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It’s Wombat Friday!

14th August 2015

Gabriel Rossetti famously loved animals. So much in fact, that he bought a wombat from Charles Jamrach’s shop, on the Ratcliffe Highway in East London, which was the largest exotic pet shop in the world at this time. Jamrach became the leading importer, breeder and exporter of animals and sold them all around the world to zoos, menageries and noblemen. If you are reading this and are wondering why such shops don’t exist anymore, this story (as well as the obvious animal abuse issues) might shed some light on it! In 1857, a Bengal tiger escaped, and chose a nine year old passing boy to pick up and carry off, until Jamrach forced his hands down the tiger’s throat to force him to let the boy go. The boy was awarded £300 in damages after the incident- but the bronze statue near the entrance to Tobacco Dock commemorates the tiger’s adventures!

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Flora the Wombat leaving Wightwick Manor!

Living in Chelsea with a variety of animals including kangaroos, a racoon, a deer, owls, peacocks, a zegu, two laughing jackasses and many more, let to quite a few noise complaints by his neighbours, who weren’t amused about his ever growing collection of exotic animals. Rossetti had two wombats, the famous Top was one of them, he didn’t live long due to Rossetti not knowing how to care for such animals, whom is rumoured to have died as a result of eating Rossetti’s expensive cigars.

We named our Wombat Flora. Wightwick manor had been decorated with Morris interiors, and his contemporaries from the Arts and Crafts movement, by Theodore and Flora Mander, and we therefore thought it a fitting name!

 

 

 

 

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Flora exploring the beautiful gardens at Wightwick Manor!

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Flora packing her bags to come home with us!

(Lots of information on Rossetti and his exotic animals can be found here)

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For the keen baker or chef, a beautiful oven glove is such a perfect Christmas gift 🫶🏻🎄 This is our beautiful William Morris Daisy design ✨
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Black Friday Giveaway! ✨ We thought we’d do a fun little giveaway of a bundle of half metres of our licensed William Morris fabrics to celebrate there being 20% off our entire website for Black Friday! 🤎 Whether you want to win them to create some beautiful crafts or to give to your favourite quilter and crafter this Christmas, we hope you enter! 🎄

To enter, just:
- make sure you’re following us
- like this post
- tag everyone you think would love this prize (every comment is an entry)
- for an extra entry, share on your stories

Winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday 4th December so be quick to enter! 🫶🏻

What’s included; a half metre of Blue Strawberry Thief, Pimpernel Green, Willow Bough blue, Sweet Briar, Brother Rabbit blue and Daisy, all cotton fabric 🪡🧵
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We made these little Christmas trees using our Morris fabrics a few years ago and this year altered them from a garland to ornaments for our tree 🎄 Aren’t they so cute, they add so much colour ✨
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We love the idea of setting the table with a little stocking gift hanging from everyone’s chair ✨ 
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On the table; William Morris Mallow Wine pvc fabric and matching napkins ✨
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