Thursday, November 3, 2011

My Rustic Crate from London...

I am so happy to share with you my latest garage sale find! 
This rustic crate was for sale on the side of the road and I just had to pick it up!
The stamp on the front reads "Harrods The Depositories, Barnes, London SW." 
Keep reading to hear more about the history of this crate...
Here are some pics of my new favorite things!








http://www.flickr.com/photos/kahmac/2613398458/

I've been doing some research to find out where this chest came from... "Harrod's Depositories, Barnes London" is stamped on the front. Here's what I've discovered so far... Click HERE to read the full article...
"The Harrods Depository is an absurdly grand building, given its use as a warehouse. Five storeys high, it was designed in the 1890s in neoclassical style by William Hunt, with elegant bands of brick and stone, faience tiling, ornate flourishes and two domed towers reminiscent of pavilions of the Indian raj. Construction began 1894 and was finally completed in 1913."
"A photograph of 1921 show the Depository with a riverside quay and cranes to load barges. As the wording on the façade declares ‒ Harrods Furniture Depository ‒ this vast space was primarily used to store large items of furniture, awaiting despatch to clients, or to the showrooms of the Harrods department store in the Brompton Road, Knightsbridge. The Depository was designed to reflect (but not outdo) the grandeur of the mothership, which had been rebuilt in the 1880s following a fire that destroyed the original store – although its distinctive terracotta façade was not added until 1901–5"
http://www.storage.co.uk/blog/2011/03/storage-history-the-harrods-depository/
The lady I bought it from (for a super cheap!!) didn't know anything of its past history. It was shipped from Barnes, London at some point that seems clear. I'd love to know the story and the history of what was contained inside and where this classic crate came from. For now, its sitting at the end of our bed. I think it is really special and I'm so excited to have found it!!

What do you think? Does anyone know more about Harrods Depository? Anyone have a similar crate?

I'm linkin' up...


Savvy Southern Style




Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special
A Marvelous Mess






HOG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lUo9vFcqG2E/TriQ8vOYJxI/AAAAAAAAQCo/qoGn1mLZEEQ/s1600-h/beforeAndAfterButton%25255B3%25255D.gif
Posted by at
Labels: ,

11 comments:

  1. BethanyNovember 3, 2011 at 2:15 PM

    So cool! My mom loves finding the history of her items out, I should do this with my stuff!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JennNovember 6, 2011 at 1:22 AM

    What a fabulous find!! I never seem to come across items that are both cool and inexpensive! Thanks for sharing at The Creative Spark. I'll be featuring this tomorrow. Enjoy your Sunday!
    Jenn :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. ANNENovember 6, 2011 at 4:54 AM

    Love your crate & what a little darling is sitting on it!!!

    xox

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dana @ CraftedNiche.comNovember 6, 2011 at 7:26 PM

    This crate is GORGEOUS! What an amazing find. I'm so incredibly jealous. :-) And such a CUTIE sitting on it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Courtney ~ French Country CottageNovember 10, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    So darling- would love for you to come share this at Feathered NEst Friday at my blog sometime-up right now and going on all weekend! Now following you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. micheleNovember 10, 2011 at 7:54 PM

    what a find!

    michele

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mary @ Sea QuiltsNovember 11, 2011 at 2:51 PM

    Clearly ... you are going to different garage sales than I am. That's a once in a lifetime find!

    Thank you for sharing it ~
    Mary @ Sea Quilts

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownNovember 14, 2011 at 6:45 PM

    Very cute! I like your style, would love for you to come visit me at Rustic Cottage Interiors!! I am your newest follower!
    xoxo
    Stefani

    ReplyDelete
  9. frugal-interior-designNovember 15, 2011 at 9:31 AM

    Absolutely love this crate. I could see it fitting in nicely with the other vintage boxes, chests and trunks I currently have in use around my home.

    ReplyDelete
  10. LaurenNovember 24, 2011 at 7:39 PM

    Ohhh now that is a gorgeous crate! Such a great find! Thanks for sharing!

    Lauren @ www.fromourhidingplace.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dara PeringFebruary 13, 2012 at 4:42 AM

    I know a little bit about your crate. Harrods is a very famous department store in London, the equivalent of Macy's in New York. It's been a tourist favourite for Americans coming to visit London since the late 1800's. Items from Harrods were often seen as a luxury back in the States, a sign of wealth and social position, bragging rights for the aristocracy. They ran things a bit like the Sears catalogue, you could order things from the store and have them shipped back on the steam liner with you, without the trouble of having to carry your shopping yourself.

    I found this interesting article about the history of the depositories, and it seems to infer that this particular warehouse was used as a place for Brits to store their furniture and belongings while they travelled abroad, they often rented out their homes while they travelled, so this would make sense. As well as storage for larger items that couldn't be taken to the main department store in Knightsbridge. Here's the link. http://backehansen.homesandproperty.co.uk/2010/06/the-history-of-harrods-village.html

    As for the contents of your crate or how it made it across the pond, it's a mystery. I suspect that it was one of two things, the crate was used to ship something for an American customer directly from the warehouse, or someone acquired the crate second-hand and then used it to send something across, there was a lot of emigration to America and Canada at the time. Either way it's a true piece of history and in incredible condition, a fantastic find!

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your feedback and get to know you better! Leave a comment!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)