This glazed brown flagon originally held one gallon of spirits when it was made in Victorian South Shields. Cracked inscription reads: ‘R, BELL. SPIRIT MERCHANT. SOUTH SHIELDS. 1 GALL’.
Sealed by its original cork. Chipped and scuffed from over 150 years in storage. 32 cm tall x 18 cm wide, 2.75 kilos
Born in Durham city, Robert Bell was a successful brewer who supplied South Shields with spirits and wine during the 1850s and beyond. Bell lived comfortably with his family near the River Tyne, where he hired his own cook and maid servants. His sons, Robert and George, joined their father in the alcohol business by 1871.
