Wednesday 10 June 2015

Peaky Blinder - Charity Shop Tourism



 I'm always banging on about how fabulous the Midlands are, friendly people, superb art galleries & museums, excellent Indian food, fantastic charity shops, weekday car boot sales, town centre markets and, compared to much of the UK, a relatively low cost of living. Being in the centre of the country we're also within easy reach of lots of great places, like Buxton, a historical spa town in Derbyshire, just a ninety minute drive away.


Originally a Roman settlement named Aquae Arnemetiae (the spa of the goddess of the grove). Buxton became a major tourist attraction during the 18th Century when the fashionable people of Regency England flocked to take the waters. 


 Buxton is the gateway to the gorgeous Peak District.


As a born townie I'm rarely seen in a field unless its one with a car boot sale or a music festival but I have to admit that the 555 square miles of open countryside which make up Derbyshire's Peak District is rather spectacular. No wonder over a million people holiday here every year.


These dry stone walls bisect each field as far as the eye can see. 


Buxton Baths stand on the site of the original Roman baths. They opened in 1854.


The Pump Rooms, designed by the same architect, Henry Currey, are opposite.


Oatcakes were a weekend treat when I was little but I've never heard of Buxton tea bread, Buxton pudding or a Buxton egg bomb. 




Loved the green mosaic Bar sign over the Grove Hotel.


The road into the town centre is flanked with Victorian limestone terraces.


I loved Exeter House.


Most of the other visitors wear walking boots and you can see why. 


Good old British Summer Time. Jon's still wearing his overcoat in June.





What else is great about Buxton? There's a whopping twelve chazzas in the town centre. Now you'd probably expect charity shops in a major tourist destination to be overpriced and short on great vintage stock. Well, you'd be wrong. This is just a fraction of yesterday's finds.


Clockwise from top left: Handmade patchwork maxi skirt(Hmmm, does it stay or does it go?); Tapestry Greek Key bag; Quilted Martin Emprex maxi; Harris Tweed blazer & 1950s Tootal scarf; Renjoy, London  maxi skirt; Paisley button-down shirt; Flutter sleeve psychedelic maxi; Novelty print leisure shirt; Charles of the Ritz grab bag



Shopping complete and time for lunch. No bargain hunting road trip is complete without a bag of chips in the car before taking the scenic route home.


What did I wear?


My 1970s Van Allen cotton printed maxi I bought from eBay over 10 years ago, some 1970s dead stock sunnies from a vintage fair & a jumble sale Topshop denim jacket.
......And these!


Suzanne recently posted about wardrobe bucket lists and on mine was a pair of tan leather, cork soled platforms. On Monday, I spotted these Bertie sandals in a Walsall charity shop. They tick all the boxes and more, leather lined so they're super-comfy and buckle fastening so my narrow feet don't slide around in them and blister to buggery. I wore them for 12 hours yesterday. 

See you soon!

53 comments:

  1. lovely pics of Buxton.Not been for a while. I live in Derby. Pity it wasn't a bit more sunny. Flamin' cold...my heating is on! Still you got some good stuff,thats what counts.
    No Wetherspoons there? ha ha.

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  2. what a beautiful place to visit, or LIVE!!!
    It seems to have it all, the architecture is amazing, so much history, I would love to see the shops,
    great shoes!!!!
    I just bought a pair of cork platforms, black leather, I know all about skinny feet sliding around, I have that very same trouble, lol,

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  3. I'm so jealous of your platform shoes! Should you ever come across some again in a size 7 I'll take them off your hands. Mind you, it has taken you how many years to find these lovelies? They are like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

    Buxton looks lovely. I'm very impressed with the number of charity shops and the items you nabbed. I think I'd come just for that. And you and Jon of course : )

    Thanks for the shout-out!

    bisous
    Suzanne

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  4. What a beautiful city - and the lush hillside is breathtaking. It makes my desire to run away to England even stronger.
    Love the new shoes!

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  5. Love those sandals! Thank you for the reminder of how lovely Buxton is, I must try and work it into a holiday soon, specially all those chazzas! Your Van Allen maxi is fab, it was a trendy place to shop! (Can you believe I found one of their carrier bags in mum's loft!) xx

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  6. Love your outfit and those shoes look really comfy, I recall cork soled shoes from when I was little and how bouncy they felt when I walked!

