Comments on: Des & Lorraine’s collection

By: Sally

Sally — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 23:07:40 +0000

Sadly, as you may well know, Des is now closing the shop at the end of March 2017 due to an excessive rise in the leasehold. I feel we’re now losing the last remaining quirky shops in the east end of London. I highly recommend that everyone gets down there to see this wonderful emporium before it goes – they are open every day whilst slowly emtying it. Too sad.

By: Margaret Morley

Margaret Morley — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 14:09:46 +0000

Long ago I read your book and subsequently visited the shop. I chatted to Lorraine about the mermaid. It is a shop “like they used to be” and soon I am about to take a visitor around Spitalfields so will definitely be visiting them again!
Last time I was there we had lunch in an equally funky cafe next door !
I am a huge fan of “Spitalfields Life” 🙂

By: leslie tidwell

leslie tidwell — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:59:15 +0000

My husband and I are coming to London with my daughter for the first time this next summer and can’t wait to check out this wonderfully, curious junk shop!

By: Terri

Terri — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 22:22:08 +0000

I am very lucky this is my dad and mum shop we have had it for over 30 years Me and my brother was baby’s when my mum, dad got the shop had a very good childhood and lots of good memories at the shop and my 3 kids love it just like me and my brother did XX

By: Richard Ardagh

Richard Ardagh — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:45:21 +0000

Looks like a ‘Fijian mermaid’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji_mermaid

By: Sam Galliers

Sam Galliers — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:39:34 +0000

My Dad’s house is like this…. we’ve told him when he dies we will just give him a Viking funeral, him on a bier in the middle of it all and we torch the lot… he quite likes the idea…

By: Neil Philip

Neil Philip — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:46:32 +0000

I remember being shown the BM “mermaid” in the basement storeroom of the old Museum of Mankind 30 years ago. I’ve never forgotten the shock of revulsion at this pitiful object; I can hardly believe it is now on public display. Goodness knows what the true origin of this one is.

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:31:26 +0000

How weird? It’s amazing that places like this exist. So this is the shop where all our ‘stuff ‘ goes when we no longer want it!

By: Kasia

Kasia — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:31:56 +0000

There is a similar mermaid mummy in the british museum (the old library bit – curiosity section)
This sort of “souvenir” was often sold to sailors in far away exotic lands in 18th/19th century.
It was made of half mummified monkey and a fish.