The Constable Trust recently helped find a suitable home for an interesting collection of chapel china. Such china, designed specifically for each chapel, was a feature of teas held after services in Nonconformist chapels from the 18th Century onwards.

The collection, comprising about 80 specimens of tea services from Congregational, Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian chapels, with a good proportion from East Anglia and the Midlands, was started in the 1960s by Mrs Helen Harris, the widow of a URC minister. Her desire to find a home for her collection was communicated through the Chapels Society to Dr Jenny Freeman who brought the collection to the notice of her fellow trustees at the Constable Trust. Another Constable Trust trustee, Mrs Julia Abel Smith, through her contacts in the Friends of Essex Churches, made the link with the Nonconformist chapel at Little Baddow and its adjacent History Centre. The Chapel Elders and the committee of the History Centre were delighted to accept the collection which is being researched and catalogued and should shortly be on permanent display. Any additions to the collection, especially pieces from Essex, would be very welcome. (Contact the Little Baddow History Centre for details).

The Constable Trust's remit is to acquire and, more importantly perhaps, preserve and display works of art with links to East Anglia. The trustees are always happy to hear about such items, which may be neglected or in danger, and consider how the trust can help.