Lowestoft soft-paste porcelain: 1756-1801.

Map of Lowestoft in Suffolk,

facing Amsterdam across the North Sea.

A few years ago I asked my students to select an article on Lowestoft porcelain and they thought Antiques Trade Gazette to be particularly helpful.

Clay was found on the Gunton Hall Estate near Lowestoft in Suffolk in 1756, leading to a partnership of local men that established the first Lowestoft porcelain company, then known as Walker & Co. Records show that their distinctive blue and white hand-painted porcelain was highly successful, even though the East Anglian fishing port (see map) was far away from the oth­er centres of C18th porcelain production like London, Staf­f­ordshire or Liverpool.

The ceramic body was made from soft paste, using local clay and bone ash. Clearly the founders aimed to produce useful rather than purely orn­amental wares for local consumption: tea bowls and saucers, small cream boats, mugs, jugs, tea pots and pickle leaves. At first the de­coration was only in under glaze blue; it consisted, like other early English factories, of Chinese-inspired painted landscapes or simple floral motifs. Lowestoft soon added inscribed legends in blue then, from the 1770s, in poly­chrome enamels.

Lowestoft flask, c1780
14cm tall high
from the Geoffrey Godden collection,
sold for £24,000 at Bonhams

By the 1780s one of the factory's specialities was producing special commissions made to com­memorate a special birth or marriage; the pieces were inscribed with the recipient's name and event date. And occasionally there would be a view of a local land­mark. This meant that while Lowestoft porcelain was often unmarked, an unusually high proportion of the pieces were documentary. The Lowestoft busin­ess plan worked; the factory turned out tableware and a handful of small animals for 40+ years! It closed in 1801.

Despite that long production run, Lowestoft was a small business compared to Worcester, but enough of their porcelain has survived to make it worth collecting. Amongst the best known of the collections are the Russell Colman Collection of the local mustard-making family sold in 1948; the Peter Scully Collection, sold in 2008 at Lowestoft auctioneers Russell Sprake, and the Paul Collection formed between the 1930s and 1950s by a local family which sold at Bonhams in 2010.

At auction the top-priced Lowestoft pieces have been inscribed pieces: birth tablets, named and dated mugs, or the blue and white and polychrome painted mugs and inkwells famously inscribed A Trifle from Lowestoft. If the piece was painted with a rare local view, especially by the painter Thomas Allen, it sold particularly well. In 2010, £24,000/USA$38,000 was paid at Bonhams for a very rare flask from the Godden collection that displayed a local shipbuilding scene (see photo above).

Even more expensive was the £30,000/USA47,000 paid at Russell Sprake in 2011 for a guglet/carafe and basin painted in blue with various scenes around the town and coast (see photo below). The charming simplicity and functionality of this set was later added to by artist Robert Allen. His images of St Margaret's Church, the harbour and the town's roads gave great local appeal.

Lowestoft guglet and basin 1764-5,
23cm high
sold for £30,000 at Russell Sprak
This was a world record price for a piece of Lowestoft porcelain at the time.

Readers can examine a special birth tablet that Bonhams in London auctioned in May 2011. It was a circular shape with a raised rim. On one side was inscribed 'SS 1789' Samuel, son of Samuel and Ann Spurgeon, born Nov 1789. It was flanked by stylised florets, within a leafy floral garland, pierced for suspension. On the reverse side, painted in blue were two pagodas on an island, flanking a tall flowering plant, within a border of cross-hatching and scrollwork. The tablet came from The Paul Collection and had been sold at Sotheby's in Feb 1935. It was later exhibited in the Lowestoft China Bicentenary Exhibition 1957. A separate group of three Lowestoft birth tablets (dated 1790, 1792 and 1794) was sold in Bonhams London in Dec 1996.

tulip painter jug, by C.E Heanan, 1776

sold for : £12,000 at Russell Sprake

Peter Scully Collection

Two other sources of information are the catalogue from the 1957 Lowestoft Bi-centenary Exhibition held at Ipswich Museum, and the book Lowestoft Porcelain by Geoffrey Godden, Antique Collectors' Club, 1985.

Melbourne synagogue fire: brutal anti-semitism.

A large blaze engulfed the very religious Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea in Melbourne’s south-east on Friday morning, and is being treated as a deliberately lit fire.

The Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea.

There were no guards at the front entrances

Adass men at prayer on a normal day

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, visited the scene on Friday afternoon, saying she was disgusted by the attack as she pledged $100,000 for rebuilding work at the synagogue. Allan was joined by members of Victoria’s Jewish community as she spoke at the synagogue on Friday. She said she stood with the community on one of their darkest days in Melbourne, condemning the hateful and violent act. What else is an attack on a synagogue other than an act of anti-semitism? Asked if the incident was domestic terrorism, Allan said police were not ruling anything out.

