The Pride of Leek
Step into the kitchen at 5 Nab Hill Avenue and you come face to face with a beautiful display of old bottles. They belong to Mark Hambleton, the result of his twenty year long addiction to bottle collecting. Before your very eyes is the Pride of Leek. Look along the lines of slab sealed porters and stouts, the row of early impressed bottles and the display of local ginger beers including not one but three different Galtee More types. Surprisingly enough, many of these bottles were once the everyday artefacts of one or other of the numerous public houses in Leek. In 1838, the population was only 6,500 people yet the town could boast 36 different town-centre watering holes. Clearly there was a thriving trade to be had in slaking the thirsts of the working men of Leek. The end result is a fascinating legacy of former drinks bottles just waiting to be discovered.
Mark now concentrates exclusively on Leek bottles and he has researched many of the items in his collection. Like many of us, he has passed through several stages of collecting, including a period when he was collecting early stoneware items like reform flasks and stoneware ovates. He has forsaken such delights to concentrate exclusively on items from his home town. He is justly proud of his slab seal bottles which form the backbone of his collection. His first slab seal bottle was a J N Platt example, which came from a smallholding in Cheddleton in 1979. Previous to this he had collected Leek Ginger beers, then a few impressed stouts turned up. He thought it would be nice to get a group going. The Pride was beginning to form! His next slab seal bottle was a William Lowe example, which he managed to acquire in a swap deal with George Bailey from Alton , Staff. His third slab seal bottle was a real gem, and a presently unique bottle. This is the William Lowe, Custard Street , Leek "parachute" type seal. This was purchased from a national dealer at the Reading bottle show many years ago. Priced up at £60 (which would seem modest by todays standards,) Mark asked for a discount. " I'll toss you for it" replied the dealer. The coin was spun and the deal was done, and Mark got his £5 discount!! The next seal to arrive was the I N Platt late E . An advert in a local paper brought a reply from a woman who had four bottles for sale. So Mark was able to purchase the above I N Platt seal, a J N Platt seal, a William Lowe seal and a slab seal flagon from the Railway Tavern . Total cost for all four bottles ? £15 Yes that 's right, £15 !
In the mid 1980's came a chance to dig on an early (C.1880) site in Leek called "The Waste". It was to prove another happy hunting ground for Mark for he found his next slab here, a William Lowe bottle with a different seal. Slab seal number six came from friend Alan Bond, and this was from James Platt, Golden Lion Leek. Thus far, Mark's collection had been entirely slab sealed porters or stouts. He did know of a slab seal spirit flask from Leek though. A digger from the Nottingham area had one but was seemingly asking the earth for it. Mark could hardly believe his luck when he saw one up for auction and lying in a box of junk . He made a bid, was successful and he laid out ........ all of £5 for the lot! Slab seal number 8 was also a good acquisition. It is a rare quart size seal and is for Edward Evans Leek. This came in another swap. Mark traded this gem for two Buxton cream pots and two Buxton seltzer bottles. It had originally been sold at a fleamarket at Leek for £5, so Mark was really taking it back where it belonged anyway.
For the time being, there are no more known slab seals from Leek but the beauty of our hobby is that you never know what is going to turn up next. There is a rumour of a spirit flask for Lowes but only time will tell. In the meantime, Mark is content to research the history behind these fabulous grey green slip-glaze containers. The seals all come from three main families , with a link between two families when a death resulted in a takeover.
James Platt is recorded as being at the Golden Lion Leek in Slater's Directory of 1861 (no other entries)
His cousin, John Neesham Platt first appears in a directory for 1851, and operated from the Market Place in Leek. In 1860, he was recorded at The Angel, Market Place and he is also listed there as a Wine & Spirit Merchant. His final directory entry comes in the year 1880.
Edward Evans is first recorded in an 1851 directory, as a wine and spirit Merchant. It is known from existing slab seal bottles that J N Platt took over the Evans business.
William Lowe is first found in a 1864 directory, at Custard Street Leek. By 1868, he had moved to the Black's Head, Market Place. In 1870, he was recorded at 13 Market Street . By 1880, he was at 11/13 Stanley Street . This would clearly date the peculiar "parachute" seal as being pre- 1868.
Mark is clearly very proud of his local collection. He has no competition in the town for the bottles.and believes some items to be unique. He feels in any case that it would now be too costly for him to build up a national collection. . Talking of costs, how much do you think this collection is worth ? Can you believe that the Pride of Leek has been assembled for less than £ 200 ?????
Mark is always interested in acquiring Leek Items and can be contacted on 01538 - 31284
COLLECTORS & COLLECTIONS is a Bottles & Bygones Feature.