Crested China 5 - Grayshott, Hampshire

This piece is made by Arcadian China who are considered to be in the Second Division by experts in quality I have been told by various dealers. Whatever the quality, this is one of the most obscure places to be marked on an item such as this in my collection. Grayshott lies just inside Hampshire on the border with Surrey and close to Hindhead. The writer Flora Thompson spent some of her life here as Postmistress (1898-1900). The arms show 3 fishes, which I am not clear why they are there as this is hilly country! The Arms of Hampshire are above the fishes on the right, while the village church is on the left. This is a reasonably accurate representation of the church which is dedicated to St Luke and was designed by a firm of architects called L'Anson & Son in 1901. The church is well worth a visit as it's big, lofty and has some very good Arts & Crafts stained glass.