From Marilyn on 6th January 2007 and revised on 2nd June 2011:
Building Shape Names
All of the current shape names are listed in the Orientation Guide along with some of their paintings.
As a work in progress, I continue to experiment with the best permanent names for buildings. The working title in the workshop usually goes by subject eg Bridal Shop or Bookshop. When a new Bridal or Bookshop comes along that is usually called the same, which is clearly impractical for a Hazle Guidebook.
In naming buildings I try to convey useful information such as the place, era, subject, popular usage or a combination - at the same time trying to keep the name short and memorable!
I now prefix each ceramic with the place name, unless there is only one model in a town when I simply use the town name. This reveals, for example, that to date there are 18 London buildings in the Nation of Shopkeepers range. I hadn’t realised it was that many.
The examples below give the background to some current shape names. (You may come across ceramics with former shape names on some older pages.):
- Kendal was used for three standard paintings in its time - Bridal, Hat & Shoe and Bakery & Tearooms. The workshop tended to refer to it as the Bridal Shop. There was also a non-standard painting called Farrers, a Tea and Coffee Merchant that has been in this 16th century building since 1819. However it has not been and may not always be there. Kendal is likely to be meaningful for far longer...
- Banbury is used for Teashop & Telephone, Teashop & Roses and other paintings. The workshop tend to call it "Tea & Tel". But part of the real building has links to the siege of Banbury in the Civil War...
- Epping includes A Pet is For Life/Village Pet Store, Batchelors, Camping (and a few specials). These paintings cover the three different moulds on the same, unmistakeable building shape from Epping.
- Maldon is the former Florist building. It is still a florist in real life. At first I referred to it as Maldon Florist but decided to simplify this as there were no other models from the town. Apart from a one-off exception, it was only ever painted as a Florist so there will be no mistaking that!
The three models from Bath in order of issue are:
- Bath Chemist with the popular usage name of Chemist being most appropriate because it has been a chemist for most, if not all, of its life in the real world. It originally had a Royal Warrant from Queen Charlotte, wife of "mad" King George III, in the 1700s. An alternative would be Bath Argyle Street.
- Bath Sally Lunn as the popular usage name has always been Sally Lunn. An alternative name based on the street would be Bath North Parade Passage which is pretty unpalatable - and unnecessary as Sally Lunn is very easy to find in any tourist guide on Bath.
- Bath Abbey Green was mostly painted as the dress shop Rose Marie Couture. To avoid confusion with this painting, the previous shape name of BATH COUTURE has been dropped. The current name refers to the location which is a very pretty, courtyard-like space.
The five models from Windsor in order of issue are:
- Windsor Nell Gwynne based on the historic house of Charles II’s mistress in Church Street, found in any Windsor Guide. It is still called this today. There used to be a secret passage to and from Windsor Castle so these lovers could meet! This spelling of Gwynne appears on a hanging sign outside.
- Windsor Curfew Yard otherwise known as Raffles or the Teddy Bear Shop, the building is off Thames Street, opposite the Castle’s Curfew Tower. Curfew Yard tells you exactly where it is. Although it is still called Raffles, shop names rarely last for ever.
- Windsor Thames Street currently painted as the former double shops of Dairy/Barber is easy to find along Windsor Castle’s south-west boundary in Thames Street.
- Windsor Crooked House You can’t miss this leaning building in the centre of town. With one entrance on Market Street in front of the Market Cross, it could also be Windsor Market House.
- Windsor King's Head Like Nell Gwynne's above it is also in Church Street, Windsor. Hazle's interest in modelling this was as the inn where Shakespeare wrote The Merry Wives of Windsor - in two weeks by command of Queen Elizabeth I! The piece shows him writing upstairs. When Hazle first took photos it was La Locanda, an Italian restaurant but has now changed to Falstaff's, another restaurant, named after the main character in Merry Wives. Neither name would be likely in Shakespeare's day! The former pub name of The King's Head indicates allegiance to the Crown. It is also apt given the connection to a King (Charles II under Nell Gwynne above) in the same street.
And finally:
- Colchester High Street covers the Straight, No and Round Awnings (plus Greengrocer 2) - which are all based on a single, easy-to-identify building in the High Street. The former Colchester Awnings name was perhaps too confusing, especially with a No Awning piece! As the word Awning refers to specific Building Variations, I use Canopy for any add-ons of that type that are not on the Colchester High Street shape.
One downside of the place name approach is that although it can shorten many ceramic names, some may seem long. But in practice most people, including myself, will continue to call the ceramics Thomas Cook, Sally Lunn and so on. The prefixes are just a more official title with the added dimension of the place. So unless someone comes up with a better idea, I will be sticking with this scheme for now.