Description

Antique Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy with an inlaid butterfly with floral borders.

The interior of this Edmund Nye tea caddy features a tea compartment with bone handled lid, and its original cut glass sugar bowl with a star cut base.

The underside of the caddy has a label which reads:
Edmund Nye, Manufacturer, Mount Ephraim, and parade Tunbridge Wells. This tunbridge ware tea caddy comes with a fully working lock and tasselled key.

Tea Caddies were made in a huge variety of styles and materials. Some contained glass bowls. The bowl is believed to be either for sugar, or for the purpose of mixing different varieties of tea to the drinker’s personal taste.

As tea became cheaper in the early 1800s, its use was much more widespread, increasing the demand for tea caddies. However, by the late 1800s when tea could be bought pre-packed, the demand for tea caddies as functional items gradually declined.

Today Tea Caddies are sought after as decorative pieces, in all shapes & forms.

Tunbridge Ware items originate from the beautiful spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. We always have a very good selection which showcase the techniques of tessellated mosaic, stickware, perspective cube mosaic, vandyke and painted pen work.

Tunbridge Wells and Tunbridge in Kent, England became popular in the 17th Century for their therapeutic waters. By the 18th century Tunbridge Wells was a hugely popular Spa resort. Shops and stalls were set up to sell local work of distinction to visitors as souvenirs. Many of the original boxes were decorated with all sorts of different kinds of designs.

Many of the Tunbridge boxes had a central image with views of castles, churches, pavilions, animals, country scenes and sometimes people, such as the Young Prince of Wales. These were surrounded by a variety of bandings and panels of floral and geometric designs.