While walking to the north west of Sheffield yesterday, I descended to More Hall Reservoir in the Ewden Valley. Its construction was finished just after World War I.
After England's long dry summer, the water level in the reservoir is currently very low so it is possible to walk in territory that would normally only be seen by fishes. I left the reservoir's encircling path and descended to the shore.
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| More Hall Reservoir yesterday |
And there amid the rocks and sandy deposits I found an old bottle. I wish I had taken a picture of it at the spot where I found it. It was mucky and filled with sand. Fortunately, I had my "Converse" rucksack on my shoulders so I popped the bottle inside and carried on my merry way in that most gorgeous early autumn sunlight beneath a cobalt blue sky.
Home last evening I made a meal of local pork sausages, sliced leeks, buttered asparagus and finely sliced new potatoes roasted in the oven. Afterwards, I remembered the bottle and set about cleaning it. I half expected it to have been scoured and scratched but it came up well as you can see from the pictures.
It's a Garton's HP Sauce bottle - probably from the 1920's. I wish I knew its back story and how it came to be lying where I found it. Now I feel a bit like Steve Reed in West London ("Shadows and Light") who is always finding stuff and bringing it home.
I am very proud of my new bottle - in fact I'm HP! I will of course add it to my little collection. See Bottled - blogpost from August 2014.
I've still got three green glass bottles with the marble stoppers in that belonged to Greg. It's funny what people collect, I know. My collection is owls (not real ones) - any shape, size or material. Whenever it's my birthday, people give me more and more. They used to remind me of Greg - who wore glasses and was very wise!!
ReplyDeleteMany people in Sheffield collect owls because Sheffield Wednesday are also known as "The Owls".
DeleteThere is a little bit of magic in finding something like that, isn't there? the way it has been untouched for so long and the back story of course, as you said. It came up really nicely and I'm sure you will enjoy it for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI haven't managed to comment for a few days, your post about your Dad was a lovely tribute to a generous person.
Thank you for remarking on the post about my father Kylie.
DeleteWhat a yummy clear green. And so shiny. I shall now go and read your bottles post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling by once again Kate. Around Tauranga it is rumoured that you have a very large bottle collection of your own!
DeleteWhat a neat thing to find! And it's almost 100 years old, to boot. I like the idea of a vintage bottle collection.
ReplyDeleteI love them and they catch the light. It's best when you find them but they do not cost a great deal in junk shops.
DeleteLittering is an age-old habit. Everything old is new again!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the process of de-cluttering...so I've a few interesting bottles, both of the glass and ceramic variety that have been, and are being, taken to the local Op Shops.
An "Op Shop"? We do not use that term in England. I had to look it up.
DeleteWe've found some old bottles here on the property where I live. When the house was built in 1865 and for years after, there was, of course, no facility to accept trash and garbage and it is obvious that there were several places in the yard designated for such. Most of the bottles we've found have been broken but not all and I love finding them. Like Kylie said- there is a bit of magic to them. Nice find on your part!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to find old bottles on your own property! I would be out there digging every weekend.
DeleteWhat a beautiful color on that bottle. How did you discover what it held at one time? Worth another trip to the reservoir just to make some discoveries, eh?
ReplyDeleteI think it was a one-off Mama Thyme. It is surprising that nobody else had picked it up. HP sauce is very famous in England. Most families have a bottle of it in their cupboards but I am not fond of it. Nowadays it comes in squeezy plastic bottles.
DeleteMy guess was that it would turn out to be a beer bottle. Yes I would like to know why and HP bottle was at the bottom of The reservoir.
ReplyDeleteI half expected to find a message in it but there was only sand.
DeleteThat was my first thought when I started reading your post!
DeleteWhat a lucky find! I love old bottles and I did look at your other post on bottles. You have a lovely collection from your travels! I like how you have them displayed.
ReplyDeleteI used to have them along a window sill - catching the morning light.
DeleteIt's a fine bottle and kudos to you for bringing it home. Your dinner sounds pretty good, too.
ReplyDeleteWe don't jut eat Yorkshire puddings in Yorkshire Mr C!
DeleteSteve loved HP Brown Sauce, but I don't like it. The bottles we bought for him (at the Asian food shop, of all places - German supermarkets rarely stock HP) were glass; I've not seen a squeezy plastic one yet.
ReplyDeleteImagine how even more exciting your find would have been with a message inside that bottle!
"Help! I need more HP Sauce!"
DeleteWhat an AMAZING find! I love it! Am I crazy that I don't know what HP sauce is? Hot pepper?
ReplyDeleteIt's a brown sauce. You will find it in most British supermarkets. The bottle has a little picture of the Houses of Parliament on it
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