All royal events come with memorabilia, but the coronation wears the proverbial crown. Mugs, flags, dishcloths, tea cozies, biscuit tins, and bunting all come out to play in a glorious display of British eccentricity. “I love the crazy ladies who appear in our newspapers around this time surrounded by thousands of objects all crammed together in one room,” says interior designer Ben Pentreath, himself a collector of royal memorabilia.
More is more when it comes to memorabilia, something Pentreath’s husband, Charlie McCormick, knows all about. He has collected more than 500 royal mugs that range from early Queen Victoria to Charles and Diana. Many are used at the couple’s home in Scotland, while the more special items are gathered on mantelpieces and drawers at their home in Dorset. These include Pentreath’s complete set of Eric Ravilious–designed coronation mugs, made by Wedgwood for Dunbar Hay in the 1930s.
