PICTURES: Glass act for lovers of a brew: Tea exhibition at World of Glass (From St Helens Star)

Glass act for lovers of a brew: Tea exhibition at St Helens' World of Glass

7:00pm Wednesday 13th March 2013 in News

OUR taste for tea has been on the boil for more than 300 years.

It first became popular with the toffs swigging it in the coffee houses of London in the early 18th century but over time a nice cuppa each afternoon became a national ritual.

You can relive the history of our national drink in Time for Tea at The World of Glass.

And curator Hannah Longworth didn’t have to look far for all the cups, saucers, teapots, cake plates and cutlery featured in this latest exhibition.

Many of the items on display come from the museum’s own Pilkington Glass Collection and the St Helens Council Collection.

And some of the most colourful exhibits belong to the personal collection of World of Glass’s executive director Ron Helsby.

He said: “It all started when I was given a Victorian teapot by a friend of the family when I was about seven or eight.

“As I grew older I remember always liking pieces of China and antiques in general. Then in my twenties I bought an Aladdin-style teapot from Czechoslovakia – so called because it was a bit like his lamp.

“After that I really caught the bug and my collection escalated to include complete dinner services – today it has overspilled to my loft and even my dad’s loft.

“I think it’s important to use such items rather than just collect them and luckily I am a tea drinker myself – peppermint tea is my particular favourite.”

The exhibition runs until this Saturday.