Bank Holiday’s are amazing! An excuse to stay away from work for an extra day – but it can be a challenge to find something unusual to do. It can often take that be more planning than, well, let’s be honest, we can’t really be bothered. So when I got a message asking if I fancied a trip to Tea Pot Island (yes really) I couldn’t resist.
I love all things kitsch, always have. I’m a bot of a hoarder and love collecting things because I think they look nice, that to me is a valid enough reason, plus one day it may come in handy, you just never know (ok it will never be useful but it is cute right?)
Teapot Island is the largest collection of teapots in the UK, collected by just one woman, from the age of 9 – she is now 67. The collection has been gathered from all corners of the globe and commemorate a mixture of royal weddings, famous faces, objects and events as well as famous architecture. Housed in a converted house in Maidstone, Kent, there is also a lovely cafe on site with a great out door area for picnics and a pub across the little bridge, so you can make a lovely day of it.
For less than a latte you can wonder round, look at and photograph the amazing tea pots on display in the cabinets that go from floor to ceiling. It’s pretty kitsch and a little bonkers but also amazing to see all the things people have come up with. There are also some gorgeous art deco and pop art ones too. For anyone interested in design and ceramics, this is a real great day out.
The exhibition takes about an hour, before you end up back in the gift shop where there is a great selection of quirky teapots available to buy too. The whole area was hit really badly by the flooding and they are really only just recovering now. So I felt compelled to buy a little tea pot to add what I could to help re build this quirky place and restore it to its former glory. But I am now a proud owner of an Alice in Wonderland shaped tea pot and she’s beautiful.
As it isn’t a long visit we headed off to other local attractions. You can take a River Cruise for an hour (£7 – there is a 3 hour version that includes lunch for £21) which was lovely and we are now contemplating life on a river boat – although I suspect we love London dwelling to much.
There is also a bustling shopping area, castles and restaurants in the area so you can really make a mini break of it if you’re looking for a full bank holiday activity.
But until then… feast your eyes on these bad boys.
