Sunday, October 23, 2022

Machen Interiors

At the recent AGM and Annual Dinner of The Friends of Arthur Machen, some members made a pilgrimage to his home town of Caerleon and were bemused to discover that Machen's birthplace at no 33, High Street, is now a home furnishings shop selling a vivid range of unusual objets. And it is named, in tribute to the great Gwent mage - Machen Interiors.

The proprietors describe their emporium as "a family business . . . who share a life-long passion for art, design and spectacular home interiors" who have transformed part of their family home into the shop.

Though there are no artefacts directly inspired by Machen or his tales, there are certainly some which are decidedly fantastical, not to say rococo, such as a large flocked bust of Apollo in pink, a large gold beetle wall decoration, a bronze effect monkey wall hook, a gilded octopus candle-holder, and - well, quite a lot else. 

The shop itself, which occupies the ground floor of the house, still retains what look like some of the original features such as fireplaces and an ornate moulded chandelier rose. It will certainly add an interesting new dimension to explorations of Machen country.

Perhaps it may only be a matter of time before an Amber Statuette, a Gold Tiberius, or a jar of the wine named Faunus, mysteriously appear among the stock . . .

3 comments:

  1. Do not fail to visit its "Private Air Raid Shelter" adjunct. It is said that the house was a target for Zeppelin attacks during the First World War in retaliation for the morale-boosting effects of "The Bowmen".

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  2. "It is said" statements get on my nerves (no offense taken, Anonymous). Who said?

    "It is said" remarks abound with regard to Tolkien, e.g. that "it is said" that such and such landmarks or landforms inspired aspects of Middle-earth.

    Dale Nelson

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  3. It is said that Tolkien based Minas Morgul on the Rotunda...

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