If these walls could talk

Magnet #589 - Detail of Teaplate, by Caughley of Shropshire, c. 1790

I took the bus to the hinterlands of London to visit the Geffrye Museum to see their Christmas through the ages exhibition, where they basically redress their Living Rooms exhibit into a Christmas theme. It's fascinating.

The museum design itself has a unique design element of peering through a keyhole, and you really do get to peek into the past. While I'm not a furniture and textiles junkie, I really enjoyed walking through the long corridor of the historic house, where they section off each century's living rooms, showing you a cool glimpse into the past.

Whether it was the Jane Austen-esque room, or the Jane Jetson-esque room, you can almost imagine the family that lived there, the clothes they wore and the lives they led. Having them dressed for Christmas, you can see foods they served, the decorations they used, when they started using trees. Loved it. And, if you can't make it there - they have a cool little virtual tour.

What's cool is that the Geffrye did a fantastic job of merging the old almshouses with the new facilities. As you walk through the centuries, you sense modernity right around the corner and through the doors - literally. By the time you get to the newer wing of the museum you're not time-shocked.

As with every museum I end up going to, I wish I'd had more time to enjoy it. But, I did pick up this lovely magnet - a detail of a porcelain teaplate, made in about 1780, by Caughley Pottery, on the banks River Severn near Ironbridge, Shropshire.

Lord, that cuteboy Paul from Cash in the Attic has taught me so much. Well, not really, but I can Google pretty good. Actually, what's fascinating is that there are pieces like this scattered all over the UK, little pieces of porcelain that are practically older than the United States.

Handed down generation to generation - if these pieces, or even these rooms, could talk, what wonderful stories they could tell.