This week has been taken up almost entirely with work, however the postman has been very good to me. I treated myself to copies of Amber Butchart's Nautical Chic, which I've mentioned here before, and James Davey's Broadsides: Caricature and the Navy 1756 - 1815, the companion book to the recent exhibition at the National Maritime Museum ( Read more... )

Continuing my quest for that authentic AoS drinking experience I've now moved on from rum to gin. Hayman's Royal Dock gin to be precise. (Okay, so I just happened to run out of gin and couldn't resist buying this :) Hayman Distillers have been supplying gin to the Admiralty since 1863 under the name Senior Service Gin, but it's been rebranded as ( Read more... )

Another image of the midshipmen's berth, this time in words rather than pictures. This extract is from Lieutenant Commander C.F.Walker highly entertaining book Young Gentlemen: The Story of Midshipmen from the 17th Century to the present day.

From the days of Blake, if not before, until the end of the eighteenth century, it had been the regular ( Read more... )

I need a tag for AoS Soft Furnishings :} Look at this lovely wallpaper by English designer Abigail Edwards. The Seascape print is part of a new collection inspired by fairy tales. I love the Summer Seascape. That would look grand in my top room!


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How cute is this? Boaty wallpaper!


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