We all love meeting new customers, especially if they are celebrating milestones with a visit to the Arcade.

Deb recently turned fifty (wouldn’t it be nice to be as young again?!) and chose to come down from London with a group of friends for the day. 

They spent a happy time with us looking in all the units before Deb decided to treat herself to some jewelllery.

Deb, the birthday girl, with Emma, with the pixie cut, Julia and Helen in the green coat.

They are a great group of girls who we hope we’ll see again soon!

Hungerford Arcade loves our celebrity visitors so we were particularly delighted when Clodagh McKenna Herbert popped in last week.  Even more so, when she posted a video of her visit on Instagram – our feed has been very busy with queries!

Clodagh was looking for items both for her home in London and for pieces to use to display food for her next book.  We had a lovely chat talking all things culinary and she passed on a recipe for a Frittart, which is really easy to make and delicious (See her Instagram page if you would like to try it).

From there, she went rummaging in Chula’s retro fashion unit 37, where she found this fabulous fake fur coat and vintage leather Kelly bag.  She plans to wear them at the Cheltenham Festival, which is on between 11th and 14th March, so watch out for her!

We look forward to welcoming her back soon.

We’ve had a really busy and fun-filled morning today. We were entertaining our good friends from SAS (Special Auction Services  www.specialauctionservices.com) for one of their regular charity Bargain Hunts in aid of the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service.

Today’s group was larger than usual with three experts and six competitors.  Thomas and Jessica Forrester and Neil Shuttleworth provided the expertise; each guiding two competitors in selecting pieces for a charity auction at SAS in Newbury on 5th November 2024.  We were kept on our toes, opening cabinets and contacting the dealers for them, as they aimed to get the most for their £300 stake money.

Neil Forrester with Debbie Tonkinson and Fiona Devine, one of the founders of the charity on the right.

Jessica Forrester with Ann Workman and Pauline Brown.

Thomas Forrester with Susan (aka Mona Lisa, by her husband!) and Michael Bruton.

The competitors bid for their places at the Heaven Sent Ball last May.  SAS always ensure that they have a memorable day.  They met in the Plume for coffee before coming over the road to us.  Afterwards, they went back for lunch where they compared notes on what they had all bought and speculated as to whose purchase would do best at the auction!

Thomas catching up with all the scuttlebutt with Frances Jones!

The Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service was founded in 2007 to provide a hospice service for children in Berkshire and the surrounding counties.  Set up by Fiona and John Devine to honour their son, Alexander, who sadly died, aged 8, after treatment for a brain tumour.  We are delighted to have been chosen by SAS (their charity partner) to do our bit to support this worthy cause.  Further information can be found at www.alexanderdevine.org

We are sometimes privileged at Hungerford Arcade to be part of the memorable moments in the lives of our customers.

One such occurred recently when Paula Dabovich and David Crone from Adelaide, Australia came to explore the Arcade as part of their trip.  They spent some time looking at rings from several cabinets and narrowed it down to two.  We were all asked our opinion as to which suited Paula more.  She finally chose this stunning ring which looked wonderful on her.

Before we knew it, David was down on one knee, holding the ring box!  It was a magical moment and we were so lucky to be part of it.  They very kindly let me take a photo of the happy occasion.

We are honoured that they chose to share a very special moment with us and wish them a long and happy life together.

The renovation of our cafe, now renamed Henry’s, is gathering speed before its re-opening under new management at the beginning of July. 

The impala that arrived on the same day as the buffalo (see ‘A Walk on the Wild Side’) has now been fixed above the stairs where he keeps a watchful eye on proceedings.

Adrian has been very busy installing display items and shelves and painting and, with the help of our friends Pete and Cameron from Pipes and Wires, the electricity supply has been upgraded and new lighting and an extractor fan installed. 

A pause for a cup of coffee!

The new lights are striking and really make a statement. They are particularly eye-catching when on and really add to the ambience.

A seriously heavy duty coffee machine has arrived and is ready to be moved to its final position.  We love that there are two coffee grinders and can’t wait to try it!

 ..and a noticeboard has been installed on the stairs leading to the mezzanine floor to tempt you with treats!

It’s all go here and that’s before we get started on the outside in the garden!  

I realise that taxidermy is not to everyone’s taste but one can appreciate the care and attention to detail that goes into preparing a piece.

This magnificent vintage buffalo head was recently brought into the Arcade, by Katya Pilkington of unit 123, with the intention of adding it to the display in the Square. 

However, before we could even install it, it was sold and we only had it for a couple of hours to appreciate!

Watching it being loaded into the car gives you some idea of its size.  I think Adrian may have been secretly relieved that he didn’t have to hoist it into position!

Taxidermy was developed in Ancient Egypt as a means of preserving pet animals and birds to be buried with their Pharoah.   After this, the use of spices and oils was used predominantly to preserve animal skins and hides for use as shelter, clothing and bedding.

It wasn’t until the Renaissance that there was a renewed interest in whole animals for people to view and for scientific study. One of the earliest examples was in the 1500s in the Royal Museum in Florence, where there was a rhinoceros display for people to marvel at.

The British Museum contributed greatly to the development of modern taxidermy. By the late 1700s it had acquired the world’s largest collection of animal skins, skeletons and specimens. The life-like animal displays probably reached their apotheosis in 1851 with the displays for the Great Exhibition.