Vintage Hotel Ware

Hotel Ware is a general term for what the Hospitality Industry serves food on, and beverages in...Largely it's Crockery such as Plates, Bowls, Cups and Jugs... But Glass ware and Metal ware also...

During the 20th Century when there was the ubiquitous Pub on every other corner, the Industry was largely Hotels, of the drinking, eating &/or sleeping variety, hence the Reference... 

Cafes, Guest Houses, Tea Rooms, Canteens and Public Institutions such as Hospitals & the Railways also offered meals, and Hotel Ware applies to them too...

This Stuff had to work hard and look good at all times... and for a long time... Its main feature was durability... It needed to survive been dropped, pushed around and thrown in the sink... literally rinse and repeat... multiple times a day... Chips, cracks and breakages were not welcome...

It was thick and solid, tended to be plain, almost always white, often with fine coloured lines hand painted around the rim...

And sometimes, when table manners were fashionable... Patrons were reminded of where they were, with every mouthful consumed - each item they ate from, and drank from, was emblazoned with the Establishment Name... Small Town Cafes, as well as Big City Hotels, announced their intentions when they spent money on these Badged pieces - they were there to stay and make a go of it...

But not every venture succeeds, and circumstances change for ones that do... If a Pub went broke, everything may well have been auctioned off... What had been investment pieces of crockery would end up in a box lot, sold for a few bob... Suddenly a home kitchen could have a stack of "Royal Hotel" plates on the shelf... And as years went by, they're passed onto family members... and some that survive find their way to a second-hand shop... Ideally within my reach...

Yes - I'm always interested in buying old items related to named Hotels, Cafes, Guest Houses, Tea Rooms, Canteens & similar - and sometimes I sell them too... feel free to get in touch via the Contact Us page.

Of course there's also the souvenir factor... Cutlery, menus and smaller items which disappeared off tables as mementos of good times and fun occasions...