A SOUTHAMPTON author is launching a book charting the story of "Cube" teaware - a 20th century design classic that has a strong connection with the city.

Anne Anderson, a lecturer at Southampton Institute, has researched the fascinating rise and fall of the domestic style icon, which was hailed in the 1930s as a paragon of modern design.

When the RMS Queen Mary made her maiden voyage in 1936 she was probably the finest transatlantic liner launched by a British company, at the peak of Art Deco styling.

Everything for the Queen Mary was 'moderne', the last word in glamorous chic, for she was the Cunard White Star Line flagship which carried the famous Hollywood stars from Southampton to New York. Even the humble teapots and crockery used on the Queen Mary had to be the last word in fashion, and the first choice of Cunard was the Cube.

With no spout, the Cunard Cube teapot had a built-in handle and was completely cubic. Over 30,000 pieces were supplied to the Queen Mary, with a pattern of bands of black, golden brown and grey against an ivory background.

Most of the china and pottery for the Queen Mary and her sister ship was supplied through Stoniers of Liverpool. Legend has it that the company paid stewards to dispose of the china overboard rather than washing it up in a bid to increase sales even higher. It is often said that one could trace the route of the liners by following the trail of crockery from Southampton to New York!

On land, the Cube was the favoured teapot of tearooms up and down the country during the inter-war years, most famously associated with the Lyons Corner Houses. It was heralded by the makers as the 'climax in teapot construction'.

Surprisingly, in spite of its high levels of production, original examples of the Cube and its associated milk-jug, sugar-bowl and cubic teacups and saucers are hard to find.

A teapot on its own is not worth a fortune but a complete set, especially with cups and saucers, could be worth a couple of hundred pounds.

If you do find one, don't sell it! Put the kettle on, put your feet up and have a 'nice cup of tea'.

The launch of Anne Anderson's book will be marked by an exhibition, to be held from November 2 to 30 in London at the Richard Dennis Gallery, 144 Kensington Church Street (tel 0171 727 2061). The exhibition will be on view at the Southampton Maritime Museum during April and May 2000. The Cube Teapot by Anne Anderson is priced at £13.50, and the ISBN number is 0 903685.

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