Page 57 - Alan Blakeman Collection catalogue

139. DOULTON GENTLEMANS CLUB SOFT DRINKS DISPENSER. 34ins tall. Extraordinary and quite spectacular artware Doulton period style soft drinkers dispenser. This apparently came from the waiting room of a London gentlemans club where ladies and thei children would wait for their husbands in their private club rooms. Iced water and orange squash would be placed in the top - with tap at the bottom to dispense a cool drink for the
children. Wonderful infilled tube lined decoration decorated with deep Doulton blue, off white, brown etc. The three parts are a pierced lid with knob, and central bulbous section which is joined with heavy base column - with a metal tube running down
the middle to provide the liquid refreshment. Certainly the tallest Doulton piece in the AB collection. Exc/ A1. NR. £600-800+
THE CAT AND THE PIANO TALE
At the opposite end of the village to the Heritage Centre, past the church and just round the corner from Reform Row was the four bedroomed Blakeman house, No 2 Strafford Avenue for almost fifty years.
All rooms, landing and staircase were ram jam crammed with my acquisitions which the three children always very careful not to damage anything - they daren’t.
We had two white cats (Bonnie and Clyde) for many years and the large drinks dispenser
here stood by the side of the piano in the front room. This was a very much prized possession purchased from ym good friend, Doulton expert, Jocelyn Lukins. The flat top of the piano
was, obviously, used for displaying various large pieces, on the right was a wonderful brewery advertising jardiniere, complete with plant.
One morning there was an almighty crash and I dashed downstairs to discover the cat and knocked my prized advertising jardiniere off the top of the piano which had in turn landed on the drinks dispenser, smashing the lid and top section into tiny pieces. I was devastated - but the cat survived!
Several years later I was travelling up to Scotland and Jocelyn rang to say could I pck something up from her in a Lake District salesroom. No problem.
On the way back from the Scottish Fair I called in and to my surprise Jocelyns purchase
was lid and top of a drinks dispenser - exactly the same as the two parts my white cat had pulverised. There was no base with it however.
Several months later I dropped the said lot off in London but Jocelyn said it was no good
to her as it was incomplete. I didn’t tell her the tale bit offered to buy it from her - for the princely sum of £50.
After several years, in passing on the telephone, I told her about the cat story and the dispenser, and why I had purchased the two pieces from her, which fit andmatched
perfectly.
Joccelyn was often construed as being quite a curt lady butI got on very well with her
and was most surprised when a couple of days later an envelope arrived - with my £50 duly received. She too was a pussy lover and it was a much appreciated kind gesture!
R.I.P. Jocelyn, much missed, and without her as a friend I suspect the only surviving
example of this ingenious Doulton production still survives.