Aug 12, 2009
Author: Lorraine Syratt
The English have only been drinking tea for a about 350 years and over those years, the tea cup has evolved into the traditional shape we see today. From bowl to tea cup. Tea tastes better when served hot in a fine bone china tea cup. And with that in mind, English potters have been producing porcelain bowls and bone china tea cups and saucers since Charles 11 returned from exile and was restored to the throne.
~A Brief History of Tea Drinking in England~
Tea was introduced to England during his reign in the latter half of the 17th century. At that time it was served in porcelain bowls without handles and later it was drunk from low saucers. Tea was very expensive when first introduced and in the early days was only a drink for the aristocracy, costing up to £10 per pound. This was more than the average laborer earned in a year. At this time, in London especially, the coffee houses were popular meeting places where ale was also served. When tea was introduced into the coffee houses, it became available to the masses and soon nearly every coffee house in London sold tea, both dry and by the bowlful. Women began to enter the coffee houses for a bowl of tea as it was sold as a tonic, preserving the health of the drinker.
~A Brief History of the English Tea Cup~
The first tea cups were of Chinese taste and origin. The bowls were shallow saucers and the English found them difficult to use. When Meissen, Germany discovered how to make porcelain, English potters and guilds began to copy the designs produced with a view to bringing tea bowls to the English without importing them from China. Those early bowls and cups were made of earthenware or soft paste. 100 years after the introduction of tea in England, handles were not yet seen on tea cups, but English potters had introduced saucers to the bowls. The tea-drinkers thought the saucer was there to pour the tea into to cool it and then they would sip the tea from the saucer. Later the saucer was used to hold spillage and the use of the cup and saucer became the tradition used today with the addition of handles.
~A Brief History of Bone China in England~
Bone China was not developed in England until 1800, under the direction of Josiah Spode. It was less expensive to produce than porcelain and proved to be a more popular material to drink from. Finer tea cups could be produced that were also lighter in weight and held the bright colors of the designs. Bone China was and is made with animal bone ash, china stone and china clay. Different potters use different amounts and formulas, but at least 25% to 50% of the recipe usually includes animal bone ash. The china clay is also known as Kaolin, a clay mineral formed by the decomposition of fieldspar. China clay was discovered in Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, in the mid-18th century.
~Collecting Vintage English Bone China Tea Cups~
Today English bone china tea cups and saucers appear in nearly every household. The variety produced by Aynsley, Royal Albert, Shelly, Paragon and other potteries is astounding. Collectors choose to collect anything with roses, or only hand-painted pieces or every tea cup and saucer Paragon produced. And those collections are both displayed and used.
~Where to Buy Vintage Tea Cups and Saucers~
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