Just to provide a completely different topic of conversation, I thought I would share some interesting facts that I found while designing this year’s autumn range! There are a few Horse Chestnut trees near us and having used them as my inspiration, I took the opportunity to expand my tree knowledge.

I always find the lifespan of trees amazing and the Horse Chestnut tree (or ‘Aesculus hippocastanum’ as they are known in more scientific circles) is no exception. They can live for around 300 years! So the oldest Horse Chestnuts in the UK will likely have been growing when Robert Walpole was appointed as the UK’s first Prime Minister in 1721, when the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden opened at it’s first site in 1732 and during the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

They can grow to reach 40 metres tall. I was surprised to learn that they are not native to the UK and were introduced from Turkey in the 1500s. While deer will happily eat conkers, they can be poisonous to humans (and dogs). It is claimed that the first game of conkers was played on the Isle of Wight in 1848 and was apparently adapted from the game of ‘cobnuts’ previously played with hazelnuts. As a child I remember trying various methods to make conkers stronger (none of which worked!). Are games of conkers still a thing? I’m keen to see whether the game survives our era of health and safety as my children grow up!

Harness your childhood memories with our Autumnal Tableware and Eco Notecards made using recycled card and paper.