Allan said every available resource would be deployed to find these criminals who tried to tear a community apart. We stand with the Adass Israel congregation who are heart broken. We stand with the entire Jewish community who have every right to go to shule, pray openly and be proud of who they are – without fearing personal crises. And we stand against anti-semitism, now and for ever.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the suspicious fire at Adass as a deliberate, unlawful attack, saying anti-semitism has no place in Australia. In his statement, the prime minister said he unequivocally condemned the attack. I have zero tolerance for anti-semitism. It has absolutely no place in Australia. This violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage, Albanese said. This attack has risked lives and is clearly aimed at creating fear in the community. He said counter-terror police were involved in the investigation. Police say two people were seen spreading accelerant inside Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea There are two persons of interest who were there and were witnessed using accelerant and then spreading it with a broom, clearly designed to maximise the damage that could occur, he said.

Fire still out of control

Firemen having the fire under control

Front door closed off,

What remains of the synagogue interior

The Age

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton said the shocking attack was predictable amid a rise in anti-semitism in Australia. To see the firebombing of a synagogue, a place of worship, is something that is not welcome and has no place in our country whatsoever, he told reporters.

Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann said two thugs broke the synagogue’s windows, outrageously threw fuel on the floor and set it alight as people were preparing to pray very early Friday. Tonight is the Sabbath, we must all go and find a sense of calmness, camaraderie and community by gathering for the sabbath tonight and praying together as one community.

Det Insp Chris Murray, Arson and Explosive Squad, confirmed a witness who had entered the synagogue for morning prayers had seen two masked individuals inside. He said the police had yet to identify the accelerant that was used. Murray said one witness was injured. He said police wanted to assure the community they were treating the incident absolutely seriously as he stressed patrols in the area would be ramped up. He was there to give that reassurance to the community that they will do everything to bring these individuals before the courts, he told reporters.

Murray said he believed the incident was captured on CCTV, but footage had not been obtained. Police are urging anyone with CCTV and dashcam Stoppers to come forward since they were looking for vehicles, and for the two individuals. He said the motive behind the attack was unclear and that they needed some starting points. Other viewers thought the motives were clear.

Victoria’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Brayden Sinnamon, said the building was fully involved in the fire since the synagogue had sustained significant damage and crews had to use breathing apparatus. 60 fire fighters and 17 fire trucks were called to the synagogue at about 4.10 am.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s president, Daniel Aghion, said it was a tragic day. We have been warning about the risk of this since last year 7 October, he said. There is absolutely no way that any rational person can justify what has happened here. The Jewish Community Council of Victoria’s chief executive, Naomi Levin, said the incident was not just a crime against a place of worship, but an affront to the values of religious tolerance. Synagogue Board Member Benjamin Klein told Channel 9 that the men had just wanted to pray in peace.

Thank you to The Guardian Fri 6 Dec 2024.

Rhodes Scholarship - wish I won one.

Established through the Will of Cecil John Rhodes of the diamond company De Beers in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship was a very progressive project in the new century. 120+ years later, the Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most respected international scholarship programme anywhere, enabling talented young people around the world to undertake full-time postgraduate study at Oxford Uni.

Rhodes House, Oxford

built 1926

The reputation as the world's most famous academic scholarship rests not on the life of founder Cecil Rhodes, but on the enormous contributions scholarship-holders later made to the world. Thus the ideal personal and academic qualities (listed below) remain as important as ever. Not surprisingly, Oxford scored first in the Times Higher Education rankings each year from 2016-24 .

One of the founding aims of the Scholarship was to identify young leaders from around the world who, through being educated together at Oxford, would create long term links of mutual understanding and fellowship for the betterment of the world.

The following criteria were used to select Rhodes Scholars:
1.literary and scholastic excellence, intellectual distinction;
2.energy to fully use one's talents where teamwork is involved by mastery in areas like sports, music, debate, dance, theatre and arts;
3.courage, devotion to duty, protection of the weak, unselfishness and focus on public service; and
4.moral instincts to lead fellow humans.

When students from around the world came together in a shared spirit, the excitement began. The Rhodes Scholarship was a life-changing opportunity, starting when applications (aged only from 18-24) for each Rhodes Scholarship open early in each northern academic year. Today 100 scholarships a year cover all fees and a stipend for 2-3 years, with 300+ scholars in residence in Oxford at one time.

