Rare Antique Victorian Mauchline Ware Needle Case Abbey Church, Bath C1870

Rare Antique Victorian Mauchline Ware Needle Case Abbey Church, Bath.

Here on offer is a rare antique Victorian Mauchline ware needle case featuring Abbey Church, Bath.

The production of box ware or Mauchline ware took place from the 1820s until 1933 by W&A Smith. These boxes have always been extremely collectable and range from basic transfers to views of the place of purchase, from vases to boxes. The views ranged across the whole country and included tartan ware and later fernware was introduced. The items are almost exclusively made using sycamore wood. The products were so successful that they were sent all around the world. The factory was destroyed by a fire in 1933, production was never restarted.

In 675 Osric, King of the Hwicce, granted the Abbess Berta 100 hides near Bath for the establishment of a convent. This later became a Benedictine monastery, established in 757, very little is known about its practices, design or even precise location. After the 1066 Norman invasion, William Rufus granted the management of the city of Bath to royal physician, John of Tours, who became Bishop of Wells and Abbot of Bath. He transferred the bishopric to Bath, and embarked on an ambitious building program, with the completion of a grand cathedral towards the end of the 12th century. The church declined once the bishopric reverted to Wells in the 13th century, eventually the large and expensive-to-maintain building becoming derelict, and replaced by a smaller, more manageable structure in the 1500s, there are some Norman features remaining. Further substantial work occurred towards the end of the 16th century, after another period of abandonment following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when the old abbey was refurbished as a parish church by Elizabeth I, and completed around 1615. Amongst several subsequent renovations, the most extensive began in 1860, firstly under the guardianship of architect George Manners, who added the buttresses, pinnacles and parapets that adorn the exterior, and then by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the 1860s, who made many changes to the interior. This Victorian renovation renewed public interest and the Abbey Church became a tourist destination with souvenirs offered.

The beautifully made needle case has been decorated with an illustrated view of ‘Abbey Church, Bath’. The case is formed in the style of a book, the wooden case with a teal silk spine and lined with teal silk, with pockets to hold packets of needles and tabs to hold thread scissors. It also has gold coloured cotton velvet to hold loose needles and pins. The case is held closed by sliding a bodkin through the loops along the edge. The case retains the original bodkin and an empty needle packet.

The case has some minor wear.

The needle case is offered in good antique condition. It measures about 9.5cm by 6.6cm by 1.4cm.

A rare and delightful collectable.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition.

Thanks for looking and Happy Bidding!

Please ask if you would like me to look at cheaper delivery services.

I am always happy to combine postage, all I ask if you let me know if you are bidding on more than one item within a few days of each other. I will pack and weigh the items together and get the best possible price that I can, sometimes weight or value might dictate that I send multiple parcels to get a better value for you