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It’s Wombat Friday!

14th August 2015

Gabriel Rossetti famously loved animals. So much in fact, that he bought a wombat from Charles Jamrach’s shop, on the Ratcliffe Highway in East London, which was the largest exotic pet shop in the world at this time. Jamrach became the leading importer, breeder and exporter of animals and sold them all around the world to zoos, menageries and noblemen. If you are reading this and are wondering why such shops don’t exist anymore, this story (as well as the obvious animal abuse issues) might shed some light on it! In 1857, a Bengal tiger escaped, and chose a nine year old passing boy to pick up and carry off, until Jamrach forced his hands down the tiger’s throat to force him to let the boy go. The boy was awarded £300 in damages after the incident- but the bronze statue near the entrance to Tobacco Dock commemorates the tiger’s adventures!

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Flora the Wombat leaving Wightwick Manor!

Living in Chelsea with a variety of animals including kangaroos, a racoon, a deer, owls, peacocks, a zegu, two laughing jackasses and many more, let to quite a few noise complaints by his neighbours, who weren’t amused about his ever growing collection of exotic animals. Rossetti had two wombats, the famous Top was one of them, he didn’t live long due to Rossetti not knowing how to care for such animals, whom is rumoured to have died as a result of eating Rossetti’s expensive cigars.

We named our Wombat Flora. Wightwick manor had been decorated with Morris interiors, and his contemporaries from the Arts and Crafts movement, by Theodore and Flora Mander, and we therefore thought it a fitting name!

 

 

 

 

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Flora exploring the beautiful gardens at Wightwick Manor!

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Flora packing her bags to come home with us!

(Lots of information on Rossetti and his exotic animals can be found here)

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Do you have a fave out of these beautiful William Morris florals? 🌿 We could never pick just one 🪻 
Designs top row; Willow Bough Green & Golden Lily 
Designs bottom row; Pimpernel Cream, Pimpernel Green & Compton ✨
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Inspired by nature and designed by William Morris, aren’t they all just such beautifully timeless designs 🫶🏻
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Back in stock alert! 🫧 A firm favourite for many, we absolutely love William Morris Brother Rabbit design, don’t you? 🫶🏻 If you’d like a sample, just send us a message 💌
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Calling all quilters! 🫧 Our 100% cotton fat quarters are now available individually on our website! In all our licensed William Morris designs, they are incredible for quilts 🪡 If you order four, you get one free, so please message us to choose the design of your free fat quarter 🫶🏻
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With so many timeless designs and writings, we think Morris achieved his aim, don’t you? 🫶🏻
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Lazy Sunday mornings 💤 our William Morris Strawberry Thief tablecloths are now back in stock in all sizes if you fancy adding some floral magic to your table ✨ Hope you all have a lovely Sunday! 🩷
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✨ It’s the last day for 20% off our whole website! ✨ Use code: floralsummer at checkout on our website today only! 🫶🏻
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We’re thinking of selling our William Morris Daisy fabric by the half metre 🫶🏻 It’s a much narrower fabric than our usual fabrics, but we’ve had some customers interested in it in cotton and heavyweight for projects such as upholstery, curtain and dress making and quilting projects, what do you all think? ✨🌿
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✨✨ Offer extended ✨✨ We forgot to give you warning that our 20% off code was expiring and we thought it would brighten up some rainy July days, so now until the 14th July, take 20% off our website using code: FLORALSUMMER ☂️ 
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Cut this wonderful fabric stack yesterday 🫶🏻 All these beautiful Morris florals together in our heavyweight fabrics 🪡🧵
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