    Buxton looks beautiful. I have been to the Midlands, namely Coventry with a fifteen minute stop in Birmingham to change coaches when I went to visit my pen friend xx

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  7. Buxton looks gorgeous - like story-book England, and a place I'd love to spend an afternoon shopping! Your scores are wonderful - loving that Greek Key bag. And the chips. xox

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  8. You must keep that patchwork skirt, I want to see that on you! And the shoes are to die for! Lucky you! :)

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  9. Buxton is a great place to visit, we havent been in a while. Going in from the opposite direction to you we can be there in about an hour.
    The whole environment is just up our street as we live on the moors and overlook a nature reserve. Love all the green.
    You got some fab buys and looked as delicious as ever.
    I've been walking around the house in my latest acquisition, a gorgeous lightweight crimplene coat for £4. Watch out for pics
    See ya Sunday xxx

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  10. ahh I LOVED reading this post! We spend most of our weekends in Buxton, the charity shops are incredible and the nearby car boots are the best i've ever been to! & yes, Buxton is such a pretty place to visit! Lovely photographs, you found some amazing stuff! x

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  11. Lovely pics of Buxton - so beatiful and different from villages . I think its pure happiness to find a paie of nice shoes that can stay on for such a long time ! And you look smashing as always !
    xxx

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  12. Oh man! I love the cork soled sandals. I hope they aren't vintage though - I bought some perfect one last summer but the cork had dried out with age and cracked right through. Timpsons sadly don't resole cork

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  13. you live in such a beautiful part of the world! i'm in heavy coats everyday up here in Utah. i miss my sunny california. x

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  14. Wow, a great stash there Vix. That patchwork skirt HAS to be a keeper! Never been to Buxton but it looks very pretty. And 12 charity shops??? That's my kind of day out! xxx

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  15. Oh how funny my mum just got back from a trip up North in her camper van, she stopped off in Buxton on her way back. I was very jealous of her pictures, especially of the Baths, yours have further cemented my wish to visit! I'm not sure I'll try a Buxton egg bomb though (whatever it is, it sounds terrifying!) I'm mightily impressed by your chazza finds. I think the patchwork skirt should stay, it's gorgeous! XXXX

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  16. Yes, Buxton is mighty attractive, and has a real raft of chazzas. You were only down the road, I could have taken the day off to join you! You found some beautiful stuff, that yellow and green angel sleeve maxi makes me happy just to look at it! Oh keep the patchwork maxi skirt - think how great it will look with your Bertie sandals (another fab find!)
    I'm like you, urban landscapes tend to float my boat more than countryside, but the Peak District is rather glorious, and who doesn't love a dry stone wall?!
    Loving the Van Allen maxi, and the look of those chips, mmm...
    We'll have to consider Buxton as a location for a meet-up one day, no?
    Love you! xxx

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  17. We will have to go there one day , Seems like my kind of place , I love exeter house too , My dream home xxx

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  18. They're fab and look really comfy, they can all keep their walking boots I'd rather have those!! Thanks for taking us on tour with you! x

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  19. The serendipity of the chazza....put your desires out into the universe and they shall provide!

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  20. Another great haul there Vix, well done!!
    What size are the two maxi dresses?? I'm still on the lookout for some vintage maxis for myself!
    xx

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  21. Your photos of Buxton are lovely. I visited it once when we lived in Nottingham and it was absolutely perishing there - despite it having been a warm(ish) spring day when we left Notts - I think it's quite high up and exposed to all winds and weathers. Oddly enough, I never saw a single chazza on that one visit - looks like I missed a treat.

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  22. Buxton is a pretty place with lots of interesting history. I LOVE your outfit today - shoes look super comfy. Betty

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  23. Buxton is a pretty place with lots of interesting history. I LOVE your outfit today - shoes look super comfy. Betty

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  24. Thank you for this wonderful post, Vix - no really, thank you! So beautiful and peaceful, I just want to be there...

    Your new shoes are perfect! They will go with everything this Summer - and many Summers more. As always, I admire your brightly colored dress, looks great with the cropped denim jacket. Such wonderful vintage finds too! Do you find anything in XL XXL sizes on your hunts? The idea has never occurred to me before, but if you do, I'd be happy to buy vintage that fits (and to my liking of course). I'd be happy to be your customer. :)

    I just adore that commercial Great British Summer - it's much like Summer here sometimes, especially June. Though last year was unusually sunny, hot and long - about 5 months of Summer. This year is pretty good too, so far.

    Have a great week! xxxx

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  25. I'm amazed Curtise hasn't got her eye on that tapestry bag!

    Buxton looks beautiful. I wish our charity shops had that kind of booty.

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  26. 12 chazzers and a chip shop...what more could you ask for! Love the sandals too!

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  27. Handmade patchwork skirt - how could it be anything other than a keeper??? I have sandal envy too as I never find any sandals that don't immediately blister my feet. There's so much of the UK I've never visited. Buxton will go on the list, after Walsall...

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  28. What a beautiful place and I think the patchwork maxi skirt should be a keeper! It will look fantastic on you. Xx

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  29. Buxton looks like a lovely place and your new shoes are fab! x

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  30. another pretty English town. When I travel, I love checking out the local thrift stores. You can find the coolest things off the beaten track.

    and those sandals fit!

