Hunting for Antique Household Items | England

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Sigh, this video reminded me of how much I missed flea markets and antique markets and markets in general. Just perusing is fun enough and the obligatory treat afterwards from one of the stalls, either to celebrate a good find or to make up for going home emptyhanded. 2022 maybe?

Edit: And I want another microscope I do not need.

👍︎︎ 3 👤︎︎ u/pixie_pie 📅︎︎ Aug 16 2021 🗫︎ replies

yay! Cesario!

👍︎︎ 2 👤︎︎ u/borgwardB 📅︎︎ Aug 16 2021 🗫︎ replies
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- Good morning, it is a merry Saturday in August, and I am headed up north today, to York specifically. Well actually to Wetherby specifically. I will be having a little bit of an upstate adventure as my New York trash brain *persists* on trying to call it. A good friend of mine actually runs antique fairs periodically here in England and I've done a couple of antique vlog adventures here on this channel before, but I have not, I don't believe been to an antique fair that is not located in a large city. So I thought this would be interesting to take you along with me because the prices will theoretically be a little bit more affordable. So, hold on I have to put you on a tripod, because this is heavy. Which also hypothetically means I will be able to potentially buy more things, which may be more interesting for you because I mean, I guess people like to see the treasures that have been obtained. I have made a list, actually I always have a list. This is a running list of general household items, as well as sewing tools, decoration bits, things that I would love to be able to find secondhand or antique. It's so easy to get distracted, but having a list of actual practical items that you need and that you will actually use is very useful. It is obviously not a guarantee that you will find everything that you're looking for at an antique fair. The experience itself tends to be a bit hit or miss depending on what the vendors are able to source and to find at the moment as well as how big the fair is, how many different vendors there are. Just having a little bit of a general guideline of things that I could use. So personally, for me that is sewing tools, not standard things like needles and thread, because I have so much of that, plenty of that. I have a couple of items that I actually need. I am working on a video which requires some practical tools that have to exist you know in the latter part of the 19th century. I also have a particular weakness for candlesticks. Yeah we're not going to talk about that because I have way too many. I'm like physically banned from buying candlesticks this trip. Hold me to that. (grand adventure music) (grand adventure music continues) (bells tolling) So I don't know about you, but I have what I like to call a little bit of a superpower. And I don't think it's terribly uncommon, especially amongst those of you who have found your way to this particular part of the internet. Every thing, every item, every candlestick, whether it's new or whether it's old, everything just has an energy to it. It has a life almost. I therefore like to treat the things that I have, that I possess, that I purchase, and that I come to own with a sort of respect. I like them to have a purpose, I like them to have a place, I like them to have a use. I don't want things to sit around just superfluously taking up space, looking like clutter, because when it looks like clutter, it sort of accrues a sort of disrespect. It is not a thing that you want in your space and therefore it makes me sad just to see it there knowing that it is not serving its best purpose in this world. So therefore I'd like to be careful that the things that I bring into my life are as useful and as at home as they can possibly be. That is one of the reasons why I think I'm so particularly drawn to old secondhand items that have been used, have been loved, and that need new homes. It makes me sort of stressed to think of the amount of stuff that is manufactured today and that is produced today and all of the things that just will not have loving homes, that will not be put to their best use or that will be used for a bit and then forgotten about or discarded. So I do endeavor within my daily life to try and obtain things as much as possible second hand or antique, which is why I particularly love antique fairs. I like to take responsibility for the things that I own thinking of myself as not a consumer of goods, apart from you know like food and soap and stuff that actually does get physically consumed. But things like candlesticks, clothes. You don't really consume this stuff until it starts to physically break down. Therefore rather than being a consumer, one is a caretaker of these items. I am the person placed in charge of taking care of this item for this portion of its life, until it is my turn to pass it on to its next caretaker who will give it the love, and the use and the attention that it deserves until it is time to be passed on to its next caretaker or until it is disintegrated beyond use. This is obviously a bit of an idealistic approach to consumerism, I