Cosy woollen blankets, vintage apothecary jars, bee-emblazoned tumblers, perfume inspired by Siberian snow… Gorgeous items you could happily wake up to every day, and they’re all packed into Cambridge’s newest home accessories shop, Catesby’s.
A delight to explore and housed in a 300-year-old building, Catesby’s opened this May, the project of Neil Honor and Jonathon Pegg, who wanted to provide customers with stylish, original items for their homes.
“We’ve had such a lovely response from so many people, saying this is just the sort of shop that Cambridge needs,” says Neil. “Our look is quite European, with a neutral, tranquil palette. We especially like natural textures and objects with a story. We didn’t want to stock the sorts of things you’d throw away in a few years. I think it’s good to spend a little bit more on something you’re going to love forever.”
That might sound expensive, but Catesby’s has items ranging from enamel mugs for £3 and traditional French house numbers at £5 a pop, up to statement mirrors and larger furniture pieces with three-figure price tags.
“They’re items that would look as good in a medieval house as they would in a brand new city pad,” Neil adds. The pair came to Cambridge from Norfolk, where they originally set up shop in the downstairs rooms of their seaside home back in 2011. “My background is in PR and Jonathon’s is in retail,” says Neil. “I’d always had the idea of this shop in my head, but living (and working) in Paris, where I spent weekends trawling the fl ea markets and lifestyle boutiques, was the catalyst for setting it up.”
Returning from his year in France, Neil and Jonathon moved into a friend’s property in Norfolk: a huge, Georgian merchant’s house (called Catesby’s Court) with grand panelled rooms, which became both their home and their business.
“After a while it began to take over,” Neil laughs, “and I’d find myself in my pyjamas in the shop at midnight, just tinkering. It was the shortest commute I’ve ever had, but it was a real challenge to switch o ff from work. If we took a day o ff, we could still hear people in the shop next door.”
After three years the couple decided that it was time to take the plunge and look for dedicated shop premises elsewhere. They settled on Cambridge, where they had friends and which Jonathon knew from his college days. They now live in Oakington – a manageable commute from their beautiful old shop in Cambridge’s Green Street.
Full of character, the shop dates from the 1680s and was a bookbinders, then more recently a sheet music store. In short, it’s the perfect backdrop for their tasteful, timeless products. There’s now a stylish café too, serving locally produced food and specially roasted Hot Numbers co ffee.
“Our instinct has always been to sell things that we love, and hope other people love them too,” says Neil. “William Morris had this great saying about never having anything in your house which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. But in order to express your personality, you need originality as well. And we’re always striving to be di fferent from other shops. So our mantra, if you like, is ‘beautiful, useful and original’.
Catesby’s, 10 Green Street CB2 3JU, 01223 355444