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  31. You cheer for the midlands, I cheer for our midwest, and for many of the same reasons! Denim jackets are so rad, so timeless! That dry stone wall is spectacular - one of these years I want to build one (I have visions of a secret garden) xo

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  32. Sounds and looks like a wonderful day! I love that you take all these photos, I dream of coming to visit. Sigh, someday....

    XXX

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  33. What beautiful buildings! And so many great vintage finds. Sounds like it was a perfect day-trip.

    The weather has been so lousy here too. This afternoon we had a hurricane warning ... it didn't actually happen but we sure did have a few really wicked storms.

    I love your new shoes! xo

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  34. You can actually see that those shoes are comfortable - yet heels - yet cool. Rare!

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  35. Now I really want to know what an egg bomb is! I'm wondering if it's anything like a Scotch Egg.

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  36. I'm now wracking my brains to remember which erstwhile ex-boyfriend I went to Buxton with, says everything I remember Buxton but not the boy - isn't it gorgeous!! so good to see it again and of course you look gorgeous too, those shoes are totally fab, 12 hours in heels is the stuff of dreams (should be the name of a film, ha!) glad you got a load of excellent treasure! x x x I fancy some chips now too x x x

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  37. i´ll add buxton to my "must visit when in england list"!!!! town and country are really beautiful! and best thing will be i bring only some undies in a huge suitcase to that travel - to have a lot of space for fab chazza finds!!! :-)
    your look is gorgeous as always - but i envy those platforms!! the perfect summer sandals!
    sunny greetings!!! xxxxxxxx

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  38. Gorgeous pics!! I love that 1970's maxi. I defy any fast-fashion dress to last that long!

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  39. Wow, so many gorgeous buildings, and I love the old dry stone walls.

    Those sandals look perfect, I hardly ever find shoes I like, that are in my size at the charity shops, but now and again a gem will pop up.

    Have a wonderful weekend xx

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  40. I do love Derbyshire and the Peak District... it's close enough for us to get to for a day's trip to do some fab hiking :-) You've shown off Buxton so well here!

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  41. WOW! These fantastic sandals, I'm looking for something like: nice and comfortable!
    Even the British weather today would be perfect for me, here it is hot, muggy and a bit 'moist, well terrible!
    I really like this place, a real discovery for me! the beautiful countryside and the architecture of the spa town! Perfect for a quiet holiday!
    The first skirt I see very good about yourself!
    kisses
    serena

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  42. that printed maxi is a dream...and I love how you styled it with that denim jacket and wedge sandals...pure perfection!!!!

    I also really enjoyed browsing the photos, my little virtual visit to England.

    I can image how funny it is to see ducks everywhere...they don't stay in parks here either...these photographs were taken right next to the tenis court and in a very urban area (but the river TRadobolja does make it look like it's a park) There are five rivers in Mostar city so ducks are a common sight:)

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  43. Fantastic post and have a happy weekend.

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  44. Buxton seems to have it all. Oodles of history, imposing architecture, breathtaking landscapes and more chazzas than you can poke a stick at. That frock of yours is so pretty and what gawjuss sandals. I can almost smell those chips. xx

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  45. Thank you for my tour of the countryside. Absolutely gorgeous. Love your outfit as well, and the shoes? Need some of those!! XXOO

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  46. You've made Buxton look so pretty, I haven't been for a while, maybe it's time for a visit. Curtise's suggestion sounds good. They must have a Spoons, surely? Although I see you and Jon have your own tradition. Bag of chips with plenty of salt and vinegar, top tucker. What a great find, those Bertie platforms, wouldn't mind them in a size 3 and I love the denim jacket too. I honestly think you must have vintage magic skills, wherever you go, it appears. Martin Emprex, there's a good Nottinghamshire company. I think I went for an interview with them once. Bet that dress looks lovely on. Xxxx

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  47. I love how everything in England is old … I've got to get there and enjoy all this history before I get old too ;0)
    xx

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  48. Derbyshire is so lovely! I had a funny moment scrolling through the photos of all the brownstone and grey sky that as soon as the pictures of your colourful dresses popped up they were the brightest things ive ever seen! i can see they went turbo with colour in the 60s and 70s!

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  49. I enjoyed the Buxton tour - looks like a lovely place to visit, and go charity shopping. You're wearing one of my fave dresses of yours (don't you have another one of the same style in a different pattern?) and those are the best sandals. Sometimes the universe provides, doesn't it?

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  50. Thanks for a fab armchair tour. I don't get many opportunities to explore little villages and towns and it's such a great activity. Your outfit is gorgeous especially the sandlas - brilliant! xx

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  51. Love that maxi, and the new sandals are a brilliant find!
    Fecking gloriarse looking town, Buxton. This is exactly why I am in love with British shoes like Midsomer Murders etc etc-such fantastic historical buildings! Love it.
    Love Helga XXX

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  52. i love your blog! Also the shoes and styles you are posting!

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Lots of love, Vix