A PAIR OF 19TH CENTURY JAPANNED METAL TEA BINS, with mahogany hinged lids above black and gilt Japanned bodies, with chinoiserie decoration. 56 x 52 x 77cm tall

 

Now that tea is readily...

A PAIR OF 19TH CENTURY JAPANNED METAL TEA BINS, with mahogany hinged lids above black and gilt Japanned bodies, with chinoiserie decoration. 56 x 52 x 77cm tall

 

Now that tea is readily available in every Centra on every street, the need to store large quantities has lapsed somewhat from the 19th century. Picking ready measured sachets out of a box, whilst it may not come with its own authentic feel, definitely has its benefits. For this reason, tea bins that once brimmed with fragrant leaves can now be seen proudly retaining the households fuel. In the 21st century, tea is something over which the excitement of our lives can be discussed with friends, but rewind 200 years and the tea itself provided the excitement.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the British monopolised the tea trade, importing the leaves from China. However, in the 1830s, the Navigation Acts that previously banned goods brought in by foreign ships from entering Britain were appealed. This led to a surge in competition and, subsequently, a need for faster ships. Each ship now competed against the other to be the first to land in London with the new crops harvest, the fastest ships receiving more payment for their trouble. Swift, yacht-like vessels called clippers were brought in that, with the wind in their sales, could almost skim the surface of the sea. These clippers were in a conscious race with each other, the crews finding new ways to load the tea just so as they could be the first to leave the harbour. Within a few years, the newspapers had caught a hold of this and whisked it up into a frothy cream of daring, perseverance and seamanship. The climax of this reporting occurred with the Great Tea Race of 1866 when five ships left China for London, carrying over £5 million pounds of tea between them. Despite the 99 day long crossing, the first and second ships were a mere 40 minutes apart, a gap so small that the owners decided to split the prize money in good faith.

 

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