National Trust
Playful objects in our collections
Two donkeys or two soldiers?
It all depends on which side up you are holding this beer mug at the Fleece Inn, Breforton in Worcestershire.
A mug with a surprise
If you drank tea from this 19th-century mug at Attingham Park, Shropshire, you’d be in for a bit of a surprise. An earthenware frog lurks at the bottom.
Fools and jesters
Charles Paget Wade of Snowshill Manor, Gloucestershire painted this colourful sketch in ink and watercolour. The scene features a procession of fools, jesters and musicians in historical dress.
Buckland Abbey’s puzzle jug
How's this for a drinking game? This 18th-century puzzle jug challenges users to drink the contents without spilling liquid everywhere. The trick is to suck the liquid from one of the protruding spouts while keeping the others sealed.
Queen Victoria’s dog
This characterful sketch of Queen Victoria’s spaniel Tilco, in the collection at Anglesey Abbey, was painted by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1838. It looks like Tilco liked to get up to mischief.
Punch and Judy
The badly-behaved character of Punch and his wife Judy date back to at least the 17th century. This metal pair are doorstops from the collection at Greyfriars, Worcestershire.
Read our news
Find out what’s happening at the Trust. While our places have been free of the normal hustle and bustle of visitors, our on-site staff have reported rare sightings and uncharacteristic behaviours from their local bird and mammal populations.