Each year, 9 Rhodes Scholarships are available for outstanding Australians to study at Oxford, each state offering one scholarship, awarded by a formal selection committee. Rhodes Scholars here have achieved distinction as politicians, academics, scientists and doctors, authors, entrepreneurs and Nobel Prize winners. Australia’s most famous winner was Howard Florey (1898-1968) received his medical training at the University of Adelaide and at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. This pharmacologist won a Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine in 1945 for isolating and purifying penicillin, shared with Alexander Fleming and German biochemist Ernst Boris Chain. Other Rhodes scholars became heads of state or heads of government, including Prime Ministers Tony Abbott, Bob Hawke and Malcolm Turnbull, and Deputy Prime Minister Kim Beazley.

Howard Florey

There is a yearly total of 32 Rhodes Scholarships for the U.S, covering the 50 states and its territories like American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. The Scholarships in the U.S are administered by 16 regional selection committees, each awarding 2 scholarships. Three scholars are elected from New Zealand each year; 8 Scholarships every year for South Africans; and 5 scholarships available yearly for India. In Canada 3 scholarships go to the Prairie Region; and 2 each to Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. Israeli scholars have two scholarships available each year, but with one key difference. The maximum age for Israeli applicants is 27, to allow Israelis to finish their 3 years’ compulsory national service before starting university. In 1977, women were finally admitted to the full scholarship and since 2018 students from anywhere in the world can apply; the competition is now more vigorous!

Now for a more detailed look at a specific scholarship winner. After finishing San Mateo High School Cal in 1954, Kris Kristofferson (1936–2024) enrolled at Pomona College Cal, hoping to become a writer. He studied writing under Dr Frederick Sontag, who encouraged him to apply for a Rhodes scholarship. He graduated in 1958 and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, allowing him to study British literature at Oxford earning a Masters. I am not surprised that he wrote stories and examined the works of William Blake. But I had no idea he began writing songs during his time in Oxford. At the same time he began his performing career and he was also awarded a University Blue for boxing and played rugby.

                      

Australian prime ministers: Bob Hawke (L) and Malcolm Turnbull (R)

His studies may have demanded his total attention but Kris continued to play sports and pursue music, all while studying literature. Perhaps he read that the criteria which determined Rhodes Scholars included the mastery of areas such as sports and music.He graduated from Merton College Oxford, in 1960 and returned to the U.S. Followed in his father's footsteps, Kris served in the Army and eventually becoming a helicopter pilot and Captain. He graduated Airborne School, Ranger School and Flight Schools, served in Germany, and volunteered for Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, but instead was offered a Professor of English Literature position at USMA West Point. Disappointed that he was not allowed to fight in Vietnam, he resigned his position in 1965 and pursued songwriting. This surprised me since every male I knew in the last 1960s went into hiding, if they were conscripted into the Australian Army. In '65 Kris was commissioned to teach literature at West Point but ended up choosing Nashville, to pursue a music career instead. He got a janitor job in Nashville studios where he met Johnny Cash, who initially took some of his songs. So I know a lot of the music where Kristofferson changed the face of Country Music back then eg

Me and Bobby McGee (1970)
(Written by Kristofferson and sung by Janis Joplin)

Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no-no
And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues

You know feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.

Rippon Lea, Victorian estate & gardens

Ripponlea Mansion was built for Frederick Sargood (1834-1903), a man who became rich selling soft-goods on the Vict­orian goldfields, wife Marian and 9 children. The proper­ty design­ed by Joseph Reed, Melb­ourne's most important architect then. Rippon Lea was built when there was much weal­th in Victoria from the gold boom. This led to the building of many orn­ate mansions in Melb­ourne and rural areas, called the Vict­or­ian Ital­ian­ate style. Sarg­ood was a pract­ical Victorian, laying a sop­his­ticated und­er­gr­ound wat­ering system for the house which had its own el­ectric­ity sup­­ply and internal toil­ets. Sargood was very int­erested in orchids and ferns, so his water and drain­age system made the gardens thrive.

 The mansion had 15 rooms when the Sargoods moved in. Plus 7 maids, but­ler, 7 gardeners, coachman and a gr­­­oom. The garden was complex, includ­ing a large lake, large shrub­ber­ies and fl­ower gardens, orchards of his­t­orical fruit var­iet­ies, a fern­ery and rose gardens.

Rippon Lea

Wiki

In 1868 Sargood bought 27 hectares of scrub to establish his dream home and garden. In 1869 construction began on the 2-storey, 15 room mansion made from polychrome brickwork. This was a new material then when most import­ant Victoria build­ings were built in stone or stuc­coed brick. The ground floor had the draw­ing & dining rooms, study and breakfast room. An unusual design feature was an out­door pavil­ion adja­cent to the dining room. On the 1st floor were 6 bedrooms, dres­sing room, nursery, earth closet and 2 bathrooms! In an adj­acent sin­gle storey wing was a gun­room, maid's room and day nursery for the 12 children.

