Steve
Congratulations on the Brighton Bottles book. The on-line preview looks brilliant, as does the Lewes sequel. Both incredibly interesting. I'm saving up for hard copies.
I was fascinated by the Brighton abbatoir tip and your reference to a second Langridge bottle turning up. I'm afraid you're wrong, its the third - I'll tell you the story behind the second.
It's an incredible story and my memory is now a bit blurred, but back in the eighties, I found my first GB, a Tomsett, when digging trial pits for the proposed widening of the bridge at Mountfield Road, Lewes. Wanting to know the age of the bottle, I tracked down a copy of Askey's book in the local library, found the information I wanted, and got slightly hooked. At the time, there was an antique shop in Friars Walk with a few old plain GB's in the window - old and with interesting manufacturers stamps. I bought them and became more interested.
From his book, I knew Derek lived in Brighton, and I tracked him down, buying a copy of his book, and asking if he had any spare bottles he wanted to sell. He didn't, but he referred me to a contact in Peacehaven who he said he had just visited and had a few bottles that needed a home. This guy had a couple of milkcrates full of bottles. Still knowing little about bottles I selected about twenty of what I thought were the best ones (a mix of stoneware including a James, a Burt and codds ) and gave him the 50p each he asked for. Avidly reading my book, I found that Derek Askey had researched a lot about Langridge, another bottle I had casually plucked out of the crate. When Derek wrote "I have the only known bottle of this company in my collection", I thought he meant, the company only had one type of bottle, not that Derek's bottle was unique.
Years passed, and I continued to pick up the odd bottle at boot sales, but never went digging.
Eventually, I tracked down and went along to the Sussex Bottle Collectors Club at a pub in Lewes, armed with a few of my best bottles in a crate. When I pulled out my Langridge, jaws dropped and the flurry of incredible offers for my 50 p bottle made me realise I had something a bit special, and made me more determined to keep it. I received regular phonecalls as well asking if I still wanted to keep it, and if ever I wanted to sell, could they have first refusal.
More years passed and my interest waxed and waned as the family grew up. I also became more interested in Roman coins. However, I was still fascinated by GB's. I also posted something about Langridge on some genealogical forums to see if any related Langridge descendants were still in the Brighton area.
I treated myself to a subscription for BBR and noticed Derek had a new book. I called in on him again. Pretty expensive at £25 but I bought it and he signed it for me (Feb 1999). I was school govenor (chairman) at the time at Peacehaven Infant School, and we found we had a common interest in the Greenwich Meridian which passed right through the school grounds. Working in an engineering office, I was able to get Derek some very accurate maps that he wanted for his latest project.
Of course, we talked about bottles and I said I had a Langridge. I don't think he believed me and thought I was mistaken ! On a subsequent visit, I took my, by now, treasured posession and casually took it out of its bag. Derek was amazed (perhaps a bit disappointed that his was no longer unique), and we brought the two bottles together for the first time in 150 years. I was very surprised when Derek said "Do you want to swap ?". Although the two bottles looked similar but with different greenish tints, I said "No thanks". This was partly sentimental, and partly because I thought my Stephen Green glaze was better. I think Derek knew this too.
So you see, there are now three Langridges, and I thought it would become widely known amongst local GB collectors.
I have stayed interested in local bottles, and occasionally Google away, obviously coming across your brilliant website. On occasion, I have lashed out and bought something special. I've now got a Wilson's "Master wants me home" and a J Smith. So coming more up-to-date, I have been 'reinvigorated' recently by the preview version of your book.
And now, this week, I have come across a really interesting website about Langridge, the Brighton photographer, which, through my post on the genealogical forum contained a reference to me!!! In the last couple of days, I have been in correspondence with the author of the website, and he has updated the page with a picture of my bottle. Further, I told him about the J Smith bottle, and he informs me the houses in Western Road Brighton were renumbered, and J Smith was actually Langridge's predecessor. I'll leave you to read the rest. I'm really taken by this whole, well-documented story about a Victorian entrepeneur and my bottles (pics attached). I hope you enjoy it too
