"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Grindley Tea Cup~ Tea Time Tuesday & A Give-Away!

This tea cup was in a batch of teacups I purchased from a garage sale. Our daughter-in-law Breezy said all the teacups came from a collection of teacups relatives purchased as they toured Europe. I am not sure if this is a teacup, a demitasse cup, or utilitarian and used for both.
Looks like a Canadian emblem to me, what do you think?Maybe made for a Canadian hotel?
I tried to find out about this cup and saucer on-line. After many, many hours on-line ( goodness, how did I manage to spend THAT much time on-line looking for tea cup info?) I discovered Grindley seems to have made hotel ware for countless numbers of businesses. The emblem on my cup and saucer did not show up anywhere on-line. The markings on the bottom of the cup and saucer are well documented though and are pretty clear in their meaning. This cup and saucer were made by Grindley Hotelware Co. LTD of England, 9/66. September of 1966. The word 'vitrified' means:" ceramics having the surface made shiny and non-porous.." which would be a very good thing for any hotel ware. I placed this cup and saucer on the table for the boys to drink their tea from at the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party. Sturdy, durable, and not feminine. Above, our oldest Grandson in between 2 of his cousin's cousins.( say what?)
Give Away!
This teacup and saucer pincushion can be yours! I will enter all names of anyone commenting on my blog, as many times as you comment your name will be entered. I ( or most likely one of my chickens) will randomly select the name of the winner next Monday night at midnight in time to announce it on Tea Time Tuesday. The pincushion will be sent out promptly the day after the drawing. The pincushion itself is made of my Jacob sheep wool. I have been told this is especially good for quilting needles and sell a lot of these at bazaars for just this purpose~ Please visit the ladies hosting these Tea Tuesdays and be sure and leave a comment. They love comments! Pam*,Martha*, Lady Katherine*, Terri*, & Wanda Lee*.

16 comments:

Timi said...

The teacup is really nice! And the pincushion made of Jacob sheep wool? Sounds perfect to me :o)!!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

What a stately tea cup and saucer!! Very elegant!!

I love the darling tea cup pin cushion set!!

Debbie

Appleshoe said...

This is a wonderful sturdy teacup. It has such an interesting handle. I find myself looking more and more at the handles of teacups. There is such an amazing variety. Take care.

Dolores said...

It's neat to see such handsome boys enjoying tea time.

Those are good looking tea cups, and the pincushion is great!

LindaSue said...

I like hotel type dishes - sturdier feel and nice shapes. Your tea Tuesdays have become a wonderful part of your family interactions - thank you for sharing with us!

Pondside said...

Hi Kathy - what a lovely giveaway! I can help you with the mystery - that is the insignia of the Canadian Coast Guard. It was probably used in the ward room on a ship or an officers' mess on land.
Love that pin cushion!

Terri said...

That is a really interesting tea cup and saucer. I wonder if the emblem has anything to do with the restaurant that used it? I find it fascinating. Such a sturdy cup too, makes me think it could have been on a ship.
Thank you for sharing with us today.
Hugs,
Terri

Vickie said...

I love that blue-white teacup! Yes, it's manly and one could drink coffee from it, too!

Now, I really need one of those wool pincushions, Kathy! Very lovely give away!

Linda ★ Parker's General said...

Very interesting cup and saucer. I know very little about such things but I do know what I like and I like this one! I have Fiesta mugs and cups with saucers, jadeite cups with saucers, Fire King cups with saucers, MarCrest mugs and our everyday mugs but nothing delicate or dainty. *sigh*
I would love to be entered to win your Jacob's wool pin keep. It is lovely!
Thank you! ★Linda★

Bookie said...

Great idea, pin cushion in a cup! Also the restuarant ware is nice to me since it is a favorite blue and white! :)

Anonymous said...

So Cute! This is gonna be a fun one. Keep up the blogging. I love reading them.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Hi Kathy,
A very nice cup and saucer and yes, they do indeed look sturdy and Canadian! I dare say it is an insignia of the Canadian Coast Guard or one of our ships. The Jacob sheep wool pincushion sounds wonderful! Thank you for your visit to my blog. Feel free to join Tea Time Tuesday any time; would love to have you.

Blessings,
Sandi

Carol............. said...

Whoooo.....what a cool idea turning the teacup into a pincushion. You always come up with such great ideas. I always admire your dainty., beautiful teacup sets.

The "sturdy" cup is probably one that would survive in my home...I've been told that I'm much like a bull in a china shop!............LOL

KathyB. said...

Timi, thanks!

Debbie, stately is the perfect word for it, thank-you.

Appleshoe,the handles have a lot to do with the ease of drinking from the cup, and this handle is easy for a man's fingers to grasp.

Dolores, thank-you. The boys really did enjoy their tea~

LindaSue, for a few years our every day dinnerware was old cafeteria plates and bowls. I still use them for potlucks. Heavy glass that can handle a lot of abuse and still clean up fine.

Pondside, THANK-YOU! I figured the Maple Leaf and maritime symbols must have something to do with Canada, and maybe it was from a sea side hotel, but this makes the most sense! The Canadian Coast Guard, love their insignia and it looks good on my table.

Terri, thank-you. I am going to do some on-line research into the Canadian Coast Guard now!

Vickie, you may soon be the owner of one of these pincushions!

Linda, you are entered! I like Fiesta ware and jadeite, but don't own any. I have always enjoyed using the good stuff too, especially with children. I break more dishes than any children in our home ever have so don't worry about little ones breaking my dishes.

Bookie, blue and white are my favorite colors, my house is saturated with blue and white.

Anonymous, thank-you!

Sandi, I think you and Pondside are right, and thank-you!I appreciate the help, this is what I love about blogging!

Carol, you are so funny! I think after seeing your lovely home and gardens in your blogs that you know how to use fine tings well, and also incorporate them into your lovely and welcoming home.

Flower said...

A tea cup is an important thing to tea drinkers. The sturdy ones are good for some days..and the sweet ones for others. Your pincushion tea cup is really cute! The felting is pretty..I see that kind of thing done at the Flock and Fiber show here at the fair grounds, in Canby. Will you be there this year? It is over the top ...fun!

Unknown said...

Grindley was one of the brands used by the NZ Railways Refreshment Rooms before Crown Lynn started making the familiar NZR cups, that is before WWII. These cups were made for many decades. The ones that turn up rarely have their saucers. Nice set.