Actress Helena helps dealer win Chelsea award

Peter Jones included a model of the actress in the miniature house which achieved a certificate of commendation at the horticultural event.

She was seen, pictured, sitting in a replica of his wife's primitive Windsor chair from around 1820 in his first entry in the show.

Mr Jones, of the Yapton Metal Co scrap metal and architectural antiques yard in the village centre, featured in the show's trade section.

He exhibited under the name of The Small House and Building Co and dubbed his property Little Ranelagh House after the section of the show in which his stand was placed.

A previous exhibitor at the Royal Academy, he said he regarded his appearance at Chelsea as an art installation in spite of the fact it was a 'real' house in miniature.

"To reflect my interests in art and nature, particularly botany, I included a living laid hedge and various species of moss and liverwort, sedge and rush in the garden.

"Within the house were two microscopes that had moss and grass specimens under them," he stated.

Handmade wallpaper consisted of collage images of a man looking at a dog. The ceiling was made from manipulated muslin, which was also handmade.

Other unique features of the property included a bird nest box on one of the clay chimney pots, specially undersized clay tiles and Georgian knife-edge glazing bar windows.

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