River Pottery

4 Oct, 2008 in art pottery by admin

River Pottery

River Side Shopping; A Peek into the Ancient Times

Riverside shopping in Bangkok should be included in the 'must do list' of an antique lover. This area is a well known place for antiquities, ceramics, and art galleries. Bangkok being the capital of Thailand is the largest urban area of the country. Being a city where smiles and fun over flow it entertains the residents and the visitors to their heart's content. Many locals and foreigners come to Bangkok, making the sole purpose of their visit shopping. With the sky-high shopping malls, hustle and bustle of the famous market areas, shopping here is an experience of a life time for everyone.

When it comes to shopping at the riverside, River City and OP Place, tops the list of the best shopping stores, where you can start your shopping tour. River City Shopping Complex known as the largest antiques and arts center in Southeast Asia is a paradise for antique collectors. If you are looking for ancient Buddha images, porcelain, pottery, ceramics, intricate wood carvings, gold and silver ornaments and many other wonders from around the world this shopping complex will be a better choice for you. In addition to that, River City has a place where you can get a traditional Thai massages and foot reflexology.

Oriental Plaza, popularly known as OP, is the next shopping destination that will help to quench the thirst for antiquities of a shopaholic. The vintage style architecture and the manually operated elevator is reminiscent of the ancient glory of the city. Galleries and antiquities shops in different floors of this building eases the rush. Ashwood Gallery is one of the places in Oriental Plaza anyone shouldn’t miss. It houses works that ranges from Burmese alabaster sculptures from 19th century to Japanese and Chinese prints. If you just walk around the area you’ll be able to find plenty of jewellary shops and export trade specialized shops as well.

To enjoy easy access to riverside shopping in Bangkok, visitors can stay in a conveniently located Bangkok Sukhumvit hotel Royal President is a hotel, with 186 rooms, suites, and rooftop penthouses, where you can consider spending your luxury vacation. Ideal for long or short stay are the stylish Bangkok serviced apartments on offer at the hotel.

About the Author

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

What sort of stuff can I find on the banks of the river Thames?

I dropped something off the embankment at Chelsea and went down the old staircase to the foreshore in order to try and get it back. I couldn't find it, but while I was there I bumped into a man who was digging for old pottery and bits of metal. He showed me some of the stuff that he had found - all in the few minutes he'd been down there - a few bullets, a brass badge, a coin - and a very nice brass belt buckle. I think I might try this myself at some point, but can anyone give me any advice? I've always had an interest in this sort of thing, but I never realised there was so much stuff lying down there.

In the past there have been whole groups of people who made a living by searching for lost treasures in mud of the banks of the Thames. they were called "Mudlarks" and at one time found so many coins that there was a surge in demand for ancient coinage and another surge in fake coins to meet it!
Even nowadays things of great age turn up in the mud, roman coins and pottery, bits of jewellery, usually broken but still fascinating, glass and leather sandals. A few years ago a man working on the embankment found a couple of pieces of a rather nasty looking plate, clay with a white glaze and a poorly painted picture of James, Duke of York, the future James the second. The finder managed to get the whole plate and have it stuck together..it turned out to be one of the earliest pieces of commemorative tableware ever made..and worth almost anything the finder wanted to charge for it to collectors of old pottery...50,000 pounds plus.
There are very few finds of this magnitude left in the world of course, but the river Thames still throws up some interesting stuff, some of it lost or discarded in London, some of it many miles upstream and washed down then lost in the mud. Wear wellies, thick rubber gloves are a good idea as well as they will protect you from accidents and you can always take them off if you find something really worth examining..and you might invest in a metal detector at some stage. People have lived along the banks of the Thames for thousands of years, and not in small numbers, and they left plenty of evidence behind them.

River of Fire - Anagama Kiln Pottery Firing - Visual Arts at George Fox University