China sign

I've been going through my vintage collection with the aim of selling it to create some space in the house. But I'm failing in the task and this week I managed to add to the collection instead. I couldn't resist buying another of these 1950s Manhattan plates. The mark on the back shows the inspiration for the pattern - skyscraper windows. Sometimes the sign on the back of a plate is as gorgeous as the pattern on the front.

Nice day for a nuclear bunker

We visited Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker last weekend, and it's surprisingly interesting. Offering a careful mix of the chilling and cheerful, this ugly bunker nestles in the Cheshire countryside and is now a successful tourist attraction.

Hack Green was a radar station in World War two, and went on to play a key role in the Cold War, its long-range radar designed to detect hostile Russian bombers.



With nuclear weapons still in the news, it's a sobering visit. The usual Protect and Survive leaflet is there (hide under the table, built a shelter out of your house doors), which would be funny if it wasn't serious government advice to its citizens.

A huge amount of memorabilia and equipment has been gathered together and displayed in a thoughtful way, with a great soundscape and a smell of damp which I don't think had to be artificially created. There are lots of great signs for the sign enthusiast - my favourites feature here - and best of all there are three bunker cats.

It's worth a visit, even on a sunny day.

Oh for the South Seas

This is one of my favourite plates. I love it for the sign alone. It’s gloriously joyful and brings a little bit of sunshine into the 1950s.

James Meakin set up his Staffordshire pottery in 1845 and his sons, J&G (James and George) took over in 1851. By the 1950s, it was producing new American-inspired shapes, and this Studio Ware style was in production from 1957-69. 

For once, my shaky hand isn’t to blame for the blurry photo – the mark is actually like that on the plate. The colour is hard to reproduce -  it’s really a sharp, fresh, bright lime green, which means not all food looks appetising on it. But it’s more fun to turn it upside down and enjoy its palm tree mark.