suppose, because that doesn't always work out. It is something that I certainly strive for, but I do feel like having this sort of consciousness of a responsibility for the objects that we bring into our lives, like imagine if you had to be responsible for every single item, just in the same way that it comes into your life, you are the one who is responsible for ensuring that it is passed on to a useful secondary purpose. That is an enormously stressful thing to think about. And it is something that I think about quite a lot. It has stopped me from wanting to bring excess things into my life that I know I cannot responsibly dispose of when I know my own personal use and/or favor of them will fall away. So again, this is another thing that I particularly love about shopping secondhand and shopping at antique places is that I know that these objects already exist in the world. They are already objects that have been deemed things of value, things that are worth passing on to other people. First of all, it gives me a sense of security in knowing that I will be able to pass this on if I take good care of it, if I use it wisely and treat it well. There is also that particular thrill of hunting for an item that you know is not mass manufactured, that you cannot just go onto Amazon and purchase another one if you happen to lose it or break it. This thing took you, potentially if it's been on your to buy items lists for quite a while, it will be something that you have hunted for for a while or something that in finding it has built a sort of special story in your head. But knowing that this is a potentially one of a kind, irreplaceable item just makes it all that more special and therefore not something that I'm likely to treat as something of lesser value, something that is disposable or replaceable. This item has carved out its little place of importance and I don't know if that warrants an element of respect almost. (gentle music) It is haul time. We will start with the perhaps less interesting things or the most least interesting thing, but I bought a few glass bottles. This I actually needed for a video. It was an item on my list, particularly to get a corked bottle, which I guess is a thing you shall find out anon. This was an excellent find, it was two pounds. These bottles tend to be very inexpensive. Well they can be very expensive, but you can also find them quite cheaply. This will serve its purpose as well as just serve some good visual interest when it is finished serving its video purpose. This is an old chemists bottle. It definitely needs a good wipe down, but that is a thing that I will do. I may put stuff in here, I may not put stuff in here, but I do now at this point have a mantle piece that requires decorating like a Victorian apothecary. I found this fun little chatelaine which I positively adore. This has been on my item list of things to find for many a years. This I do so adore and I will probably fill it with a bunch of stupid and completely anachronistic items, such as SD cards, things that I need to reach for quite frequently in my sewing whilst filming life, which I think is a fabulous nod to history meets the modern world. Just that little bit of magic of bringing the past into the future, proving that the methods and the techniques, and the strategies and the materials of the past are still extremely relevant and useful to us in the present. Oh, this was an extremely exciting find when I saw this. It actually had a hat sitting on top of it, so I didn't recognize it initially, but when I did see it, I thought, "this is a thing that I very much need." I mean, just in my normal everyday life, I need one of these, but finding an antique one is even better. This is a hem marker. This is a thing that sits on the floor. As you can see, the inches measure up, so you measure up, you know, however high you want your hem to be. You can adjust the little slidey thing. And then a little piece of chalk sits in here. This chalk is obviously very old, so it will not work. I am going to do a little bit of experimenting to find out if I can and should replace the chalk with something that will actually work so that I can use it. That is the intent, but I do not want to compromise the original functionality and legacy of this antique piece. That is sort of always a balancing act when buying and using antique items is to what extent can you use them without damaging them for further people and of course how much of your use is actually playing into the legacy and the story of the piece. Items shouldn't become not useful when they reach a certain age, unless they are degrading and falling apart and therefore the history of them is at risk of being lost to future generations. But if they are still useful, I do think we should still use them. There's no point in having items floating around this world that are just there. So I am going to endeavor to see if I can prise this apart. I will save the chalk, I will keep the chalk near to this, just so that, that history is still there, it's in one piece, it can be reassembled in its historical method and passed on whenever this is ready to leave me. And of course the next caretaker