Antlers

[mattjazz]

Bit of a strange one, but, can I take a pair of stag antlers to France or do I need to declare them or inform someone about them. There rather large, so hiding them isn't really possible.

Matt

[Dog]

Are they still attached to the deer?

 

[mattjazz]

No, not anymore although the skull is still attached. They're off of a very old, very large stag, they stand about 4' so quite a find.

[mattjazz]

For anyone who's interested, having contacted les douannes, there is no restriction on taking antlers to France. Which is a relief as now I don't have to fix them to my car as a bonnet ornamentto get through customs!

[Dog]

But why are you bringing them - there are plenty of deer here?

[WJT]

Careful, these things quickly cause a house to lose value. [:)]

[Dog]

We are talking deer here not moose.

[odile]

[quote user="WJT"]Careful, these things quickly cause a house to lose value. [:)][/quote]

Agreed - mammalian memorabilia really does put me off! Each to their own, as they say.

[WJT]

[quote user="odile"][quote user="WJT"]Careful, these things quickly cause a house to lose value. [:)][/quote]

Agreed - mammalian memorabilia really does put me off! Each to their own, as they say.
[/quote]

I watched one of those property programs where the house had antlers and such on the wall and the people viewing were completely put off. The estate agent said to overlook them and because of this the house would be worth less! Too many people couldn't see beyond it.

I must say I am with them. I can perhaps see beyond wallpaper on doors and ceilings but put a dead animals bits on the wall and I'm out.[:D]

[Dog]

[quote user="WJT"]

[quote user="odile"][quote user="WJT"]Careful, these things quickly cause a house to lose value. [:)][/quote]

Agreed - mammalian memorabilia really does put me off! Each to their own, as they say.
[/quote]

I watched one of those property programs where the house had antlers and such on the wall and the people viewing were completely put off. The estate agent said to overlook them and because of this the house would be worth less! Too many people couldn't see beyond it.

I must say I am with them. I can perhaps see beyond wallpaper on doors and ceilings but put a dead animals bits on the wall and I'm out.[:D]

[/quote]

I'm the same with restaurants that serve animal bits on plates.

[Tancrède]

[quote user="mattjazz"]For anyone who's interested, having contacted les douannes, there is no restriction on taking antlers to France. [/quote]

It is good to have a definitive pronouncement on this matter. 

I imported a set  -  of similar spendid dimensions  -  without considering that they might have provoked a border incident.  They were bagged by a lady big game hunter, the wife of a clergyman, in the '20s.  Sadly the stuffed lion which guarded the hall of the Rectory, and the leopard-skin coat with which she caused a sensation in the Sunday School had, with the passage of time, been lost sight of. 

[Chris]

At least in those days a Rectory had enough space for a lion. Ours is a nasty 1960's plaster board and block bungalow, with barely space for a stuffed cat.

Hanging 'George' on a plaster board wall required a feat of engineering skill on my wife's part when we moved here, in order to avoid creating an unexpected window in the dining room wall! George, by the way, is the head of a Canadian Elk - the rest of him proved good eating for my grandfather's family sometime in the 1890's - he was a big fella. 

 

[PaulT]

[quote user="WJT"]

[quote user="odile"][quote user="WJT"]Careful, these things quickly cause a house to lose value. [:)][/quote]

Agreed - mammalian memorabilia really does put me off! Each to their own, as they say.
[/quote]

I watched one of those property programs where the house had antlers and such on the wall and the people viewing were completely put off. The estate agent said to overlook them and because of this the house would be worth less! Too many people couldn't see beyond it.

I must say I am with them. I can perhaps see beyond wallpaper on doors and ceilings but put a dead animals bits on the wall and I'm out.[:D]

[/quote]

Always amazes me on these programmes helping people to sell their property when they are told to declutter, go neutral etc and the people are strongly opposed to it.

Why are these people moving if they love the place so much? Surely, they have the savvy to realise that theirs is a minority taste but this does not seem to be the case.

We sold a house a few years back. Did it completely neutral, new cheap sanitaryware, retile areas with cheapish tiles, laid the cheapest neutral carpet that looked OK. Spent £2k. The result was that it sold for £25k more than similar houses and the couple who bought it were absolutely delighted.

