 A wishing well in the cafe garden of Teapot Island. | |
 | |
| Established | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Location | Yalding, Kent |
| Coordinates | 51°13′18″N 0°25′05″E / 51.2217°N 0.4181°E |
| Collection size | 8,400 Teapots |
| Website | Official Website |
Teapot Island is a teapot museum in Kent, England. The museum grew from the personal teapot collection of owner Sue Blazye, which started when her grandmother gave her a teapot in 1983, encouraging other family members and friends to do the same.[1]
History
[edit]After Sue Blayze acquired her first teapot in 1983 - a terracotta clay teapot with painted flowers, her collection has grown and this eventually led to her needing a larger space to house it.[2] She established Teapot Island in Yalding, in November 2002.[1] The building used for the collection used to be a cafe called the Riverside Diner, which had been in operation since the 1950s.[3][4] The collection stood at over 8,500 teapots in 2024, and has been valued at around £250,000.[2]
Teapot Island was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2004, for being the largest collection of teapots.[1] The museum lost this title in 2011, when it was awarded to a man in China with a collection of 30,000.[5] In 2011, the museum was featured in the book Crap Days Out, in which the authors stated: "It's awful if you don't like teapots. But it's probably all right if you do."[6]
In 2014, King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the museum, with Camilla purchasing a novelty camel teapot as a souvenir.[7]
In 2023 the couple put the property up for sale, stating they wished to retire. The property was initially listed for £950,000, with the price later being reduced to £875,000. The teapot collection was not included in the property sale, however the couple stated they were willing to sell this separately.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mourby, Adrian (9 July 2006). "The Weird and the Wonderful - The Compact Traveller". The Independent on Sunday.
- ^ a b Buchanan, Abigail (30 June 2024). "Yours for £875,000: Britain's biggest teapot collection (and a four-bedroom house)". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Anderson, Ros (26 August 2006). "We Live With 5,000 Teapots: Keith and Sue Blazye". The Guardian.
- ^ "Fancy something a bit more quirky?". Kent and Sussex Courier. 31 May 2013.
- ^ Kennedy, Emma (19 November 2011). "Emma's Eccentric Britain: Teapot Island, Kent". The Guardian.
- ^ Rubin, G. (2012). Crap days out. London : Blake, 2012. ISBN 9781857827972.
- ^ a b "Yalding: 'Teapot family' prepares to sell shop after 21 years". BBC News. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "BBC Radio Kent - BBC Radio Kent, Yalding's Teapot Island faces closure". BBC. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
