Last evening, I watched several parts of the series from Masterpiece Theatre DOWNTON ABBEY. Maggie Smith is outstanding. During the series, TEA plays an important part in the life of the noble family in this series. When Maggie Smith was making tea in the movie, she did it exactly as my grandmother and great grandmother used to do. My grandmother used her silver hot water kettle on her tea table. She poured a bit of hot water into her teapot to heat up the porcelain; she put that hot water into her “slop” bowl. Then she put two spoons full of her favorite blend of Twinning Tea into the pot and added further hot water. After the tea had steeped, she elegantly poured the tea through a Georgian silver tea strainer into one of her fine Derby or Rockingham teacups. She always asked if her guest liked their tea white. Did they wish sugar. This was a ritual that was so much a part of her life; watching Maggie Smith in DOWNTON ABBEY was exactly like watching my own grandmother.
I am posting images of my great grandmother’s 1865 tea service with a beautiful gilt tea leaf motif. The service has two teapots, two sugar canisters, one creamer, and one slop bowl. She used her mother’s Rockingham dessert plates with beautiful Irish scenes which were made at the very high quality Rockingham Porcelain company about 1820.
My great grandmother’s grandmother had a Worcester Bar Flight and Bar 1800 tea service which has been in our family for 210 years. Every piece is marked BFB. This is obviously a very important family heirloom. I love the shape of the Regency pot and slop bowl and stand. There are 8 cups and saucers and 9 tea bowls without handles, but with deep saucers. My grandmother told me that these two styles of tea cups and tea bowls indicate that the service was used during a transitional period when people drank tea in two different ways. The luncheon service that was used by this ancient family member is an 1805 Derby “Japan Pattern” service. I think it is absolutely exquisite and feel very lucky to have had it in my family for all these years and now in my care. I am taking these photos of the tea services on my grandmother’s satinwood 1928 grand piano where the china has been off and on for a very long time.
I loved watching DOWNTON ABBEY and the various gatherings where tea was offered. The series made me think of my grandmother’s stories told to me when I was very young. England and its tea rituals are an historic part of English life. There is a great tradition, and the English take their tea very seriously. The Queen has her own special blend of breakfast tea. Queen Mary’s magnificent Georgian tea service was on exhibit at the Queen’s Gallery several years ago. King George III’s vermeil tea service has also been on exhibition. Extraordinary.
I hope you enjoy these images. I hope I have not bored you terribly. The tea ritual is very much a part of English life.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
http://www.londonconnection.com
