Beer Stained Pulp

LoveReading Says

“Tegestologist?” I hear you question. What the h***’s a tegestologist?  Well simply put it’s a collector of beer mats and the term comes from teges, the Latin for a covering or mat. But more on this later.

Back in 2018 Adam Kimberly created an Instagram account to showcase his collection of ‘nicely designed beer mats from the past’ as he puts in it his brief introduction. Now, in this slim volume, he has selected the more fun, unusual and iconic mats and so has curated a superb slice of British history. 

Rich in the nostalgia of once huge but now unheard of brands, along with names and drinks that never made the big time, the chosen mats illustrate the range of images, typography and more, from the late fifties through to the 1970’s.

And it’s not just drinks that these little wood-pulp coasters were deployed for. From Walker’s Crisps to Palethorpes Pork Pies, from Butlins to B.O.A.C. the handy little mats were pressed into advertising everything from snacks to airlines, from safety to cigarettes, even Morcambe and Wise at the Hippodrome Theatre, Bristol.

There are of course the usual discs and squares but the variety of shapes alone encompasses brandy balloons, beer kegs and even one in the shape of the Isle of Wight.

Other than dates (where known) and confirmation of the advertiser, there is no further explanation given for each entry and none is needed, for each tells its own story in its own way.

It is an act of quiet brilliance to compile and publish this and I for one am delighted by it.

And as for tegel meaning mat or covering? Did you never stick a clean mat on top of your pint to stop fag ash falling in? No? Just me then.

Paul Blezard

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