Frederick Sargood

Victoria’s first Minister for Defence

Rippon Lea Estate

Sargood entered the Victorian Legislative Council in 1874 and was a member for 23 years. Sadly Marian Sargood died delivering her 12th baby in 1878, so Frederick took the family and 3 staff to Britain, retur­n­ing to Australia in late 1882. In 1883 he rejoined Parliament and became Victoria’s first Minister for Defence.

Meanwhile Sargood had remar­ried and had another child, so the Melb­ourne property had to be well renovated; he made changes and additions that refl­ect­ed his incr­ea­sed wealth. The dining room was extend­ed, a 2nd floor was added to the rear wing, a tower was built, the kit­ch­ens were remod­el­led and a veranda was added to the west front. Buil­ding be­gan on a new, enlarged fernery. The drainage system was ext­end­ed and the gard­ens re-designed in a less formal style.

Although he used different architects over a 30-year period, the style used was unusually consis­tent. In 1897 the house was renovated, the front entrance being rem­od­elled into its present form. Many of the decor­at­ive features from that era remain eg the office was ad­ded and the dining room was redecor­ated. The house that had had 6 bed­rooms now had 11, some for the staff, as was a large bathroom. Rippon Lea was used as an enter­tainment place for 500+ people, including over­seas dig­nitaries. Sar­good was knight­ed in 1890. His business cont­in­ued prosp­ering in Aust­ralia and New Zealand, and he was elected to the first Aust­ral­ian Senate in 1901. While on a trip to N.Z he became ill, dying in Jan 1903. That year Rippon Lea was sold for £20,000 by Sargood's widow who took her daughter back to Britain  permanently. 

Lounge room

behance

Ballroom

polka dot Wedding

A syndicate headed by Victorian Premier Thom­as Bent, bought the estate and furniture, but Bent never liv­ed there. He used Rippon Lea for enter­tain­ing and ch­ar­ity events, then he began subdividing and selling off some of the land. Bent was forced from political office in 1908, dying in 1909 while un­der invest­igation for involve­ment in land scandals.

In 1910 the property was bought by Benjamin Nathan, a man wealthy from the furniture business, own­ing 15 Maples Furniture and Music Shops in 2 states. He moved to Rippon Lea with his wife and daugh­t­ers, returning the house to a family home. A private entrance lodge was built off Hoth­am St so he could continue to use the house for charity events eg in aid of WWI-related caus­es. Nathan intro­duced more native plants into the large garden, employing 15 gardeners, and building a large conservatory and 14 glass­houses. Nathan died in 1935, leaving it all to a daughter.

 

Fernery

Rippon Lea Estate

View of the lawn and pleasure gardens from the veranda

Wiki

 

In 1921 daughter Louisa Nathan married lawyer Timothy Jones and had 4 child­ren together. She modernised the home via Hol­lywood films: a new kitchen built on the ground floor, the dining room remodelled, modern tiled bathrooms in­stalled, the original ball­room was replaced with a sw­imming pool and the billiard room be­came a new ballroom. The new en­t­ran­ce hall brought in more natural light. Turkish carpets were replaced by leaf-green ones, and the colour scheme softened. Rooms had an elegant neo-baroque style, again famous for entertaining and charity functions.

Timothy Jones died in 1958 and the widow sold some land to the ABC for their tv studios. In 1963 the Federal Government put a Comp­ul­s­ory Ac­qu­isition Order on acres of land to ext­end the ABC. There was a huge dem­onstration against the acquisition so in 1963 Mrs Jones wrote her will; at her death, the estate would go to the Nat­ional Tr­ust.

The Trust DID inherit the estate, the Acquisition Order was with­dr­awn and Rippon Lea honoured Mrs Jones’ com­mitment to preserve her gift to the Nation. It was first opened to the public in Feb 1974 and 100,000 people went through in 3 mon­ths. Visitors saw pea­cocks roaming around while geese, swans and other water-birds populated the lake. Ch­auff­eur Ken Webb lived in the Coach House flat.

Since the National Trust inherit­ed the prop­erty, it has been open daily to the public and popular for wed­dings. It has been used for films due to the in­teg­rity of the historic buil­d­­­ings and 7 hect­ares of pleasure gar­dens, magnificent trees and shrubb­er­ies, flower gar­dens, large fern­ery and lake. Hed­ges separated the ornamental gar­d­ens from the practical areas eg large kitchen gardens, stables.

 Rippon Lea is one of Australia’s grand, self-suff­icient suburban est­at­es, 20 mins from Melbourne’s CBD. Listed on the 2006 National Heritage Reg­ister, it has most of the historical land­scape and arch­it­ectural interest preserved.