all at the same time. You simply register your books online where they are given a unique bookcrossing identification number (BCID). This book number is then put inside the book - you can download free forms for this at the website or buy special book stickers if you prefer - and the book is 'set free' wherever you choose: a park bench, the gym, a garden centre, a café etc. The finder hopefully registers having found the book, reads it and passes it on or sets it free again. You can track your book's journey around the world and know that it has given lots of other people pleasure too. You can also register the book and give or send it to a friend who can then register it and pass it on or set it free. The bookcrossing website is a joy for booklovers with forums discussing books, bookcrossing groups to join and books to search for 'in the wild'. There are also official bookcrossing zones (OBCZ) in most cities where you can go to pick up a free book or to leave your own books for others to enjoy. Bookcrossing goes a long way to making its slogan 'making the whole world a library' a reality. Find out more at www.bookcrossing.com If you can't bear the thought of parting with any of your books then a new book by Leslie Geddes-Brown, Books Do Furnish a Room, may be perfect for you. With inspiration and advice for bibliophiles on displaying books throughout your house it would make a great gift for a booklover too. Published by Merrell it costs £24.95.

The BBC Good Food Shows are packed with top TV chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and James Martin, local and seasonal produce and hundreds of exhibitors bringing you tasty treats to try and to buy. Taking place in the run up to Christmas, the BBC Good Food Shows will bring you everything you need for wining, dining and entertaining during the festive season.

The BBC Good Food Show Scotland returns to Glasgow's SECC from the 30 Oct - 1 Nov celebrating 2009, 'the year of Scottish Homecoming.' Now in its third year, this Show is a firm fixture on the foodie map. With demonstrations from Scotland's very own Gordon Ramsay and local culinary experts, it's the best place to experience the great flavours of Scotland this autumn. MasterChef Live, a new BBC Good Food Show Production in partnership with one of Britain's most popular TV food programmes, MasterChef, will launch MasterChef Live at the BBC Good Food Show London, Olympia, 13 - 15 November. MasterChef Live will feature key elements from the TV programme, giving visitors the unique opportunity to have-a-go in interactive workshops, watch theatre sessions hosted by John Torode and Gregg Wallace; see past winners demo live; taste winning dishes in the MasterChef Restaurant and more. The original and the biggest - the BBC Good Food Show Birmingham - takes place from 25-29 November and will inspire and entertain with a great cast list including Jamie Oliver, James Martin and Gordon Ramsay in the Supertheatre sponsored by Sainsbury's plus Oz Clarke in the Drinks Theatre. Tasting workshops and hundreds of exhibitors are on hand to help visitors stock up on delicious food and drink for a fabulous festive season.

Advance tickets are available for all shows and offer a discount on the price on the day as well as a free showguide with recipes from the show. For more information visit www.bbcgoodfoodshow.com

Apple Day takes place this year on 21 October and aims to celebrate the 3,000 varieties of apple that have been grown in the UK and this most versatile of fruits. Promoted by the national charity Common Ground, which works to inspire people to take more responsibility for their localities, apple day was founded in 1990 and this year has inspired hundreds of events around the country where you can try different varieties of apples and enjoy apple juice, cider, talks about apples and bees and so much more. The serious message behind Apple Day is that we are still losing orchards at an alarming rate. Data from Natural England shows that the orchard area throughout England has declined by 63% since 1950. Wales lost 94% between 1958 and 1992. For some counties the impact is devastating. Devon lost 89% of its orchards between 1946-2003 and Kent 92% during the same period. In 2007 we imported nearly 70% of our apples (Defra Basic Horticultural Statistics 2008). Apples from the southern hemisphere and other far away places fill our supermarket shelves - even in autumn, the height of our apple season. For more information on Apple Day and a list of events in your region visit www.commonground.org.uk

One Last Thing

Every day at our lovely shop in Leek is like Christmas come early as we receive all our new stock for the winter/Christmas season. You can see some of the new items on our online shop page under 'recently added products' but here's a sneak preview of the things to look out for over the next few weeks:

A new blacksmith range of cast iron hooks made by a small British company
Fikkerts gardening scrub and soap - a really lovely range that would make a great gift for the keen gardener
Stones furniture cream
New stock of a wide range of mechanical wind up toys - perfect for older children and the young at heart

However, not all of our products are on the website but you are most welcome to visit our lovely shop in the small market town of Leek, on the edge of the Peak District. We have worked hard to recreate a traditional Victorian ironmonger, with its original shop fittings and authentic atmosphere. We are open from 10 am to 5 pm, Mon to Sat.

