The weird and wonderful Morpeth Tea Pot and Tea Cosy exhibition has filled Campbell’s Store with teapots of every shape, colour and variety for 30 years now.
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But this year is all comes to an end. The last ever exhibition will run from August 17 to 27.
Before it all wraps up, take a look back at the event from the Fairfax archives.
THE ORGANISERS
Morpeth businessman Trevor Richards and his wife Shirley started the exhibition after they purchased and renovated Campbell’s Store, as a way of luring tourists to the then sleepy hamlet which in those days was not known as a tourist destination.
These days daughter Kylie Richards runs the show.
“It was certainly a novelty and over the years attracted widespread interest and later widespread competition entries in the tea cosy section,” Kylie Richards said.
“It’s sad this is finishing but we will come back with something bigger and better.”
THE $2000 TEA COSY
The Richards family has accumulated more than 100,000 tea pots over the years, retailing between $100 and $300 each. The most expensive one is a limited edition art nouveau tea pot from the UK which retails for $1500. It is not the most expensive piece to have featured in the exhibition.
In 2009 a tea cosy valued at $2000 which featured Tasmanian devil bones stitched into its design was on display at Morpeth's annual teapot exhibition.
Made by Tasmanian Tara Badcock, the cosy has been modelled on one of Italy's patron saints, the Blessed Fina (1238-1253).
The bones of a Tasmanian devil were sewn onto to the cosy to symbolise the bones of Saint Fina.
STORIES FROM THE PAST
Devil in the detail 2009