Looking for age on British Bedwarmer...

Hey Everyone!

This belongs to a friend - Don't know where she got it. She wrote to the hotel and received conformation it was indeed from their hotel, but the woman couldn't give her any info on when it was used. How old is it? Thank you!

Claridges Hotel - London

 

Hi Sue,
How long is it? I thought bed warmer with a long handle, if is not that big I wonder if it was bought in the hotels gift shop as a souvenier.
greg

 

I don't know, that's all I have right now. From her message, it appears that it is old, but how old? She didn't know, the woman at the hotel, I mean.

 

I think it is full sized, not a mini, if that's what you mean?

 

Hi Sue,
That is what I wondered if it was full sized. I am wondering about the brass work, it looks very Indian. If very old I would not expect to see Indian work and if it is Indian work i would think newer and the hotel would have had better heating so not needed bed warmers. I think I am over guessing myself and should shut up.
greg

 

I'll do that! She travels to Europe a lot, don't know if she bought it in London or over here.

 

Greg, it's copper.

 

Hi Davey,
There is no reason to think my lantern from the Orient Express is suspect is there????
greg

 

Hi Sue,
I see it is copper, I was referring to the brass work on the copper.
greg

 

Ah! Gotcha. Well, there are plenty of them out there. Can you imagine carrying that onto an airplane as a souvenir? She has a private plane, so I doubt that would be a problem. hahaha

 

Here's a story that sounds plausible. Otherwise, some are calling them antique.

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-claridges-hotel-bed-warmer-london

 

Hi Sue,
Gee I guess I wasn't second guessing myself, After all antique dealers have such wonderful ways to make their items more desirable
than lying.
greg

 

>If you Google "Claridges Hotel - London bed warmer pan" you will see there are more for sale or have sold than there are rooms at the actual hotel.<

Geeeee, there wasn't one in my room of the Claridge's Hotel in 1964.

--- Susan

 

The sans serif font the label is written in was not designed till at least 100 years after they'd have phased out the use of such warming pans (not bed warmer, an informal 'girlfriend' synonym).

However, there was a period in the 50s to 60s when Olde Worlde was big in decor and purely decorative warming pans were all over the place. It's not impossible that this is a decor item from London at that period. It may have been part of bar decor at Claridges, but I very much doubt it, I suspect the label, and any similar, were simply tacked on. It's not the sort of thing a guest would walk off with in their pocket after all. Anything officially labelled would have been labelled on the underside, not the top.

I have a warming pan in the shed but as far as I know it's not labelled, and I have never seen one that was. The market for warming pans has been as dead as a mackerel for many years now, along with the market for horse brasses. Simply yesterday's antiques.

BTW,it's Claridges, not 'the Claridges Hotel', some hotels do not take a 'the'. The Savoy does, Brown's does not.

 

Like hospital. One is "in," not "in the."

I love Britishisms. As in, one goes "up" to London -- even if one is in Lapland. But one goes "down" from Oxford or Cambridge -- even if returning to Lapland.

And what on earth brought Lapland to mind...???

 

But I don't think one ever wants to be "sent down" from Oxford or Cambridge.

 

Being sent down from Oxford is known as being 'rusticated'.
It is not as bad as being RTU from OTS.

 

You have me there, Af. Translateion, please.