of this item can have that history, just as I have had, I think that's kind of magical. So this hem marker will probably be getting a little bit of use as well as a little bit of investigation and study. I have two more items that I've purchased. One of which I am unrealistically excited about, and one which is objectively extremely exciting, but which is not the thing that I'm most excited about. So we're gonna start with that latter thing. This is the thing that is objectively exciting. This, friends, is a Victorian microscope. And the most exciting thing is it actually works. You can actually look through it and see stuff. It's missing its plate on the bottom. Sometimes it is useful to look at fabrics and fibers of clothes. (quiet gasp of wonder) There is a piece of hair wedged into the screw in the back here and I'm wondering who this belonged to. I do have a little magnifying thing that assists with looking at fibers up close. I also have a digital microscope, which I use plugged into a computer. As you can see, it's not electric, obviously because it is 19th century. So in order to get that light that has to shine through the bottom of it, they've actually put a mirror right here that reflects the light in and then up into the lens that you can actually see what you're looking at. This is so cool. So simultaneously this will make fantastic practical use, occasionally, you know for the occasion that I actually do need to use microscope, but additionally, it will make fantastic decoration. And that is kind of a thing that I am most attracted to in antiques and in home decor is filling my space, decorating my space with things that all have practical uses things that aren't just superfluous, but to have everything in your life be an item that has a story to it. It's got its own history, as well as the story of how you found it, how long you were looking for it, how you stumbled upon it. It's not a thing that you can just go on Amazon and purchase another one if you lose it, it has that intrinsic value to it. So this is definitely going to be an excellent addition to my life. The final item, is the thing I'm unrealistically, ridiculously excited about. I actually, I saw it early on in my antique find and I kind of walked by it, but I kind of knew I wanted to buy it. I did end up going back for it. I promise this is more than just a copper kettle, however beautiful this two-toned brass and copper kettle actually is, this friends is a copper kettle that sits on a little stand and it comes with its own little burner so that it keeps the kettle hot. Look at it, it's so cute. This is from approximately 1900, which is precisely my era of choice. So I just thought this would be an excellent little piece of decor to sit right next to my fireplace. Just for the LOLs I may experiment with this to see if I can get it to work, but the fireplace doesn't work anyway so why not play into the charade that there's actually something warm going on on that side of the room. (orchestral music) Antiquing is just so thrilling. Just the prospect of looking for one of a kind little treasures. Here is a literal piece of history that you can have. (orchestral music) That, I suppose, concludes my slight fan girling over old things of the day. But then again, I suppose that is what this entire channel is built upon. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little antiquing escapade and I shall see you anon in some future video. What could be more welcoming than coming home from a long day of antiquing adventures to a nice, fresh, home-cooked meal. Thankfully our sponsor for today's video has got us covered in that department. Hello Fresh is a fun and easy meal kit service that provides delicious seasonal recipes delivered right to your door. No more stressful meal planning or prepping, these delicious recipes can be cooked up in just around 30 minutes and their pre-portioned ingredient system means that there is little to no food wastage. I used Hello Fresh all the time in America, have recommended them to literally everyone I know IRL and so was most delighted to find that they also operate here in the UK. Hello Fresh knows that people are looking for more ways to avoid the oven in these here summertimes. So this year they're launching summer-only limited time recipes and specials. But year round they offer plenty of low cal, carb smart, vegetarian, and pescatarian options to suit a range of dietary preferences. We always go with the meals that offer the largest quantity of veg under strict instruction from the little Lord of this manor. Go to hellofresh.com and use my code Bernadette14 to get 14 free meals, including free shipping.
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Channel: Bernadette Banner
Views: 498,743
Rating: undefined out of 5
Keywords: antique hunting, antique hunting uk, antique shopping, antiques, apothecary, apothecary aesthetic, victorian antiques, wetherby, antique vlogs, antique haul, thrift haul, victoriana, bernadette banner, hellofresh
Id: I1unHb-ZKsI
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 15min 28sec (928 seconds)
Published: Sat Aug 14 2021
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