Hawkins' Tiffee

When I was taking coffee at the Trading Post in Abergavenny this morning, this was on a shelf next to where I was sitting. It dates from the 1940s or 50s, and has the most wonderful Heath-Robinson look about it. Why, even the On/Off switch was one you could buy across the counter - I remember making an electronic metronome from a design in a magazine with just such a switch in the 60s.

But back to L.G. Hawkins & Co. and their Tiffee. There's no timer. You fill the kettle, switch it on, and when the water boils, it comes out of the spout, under which, if you've remembered, you've put a tea-pot. If you've forgotten, you've got badly scalded feet. Hawkins also made a superior model (the Tecal) with a timer and a dinky little light on top with a shade. I suppose it was one of the first Teasmaids. How things have changed in 60 odd years!