Edwardian Fireplace Tiles anyone ?

[Edwardia]

Was meandering around on the website and tucked away I found T&R Boote 1905 'Jewelled' design Art Nouveau fireplace tiles, seven of them when first listed in January 2008 (may be less available now) at £59.99 each plus £3.50 postage and packing per order. Sent from Oxfam 54 St Mary's Street, Wallingford
Oxfam Shop Customer Services 0870 410 5030 or enquiries@shop.oxfam.org.uk

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/productdetails.aspx?catalog=HighStDonated&product=74744

 

[Penners]

Holy moley! Sixty quid for one tile?! :shock:

Pop round to ours any time - I'll chisel a few off the bathroom wall for only fifty quid each.

 

[Edwardia]

It's for charidee though

 

[Lime]

It's for charidee though

Hmm, maybe so, but charity begins at home.

20 years ago Oxfam used to supply needs both home and abroad.
Money for projects foreign and clothes and other items for the less well off in the UK.
Since that time they have raised their prices so much that the local shop has closed down where I live.
I stopped going to Oxfam years ago and wouldn't donate to them.
There are plenty of other worthy charities to choose from.

Have you seen their advertisement for clean water on tv?
They supply bricks, know how and cement so that locals can build their own well.
I would have thought lime was much more appropriate, particularly where materials are reclaimed when desperately needed.

 

[Edwardia]

Lime is porous though isn't it ? Surely, in drought-stricken areas of say, Africa, they need to conserve every drop of water, not waste any water in leakage ?
Lining a well with cement and using it above ground, will prevent water leakage. Plus, how safe is lime, in water, health-wise ? I think we would all agree that lead pipes are a health hazard, so not all past technologies are good ones. The other disadvantage to using lime plaster, is that using it is yet another technique that has to be taught = more expense.

The saying Charity Begins at Home, is a good one in principle. I certainly do feel that charities are often left to step in where Government should be picking up the bill. It's a scandal that people in Scotland get subsidised by English taxpayers,yet end up with free social care when many householders in England have to rely on charity.

Equally, it should be recognised that these days there is an underclass of Whatevers, who pay no interest to their feral kids, and want the luxuries of life without working for them. Frankly I'd rather give our money to hard-working African farmers than people like that. If you're healthy and don't have problems like dyslexia and live in a country as rich as Britain, there's no excuse not to leave school after 13 yrs, illiterate and unwilling to work.

PS I'm not actually a Tory voter

 

[Lime]

Lime is fine.

Am I to assume from your post that you are convinced the majority of poor people in this country pay no interest to their feral kids, and want the luxuries of life without working for them?

I think you are wrong.
There are plenty of hardworking poor people in the country.

While there are plenty of people that fit your description to call them poor is a misnomer.
They usually are paid by the state and they will do anything to improve the payments hence more children etc.
They are not poor financially at least.

However there are many people who are not claiming any benefits who are poor and rely on charity shops for most of their clothes.
Oxfam priced them out of their shops and now my local one has closed down... pickings not good enough I suppose.
Good riddance I say.

 

[MdB]

Plus, how safe is lime, in water, health-wise ?

I think everyone that lives in a hard water area will tell you that lime in the drinking water isn't a problem apart from the limescale that ends up in the kettle. Hydrated lime is rather alkaline but once carbonated it is back to the same chemical composition as limestone or chalk.

 

[DaveBrigg]

Our well bricks have no mortar at all. Lining a well with lime or cement would seem to defeat the object of trying to get it to fill with water.
We have two local Oxfam shops, one of which just sells books. Rather than getting rid of everything for 50p, someone clearly looks at what each book is worth and prices accordingly, which I guess maximises the money they make to help others. I picked up quite a rare tome published in 1919 and didn't begrudge the £10, since this was pretty much what it was worth. A quick check suggests that similar tiles can be bought for less online, so maybe they are being optimistic, but if they are being donated items to be sold, shouldn't they try to maximise funds?
I don't think Edwardia ever suggested that most poor people had 'feral' children, but echo the comment that I'd rather give to a charity that helped people who were really in need, and would make the most of any help they received, here or abroad.

 

[Juju]

I buy loads of books at our local Oxfam book shop. Personally I'm happy to pay £1.49 for a standard paperback - Amazon doesn't sell them that cheap! Then I donate them back once I've read them.