Christmas in Harrogate is a bit posh!
OK, these windows do belong to OKA and, OK, I did recently acquire a lovely wrought iron fire screen like the one just visible in this photo, but, needs must, our latest grandchild is very adventurous and this screen is very sturdy as well as pretty. Actually we try to follow William Morris's maxim "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful," not at all an excuse for needless extravagance...
...but Harrogate is proud of its money. Pictured above is Ogden of Harrogate, a long-established purveyor of fine jewellery and precious knick-knackery. It is located on James Street and once upon a time the hoi polloi were not allowed to walk along its pavements. Mr N's father remembered being chased from James Street when he was a boy in the 1930s. It was an oik-free zone.
So, we were surprised to be given this...
...in a Harrogate town centre supermarket (Waitrose, naturally.) We were happy to donate, but it was a sobering reminder that superficial prosperity can hide as great a divide in society these days as it did a hundred years ago.
We also called in at the town's art gallery, The Mercer, to look for a few late Christmas cards and were surprised to find a moving and timely exhibition had opened since we last visited - Frank Holl: Emerging from the Shadows.
Holl, 1845 - 1888, was notable for his tragic social realism and strong empathy with the hardships suffered by poor women and children.
Despair
Peeling Potatoes
The Song of the Shirt
Newgate - Committed for Trial
Faces in the Fire
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The divid between the haves and have nots seems to be growing month by month. Hopefully we will never return to the days revealed so graphically in Frank Holl's paintings.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that one of the owners of OKA happens to be David Cameron's mother-in-law?
Yes, I know and I admit I love her style though you can often buy the real thing - ie antiques - at a much lower price. I also note with amusement that OKA shop locations are carefully chosen - in areas with a strong "grey pound"!
DeleteThanks for showing us the beautiful and sad paintings.
ReplyDeleteThank you for looking. I am enjoying your informative blog - I particularly love childrens printed pottery.
DeleteI do like the photo of the two lunching ladies with the captions CRAB and SALMON above their heads ;) xx
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise that I'd "labelled" the ladies! Did you notice the Drum & Monkey decorated with holly? An excellent pub if you are ever in Harrogate.
DeleteYou're right Harrogate is a bit posh and proud of it's money but there's always another side to the story. Merry Christmas to all at Nilly Hall Antiques xx
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Jaqui! I've found your excellent website too. In "another life" I nearly moved to Pateley Bridge.
DeleteLOVE Harrogate, well WHO just wouldn't....It's posh, but beautiful....did you walk down Montpelier, I wonder? Wishing you and Mr Nilly a 'Joyful Noel'.....
ReplyDeleteHugs and kisses, Maria x
We always walk down Montpelier, Maria. I love that area too - the best bit of Harrogate and we used to live just up the Cold Bath Road.
DeleteHappy New Year to you!
I also love Harrogate, lovely to window shop. You do take an interesting photograph. The pictures in the exhibition are very thought provoking. We have a food bank in Whitley Bay too.
ReplyDeleteYes, the "haves and have nots" situation is a worrying problem everywhere. Only visited Whitley Bay once, with an old friend from Ponteland. She used to ride her horse along the beach - lovely!
DeleteTouching juxtaposition of images, Nilly. We're having lots of food collections here in Alcala at the moment and as one of your other commenters said, there is what feels to be an increasing gap between those who have and those who do not.
ReplyDeleteI do love Harrogate myself and worked there for a while in the past - a super place to visit at Christmas. Have a lovely one yourself. Axxx
I probably passed you on the Harrogate streets, Annie - if it was in those long-ago pre-blog days. I very much hope you, your family and Spain have an ever-improving New Year!
DeleteWhat beautiful colours in the painting 'the song of the shirt' and how cleverly the sheer exhaustion of the girl is shown. x
ReplyDeleteI seem to have "come back" to an interest in paintings after many years concentrating on antiques - hopefully there will be plenty of good exhibitions coming up in the New Year! But will I pick up my paint brushes again...?
Deletehappy Christmas dear Nilly ... and the warmest of wishes for a very happy new year ...
ReplyDeleteM x
Happy New Year to you too, in your beautiful West Country!
DeleteI thought I recognised the Stray from the first picture. The Frank Holl is on my list. Must get there before it closes. Just back from a matinee at Harrogate Theatre "Edith in the Dark" inspired by Edith Nesbit's 'Tales of Terror'. Excellent. Happy New Year, Mr and Mrs N.
ReplyDeleteMr N commented yesterday on the fact that we never go to the theatre. Ha Ha! I've just booked "Edith in the Dark" - what a treat! I am quite fascinated by E.Nesbit's life story for her excellent children's novels, rather unappealing personality and dodgy taste in men, though Thomas Tucker seemed like a sweetie. Happy New Year to you, Barbara!
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