Paul

[Tancrède]

[quote user="Chris"]

At least in those days a Rectory had enough space for a lion. Ours is a nasty 1960's plaster board and block bungalow, with barely space for a stuffed cat. [/quote]

I am delighted to say that this one  -  complete with stables, brewhouse, cellars, antlers (but without, alas, lion), not at all nasty and entirely innocent of plasterboard  -  survived bravely into the 3rd millennium, and continued to fulfil the rôle for which it was built until 2004.

[mattjazz]

Thank goodness for Gengulphus and Chris. I was beginning to think that I was some kind of  barbaric ancient relic by wanting to keep my antlers. My antlers don't have as much history attached, but they are, none the less, rather splendid.

They came, incidently, from the Queens own herd at Richmond Park, so they are rather royal antlers.

[Tancrède]

[quote user="Chris"]At least in those days a Rectory had enough space for a lion. Ours is a

nasty 1960's plaster board and block bungalow, with barely space for a

stuffed cat.[/quote]

Can this possibly be in the Diocese of Exeter ?  The architectural tradition to which you refer has such a familiar and evocative ring to it… 

[Chris]

Go West, My Friend......

There are design standards for new Rectories (the 'Green Guide') - a house built to the standard should have room for at least one Elk head, and walls strong enough to support it (although taxidermy is not actually specified in the standards). Unfortunately the 'Green Guide' is only a guide, and seems to have been ignored in this area until recently!

When our keen new inspector of parsonages rang up saying he'd like to come up and do an inspection we told him not to bother - we'd fold the house up and post it to him. When did arrive, he saw what we meant. The trouble is, these houses are all reaching their sell-by date at the same time, and repair bills are mounting year by year just at the moment when C of E plc finds itself most struggling for cash....[:(]

[odile]

we are very fortunate that the Swiss Church is also in financial trouble - we were able to buy a very wonderful vicarage dating 1587 - with space for a few stuffed elks and lions - but none will be passing through these doors. Love to watch the wildlife from the old (first floor) barn - deer, chamois, red and black kites, buzzards and lots of birds - all very much alive. Hurray.

[cooperlola2]

I thought the traditional response on seeing stuffed mammal heads etc projecting from the wall was to look surprised and say "Must have been going quite a speed!".

[cooperlola]

He gets them from an old jokes' home, don't you know?

I have a friend in the UK who had a very splendid old house, which had been "updated" in Victorian times by a pupil of Norman Shaw's.  She had several sets of antlers and various beasties' heads around the place and I must say they looked rather good in that setting.  As the things have now normally  been dead for years I can't say they bother me much - they are a sign of their own times and happily not something people produce much now. 

[mattjazz]

I just think that its almost a sign of respect for the animal. Hunting happens and why not enjoy the animal after it's long gone.

[Hoddy]

Not antlers but ..........

A few years ago I inherited a beautiful Victorian dome filled with colourful stuffed birds. It doesn't go with anything else I have and I hate to think that the birds were killed just to be turned into decoration. I don't get rid of it because I feel that if I did then the birds would have died for nothing at all.

Hoddy

[WJT]

Hoddy, I hope you don't take this the wrong way but if it were me I think I would have to give it a proper burial!

I never watch this program but I happened to catch one the other week where people have things that can be bought at auction or accept an offer from a dealer. A lady had something similar to what you are describing and the dealer said that it was really not worth anything and in fact if she emptied it of the dead birds the glass dome would be worth more alone (but still not a lot). Sadly, the Victorians had a fascination with dead animals.[8-)]

Getting back to antlers or even worse heads of dead animals on the wall. I know that not everyone feels as I do but I think I am in the majority nowadays when I say no matter how large, old or historic the building I think they are hideous. For me not only do they distract and are off putting they just give a house or building a bad feeling. I say this and I am not even into Feng shui.[:D] 

I think this is one of the reasons that a house with such objects is much harder to sell because you would think people could see beyond them yet in many cases they can't because of the bad feeling. I say no matter how old, RIP, just MHO of course.[:)]  

[odile]

Not on your own WJT.