This beautiful water jug, manufactured in 1870 by James Green and Nephew, 107 Queen Victoria Street, St Pauls, London, was discovered in an antique shop in Illinois U.S.A. by fellow asylum artefacts collector Laura Fortado.
Laura worked at the Alton Mental Health Centre in Alton, Illinois, U.S.A.. She collected memorabilia from her own place of work and often browsed through local antiques malls. On May 23rd 2014, Laura had been busy transferring a patient to another state facility in Springfield IL, and she and her co-worker decided to check out a local antiques mall. A quick walk through yielded nothing from her own hospital but as she neared the end of her search this amazing jug caught her eye. After looking at the crest, Laura knew this was something special. She grabbed her phone and looked up Three Counties Asylum. She immediately walked up to the counter, purchased the jug and told the counter staff she had “found her treasure".
That evening Laura photographed the jug and sent the images to Richard Knight via the Three Counties Asylum Facebook page. Richard was completely blown away by this totally amazing find and could not wait to message Laura back to find out more. It was a fantastic find in absolutely perfect mint condition. The jug measures 12 inches high by 7 inches wide, and almost 7 inches across the mouth. It was probably part of a wash bowl set. Laura very kindly donated this wonderful piece to Rich and Ross, paying for the jug and the postage to the U.K.. She asked for no payment - a very kind and generous gesture indeed. Laura said, “It is my sincerest pleasure to be a small part of its journey home”.
