Read Online The Final Crumpet by Ron Benrey, Janet Benrey - Free Book Online Page B

in the colonnade. He seemed especially interested in the collection of formal invitations to afternoon teas issued by England’s royal family during the early twentieth century. When Paco finished, she said, “Let’s move to the exhibits on our second floor…” Flick quickly corrected herself: “I mean one flight up, on our first floor.”
    When are you going to stop making that silly mistake?
    Flick knew, but often managed to forget, that the Brits called the bottom floor of the building the “ground floor” rather than the “first floor”—a major change to the numbering scheme she had used all her life. The pattern continued: the “first floor” in England was equivalent to what Americans labeled the “second floor” —and so on, to the top of the building.
    Harry Simpson smiled at her. “Another example of two peoples separated by a common language.”
    Flick ushered them one flight up the main staircase, where her running commentary continued.
    The Tea at Sea Gallery:
    “You have a good eye—that is a replica of the famous Indiaman, Repulse, which belonged to the East India Company. The Hawker Ship Model Collection includes many well-known ships involved in the tea trade.”
    And: “I agree—the tea clippers are among the most beautiful sailing ships ever launched. They were built long and narrow with lots of sail, in the pattern of the eighteenth-century Baltimore clippers that were noted for their speed. According to sea lore, this class of ship earned the name ‘clipper’ because of how fast they clipped along.”
    The Hawker Tea Antiquities Collection:
    “I have to admit that this is my favorite gallery. The Hawker Tea Antiquities Collection includes thousands of fascinating items, including all manner of teacups, teapots, and teakettles…a king’s ransom of gold and silver tea services…an impressive array of samovars…tea ceremony sets from Asia…and, my favorite among favorites, several rare pieces of locally made, wooden Tunbridge Ware, including a famous set of mosaic-covered tea caddies called ‘All the Teas in China.’ ”
    The Tea Processing Exhibit:
    “This month, we’re highlighting the manufacture of Chinese gunpowder tea. It’s made by rolling green tea leaves into tiny pellets that resemble coarse gunpowder. And—yes, this is actual tea-processing equipment, the sort you can find in use at smaller producers throughout Asia, today.”
    Flick noticed that Harry looked at his watch. “How are we doing for time?” she asked.
    “I allowed an hour for the interview—we have about twenty minutes left, and I want to leave time for a direct question or two.”
    “We can safely bypass the two galleries on the next floor,” she said. “Our Tea in the Americas Room is more popular with visitors from across the pond than with locals, and the exhibits in our Tea and Health Gallery, though important, aren’t especially camera-friendly.”
    And there’s no point in even telling Harry about the Hawker family suite.
    The museum had long provided an office for the use of the Hawker family, the institution’s original benefactors. But now that the surviving Hawker heirs had no interest in the museum, the large suite could be transformed into a gallery. One of these days, she and Nigel would have to decide how to use the valuable space.
    “The museum’s top floor,” she said, “houses our administrative offices and is off-limits to most visitors. Our offices are routine, but two locations are worth your time.” Flick continued speaking as she led Harry and Paco up two flights of stairs. “The Hawker Memorial Library contains some three thousand books about the different aspects of tea. How tea is grown, how tea is processed, how tea is marketed, how tea is consumed—it’s really quite amazing how many different aspects of tea one can write about. And our Conservation Laboratory has all the scientific equipment we need to study, restore, and protect the many different