LDSCL: Queen Elizabeth II commemorative coronation mug, 1953 To coincide with the new temporary exhibition at Whitehall Historic House, Never had it so good? Cheam in the 1950s, our object of the month for July is a coronation mug which was produced in 1953 to celebrate the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II. The coronation of… Continue reading Object of the Month: July

LDSCL: T.00229  Mitcham and Cheam Brewery Ltd beer bottle, between 1898-1912 In Whitehall’s opening month, our June object focuses on a Mitcham and Cheam Brewery Ltd. glass beer bottle, an item from the final chapter of the brewing industry’s important history in Cheam. Cheam’s brewery was an active part of village life for over two… Continue reading Object of the Month: June

LDSCL : 1994.15.1 & 1994.15.2  Christening robe and satin coatee, 1935 There are historical records which suggest that christening gowns have been used since the earliest years of the Christian church. The gown has gone through many forms and fashions, from a basic swaddling cloth, a bearing cloth (a large square of decorated silk) through… Continue reading Object of the month: May

LDSCL: X. 397  Decorative wallpaper found at Whitehall Historic House, c. 1740 In 1975 two fragments of 18th-century wallpaper were found at Whitehall Historic House during the restoration of the house a few years before it was opened to the public.  This piece is decorated with an elaborate green leaf pattern, which was hand-crafted.  It… Continue reading Object of the Month: March

February’s Object of the Month is an early 20th-century black grosgrain handbag. The bag belonged to Rose Ellen Johnson (nee Rogers) 1861 – 1928, of Carshalton. Rose Johnson married Percy Harcourt Johnson, a coal merchant, at St Andrews Church,  Bethnal Green  on 1 December 1884.   She had four children Samuel Herbert (b. 17.1.1885), Edith… Continue reading Object of the Month: February