A VISIT TO THE HOUSE OF MARBLES
Yesterday we met up with some friends and had lunch together at the House of Marbles. We first met them there many years ago on a pre-Christmas visit. We had to queue for a table in the restaurant because the place was so busy. While we were waiting, we got into conversation with a couple and decided to share a table, and we remained friends. He used to run a dining club and we joined for a few months. We saw them on and off, and then somehow lost touch a bit. Recently my hubby was back in touch with them again and we arranged to meet again for lunch. It was so lovely to see them both again, and to catch up with news.
The House of Marbles
The House of Marbles is a marvellous place in Bovey Tracey, not far from where we live. It has a large shop which sells quality items, a restaurant, a museum of vintage glass pieces, and a glass blowing workshop. In the museum is the marble making machine, and the restaurant is where the old kilns were, when the place was a pottery. They also have several marble runs. These are metal structures which marbles run through, triggering various interesting effects on their way down. There is a huge one on the wall half way up the stairs, but yesterday this one wasn’t working. The small ones are all started by the push of a button. The marbles are lifted to the top of the mechanism and one by one they run down to the bottom. These marble runs are such fun to watch.
The Restaurant
The food is very good. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of my ice cream waffle dessert, as it was so attractively presented.
The shop
There’s a huge range of merchandise in the shop. There is something for everyone – toys and kitchen equipment, and fine art glass. They also have a large stock of Steiff bears. One of these was a collector’s item – a commemorative bear celebrating the life of the Queen. If it hadn’t been for the enormous price tag, I would have bought it as it was beautiful and very special! Complete with tiara.
Beautiful glass globe lamps.
Other art glass. My favourites had to be these incredible faces, including the Viking ones!
In the same vein were these gorgeous tree-inspired pieces.
By the shop counter was this incredible wall panel. Since doing the mandala drawing course, I am seeing mandalas everywhere!
The art glass
This was in a brightly lit room with a glass partition, through which you could watch the glass blowers at work.
All the stunning art glass pieces were displayed on glass shelves and superbly lit. I could have taken any number of them home with me! I love glass, and this collection was so creative and incedibly beautiful.
I have to confess to falling in love with this incredible organic multicoloured piece.
Blue, and blue-green, seemed to be recurrent themes.
Liquid water, frozen in glass.
There were many with organic forms and swirling textures in sea-green colours which reminded one of the sea. This is one of my favourite themes.
Some were more brown in colour, reminiscent of the sand on the seashore.
The museum
At the entrance are these three huge stone marbles.
Among the many exhibits was this small collection of Lalique glass. This has to be one of my favourites with its fabulous Art Deco style, and the subtle translucency of the matte surface which makes the pieces positively glow.
Marbles galore!
I bought a small handful of marbles in the shop. I want to find a suitbable glass bowl to keep them in, and after this I will photograph them. It would be fun to try to draw them. This was my coloured pencil drawing of a collection of marbles form the Pixabay royalty-free picture site.
On a final note…
The ladies’ loo is something else! How pretty is this?
As I sat on the throne, I noticed the decoration on the wall opposite. As with the mandalas, once you start learning how to draw Islamic geometric patterns, you see them everywhere!
Some marbles I bought
I couldn’t visit the House of Marbles and come home without any! They had a huge selection, and you could either buy a plastic pot full or individual special ones. I opted to buy five individual ones of varying sizes.
I photographed them in various different ways. First of all, in the little china dish from my dressing table, which I have been using to keep them on until I can find something better.
I’d been using my light panel for some drawing, so I thought it would be fun to photograph them on that. First of all, in the china dish. The light didn’t penetrate them, of course, and they appeared much darker against the illuminated background. I did a bit of photo editing to bring them up a bit, and it was interesting to see the floral pattern of the dish showing through them.
Finally, the marbles on the light panel without the dish – after I had managed to get them to stay still and not roll all over the place! Again, after some photo editing, and I omitted the opaque one as there seemed little point in photographing that one against the illuminated background.
They have quite a surreal look.
All in all, it was a lovely day out. Seeing old friends, enjoying an excellent meal, and then spending time looking at beautiful things.