As ever, if you have any comments on this newsletter, top tips you would like to share with us or suggestions of great websites please do contact us.Email us at One Last Thing

Kind regards,

Suzy Dymock, Proprietor

Once again we have a range of soft furnishings in stock, from traditional picnic rugs to throws of various designs and colourways. The new range can be found in recently added products section of our online shop These throws make perfect autumn/winter accessory for your home or to give as a gift.
Prices range from £14 - £49.

This Art Nouveau brass fingerplate is a much sought-after classic design dating from 1908. It is just right for late Victorian and Edwardian settings and perfect for any interiors with an Art Nouveau influence. These plates also look wonderful in modern buildings (as long as the door frames are wide enough to take them). It measures approximately 25.7cm x 7.7cm and is unlacquered. It is priced individually at £26.00 and is also available in nickel at £34.00.


	Season's tips If you are looking to cut your electricity bills an electricity monitor such as the OWL Wireless Energy Meter will show you the savings possible from turning something off completely compared with leaving it on standby. You can see how much you could save by changing your habits over a period of a year. Find out more at theowl.com

Among several new books in stock is this one giving lots of practical advice on starting your own garden farm. Follow author Karen Nethercott down the muddy path from suburbia to a Norfolk smallholding. Contains bucolic drawings by Gabrielle Stoddart. 30 pages.
Price £6.50.

This pretty wall tealight holder has a cast metal motif mounted on distressed painted wood. It measures 11.5cm square and the votive is approx. 7cm x 6.5cm. Priced at just £8.00 it would make a lovely and inexpensive gift.


	Season's tips The demand for green technology such as solar panels, heat pumps and wind turbines looks set to increase from next April when the Government introduces Fee-in-Tariffs (FiT) which promise above market rates for renewable energy sold back to the national grid. Tax incentives are also on offer for some renewable energy products and, of course, there are savings to be made on utility bills. However, the initial cost of installation can still be very high compared with the returns. britisheco.com gives a breakdown of costs and helps you to calculate how much you can save if you switch to renewable products.

This rustic cast iron hook board has a stained wooden backplate with two hooks. It measures 20cm long by 12cm and protrudes 10cm from the wall and costs £15. A three hook board is available in the same style priced at £19.

Here's something you will rarely see these days! These 'Lion Brand donkey stones' were originally used in the textile mills of Yorkshire and Manchester, to provide a non-slip surface on greasy stone staircases. Later, proud housewives took to 'stoning' their front doorsteps, which became a form of decoration and great competition between the women. Eli Whalley ceased production of these stones in 1979. The Lion brand trademark was taken from a photograph of a live specimen in Belle Vue Zoo! Each stone measures 7cm x 2.5cm approximately and is slightly imperfect. Donkey stones will bring back many memories for older friends and relatives especially if combined with a block of our carbolic laundry soap - the scent of many a childhood! These little blocks of social history may be of interest for school projects too or for discussion sessions in residential homes for the elderly. Only available while stock lasts and priced at £4.00.

Perfect for adding atmosphere during the autumn and winter months are these classic church candles. They are handmade in the UK to the highest standards and available in three different sizes: 4" x 4" (burn time 80 hours) and 3" x 8" (burn time 100 hours) both priced at £12.65 each and 4" x 8" (burn time 120 hours) at £18.00. A group of these candles makes a stunning display for any home or lovely gift.

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17 Broad Street, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 5NR
Tel: 01538 372202 Fax: 01538 384682 Email: enquiries@periodfeatures.net