3rd May 2011

SID VALE: Sidmouth shops geared up for Royal Wedding

By Huw Hennessy

If you haven’t yet bought your Royal Wedding souvenirs, don’t despair, it’s not too late! Sidmouth shops still have a wide range of ‘Kate & Wills’ memorabilia in stock, as well as miles of Union Jack bunting and everything else you may need for your local street party.

Sid Vale Weekender’s roving reporter scoured the town last weekend, in search of the most unusual regal gifts on offer.

Leading the local retailers for its patriotic merchandise is Goviers, traditional china and ornament emporium on Sidmouth High Street. It not only has a window display for the new royal couple, it also still has original china produced for previous British royal weddings dating back to the 1934 marriage of the Duke of Kent, son of George V, to Princess Marina of Greece.

Some of the priciest items you can pick up here include a £650 carriage clock, with Catherine and William’s initials on its enamel face, or a pair of Royal Swans, price £590.

My personal favourites however, for their novelty value, are William and Catherine candle snuffers, at £175 each. Limited to 200, the candle snuffers are made by Bronte porcelain producers, and are among a huge collection, featuring both real and fictitious characters from around the world.

Trumps, on Fore Street, is a similarly traditional retailer, and famous for its homemade local produce. With something different not only for collectors but also to partygoers, they sell a Gotcha Will! real ale, made by the Leek Brewery from Cheddleton, Staffordshire. A potent brew at five per cent, £2.50 for 500ml. Which might go down well with Trumps’ special Royal Cheese Board - a red, white and blue combination of Red Leicester, White and Blue Stilton.

“The Union Jack is back in fashion,” according to Richard Eley, owner of Delderfields, across the road from Trumps.

They sell a good selection of red, white and blue flag based items all year round, some of which would make good presents with practical value. Including my overall favourite: a Union Jack sausage dog draught excluder (£19).

If I were being picky, I’d deduct marks for basing it on a Dachshund instead of a patriotic British Bulldog, but then of course it would be the wrong shape.

Fields, Sidmouth’s reputable department store, on Market Square, has pulled out the stops with a special Royal Wedding window display and a dedicated area of its first floor china department.

It has sold out of its popular Kate & Will mugs, but still has a few commemorative gift boxes (£14.99) and coasters (£4.50) available, as well as various general Union Jack themed items, including surprisingly inexpensive flag mugs (£2.50).

My final recommendation goes to All Things Bright and Beautiful, at the seafront end of Fore Street. They don’t sell specific Royal Wedding items, but they do have an impressive range of Union Jack patterned and other British-themed souvenirs, such as £1.50 Biros, sequinned key rings (£4.50), notepad (£3.95), postbox (£2.55), teapot (£14.95) and a snazzy umbrella, for £25.95 – very popular, according to owner David Tozer, as it’s also windproof.

After all the wonderful sunny weather we have had over Easter, everyone is crossing fingers for a dry Royal Wedding, but if it does rain, this is just what you’ll want to have close to hand.

And if all these dazzling products sound like too much for your budget, there’s always Lidl. Here you can pick up red, white and blue patterned plastic cups for only £1.19 for 50, or a paper tablecloth for £2.99, to help your party go with the right royal image.

They also sell a commemorative beer: Shepherd Neame’s Middleton to Windsor Ale (4% vol), on special offer at 99p for 500ml.

PICTURE: Goviers' royal wedding window display

SID VALE: Sidmouth shops geared up for Royal Wedding

SID VALE: Sidmouth shops geared up for Royal Wedding

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