Lose Your Marbles (House of Marbles)

Member Name: kajroberts

Product:	House of Marbles
Date:	26/06/01 (203 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free, Fun, Educational

Disadvantages: None

When I was on holiday my girlfriend suggested that we grouped together a load of those flyers you can find on racks in pubs, swimming pools and the like, then decide where we would go. I will write about the other places soon but this one was the cheapest, in fact it was free.

If you’re anything like me, when you go out you want to be entertained so if you are going to spend half a day in one place it must have plenty to see and do….

At first glance the flyer gives a fair idea of what you are in for, but I still had my doubts and was sure that this would be an hours trip to a glass shop.

How wrong I was, for a start we were there for more than three hours and the range of things to see was surprising.



~~Factory Seconds & Gift Shop~~

The entrance to the factory leads you straight into the shop area, here you can find a vast range of glass products and games, marbles being the obvious game.
If you can think of anything that’s made in glass you can probably find it here, most of it is made in the factory on site but there is also a lot of unusual products sourced from all over the world. If you’re looking for that unusual gift for someone who has everything, or is just hard to buy for then this is the answer to your prayers.
Be warned though, you can easily get carried away and end up spending a fortune.



~~The Museums~~

Once you have walked through the shop you should find yourself in the museum area. There are three museums on the site explaining the history of Bovey Potteries, the history of Glass, and the history of the Board Game.

Bovey Potteries – A collection of local wares dating back for over 200 years, not particularly interesting unless that’s your thing but a nice little curiosity section.

Board Games & Glass – Just before you get to the entrance to the factory area there is a room split into two, on one side
is the history of glass with examples from all over the world and on the other is nothing but games, not Monopoly or Cluedo but those old fashion ones from yesteryear. Pinball was one that I recognised, a wooden base with a stick to push ball bearings at targets made from panel pins. There was an old man that lived next door to us when I was little he used to make them as a way to remember his childhood. He used to make catapults too but that’s another story.

In the middle of the room is an amazing piece of machinery, it looks like a giant corkscrew but it’s actually an early marble-making machine.



~~Marbles~~

Another room houses a collection of marbles from all over the world and three interesting marble runs. The runs were made by Alex Schmid an artist from Switzerland, they each have their own names just like a work of art, on one wall are two small runs “The Worker” and “The Millennium” and on the other wall a large run, “Curriculum Vitae” but the best run is a third one that takes up all of one of the stair wells “Snooki”, covering an area of 36 square meters and uses 37 pool balls, which race around intricate tracking, moving objects, ringing bells and generally making a racket, my girlfriends favourite bit is a funnel at the bottom of the run that keeps the balls spinning around a bit like a ball in a roulette wheel.



~~Glass Blowing~~

This is a unique experience, your chance to watch the crafts men at work. I was impressed by it all but then it was the first time I had seen it done. My girlfriend informs me that she had seen better displays in Plymouth. All I can say is it’s very hot, more so if the weather is hot and a bit smelly, the gas running the furnaces reminded me of doing metal work at school.



~~Licensed Restaurant and Coffee Shop~~

It’s going to take you at least a few hours to tour th
e buildings so a stop for a break in the restaurant is welcoming.

There is a nice range on the menu, serving everything from morning coffee or breakfast to “homemade” daily specials for lunch.

We had a meal called Magical Mushrooms basically a garlic and cheese dish, and another meal called Surf The Net, a mixture of lightly breaded scampi and a few rings of battered squid. Both meals with a Cappuccino and Lemonade came to a very reasonable £11-25.

The customer service was great too they really make you feel relaxed, in fact the manager was giving out jigsaw puzzles to all the children, my girlfriend ended up with one too!?!

If you want to enjoy the sun you can take your meal outside to a large tabled area behind the old kilns, and if you have kids they can go off and play marbles in a purpose built ring complete with marbles.




~~The Shop Upstairs~~

If you have some money to spend or you want a really special present this section is for you.

This could easily be a section of Harrods, there is a selection of Walnut furniture, and Bone China dinner services, as well as novel kitchen condiments but this is mixed in well with affordable treats like fancy food dressings and locally made fudge… mmmm

One of my favourite bits of this shop is the collection of paperweights and limited addition marbles. The marbles are about 7 inches in diameter and are blown to represent Planets or Pictures. The best ones are the ones of Venus and Earth both about £250 - £400 each.



~~Conclusion~~

This was a really good day out, and if you don’t buy anything in the shops, it’ll be totally free, so what have you got to lose. If you have kids don’t worry about the lack of games machines, I’m sure they’ll have fun playing their “newly” found games.

Parking is also free and there’s plenty of it, but it’
s still worth getting there early especially during the school holidays because it gets busier after mid –day.
There is also a warning for coach parties to book in advance only.




OPEN TIMES


Monday – Saturday 9am – 5pm
Sunday 9am – 4-30pm

Glass Blowing Demonstrations can be view Monday – Friday 9am – 4.30pm and Sunday 10am – 3pm from Easter till the end of September.


CONTACTS

House Of Marbles, The Old Pottery road, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9DS

Telephone: 01626 835285

Website: www.houseofmarbles.com

Email: uk@houseofmarbles.com


HOW DO I GET THERE?


If you have come in from Newton Abbot you need to head towards Drum Bridge roundabout, follow the A382 towards Bovey Tracey then take the first exit at the next roundabout, you are now about 30 metres away from the factory.

Its well signposted so I dare you to get lost…… have a great day out and enjoy yourself.

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