What's in my Village England Cranleigh Bag?

Friday 27 November 2015



Village England Cranleigh Bag, H&M Keyring



It was suggested that I should do a "What's in my bag post" by Eve on Instagram. And I thought okay, now is as good a time as any as I've just got a new bag and it's looking quite tidy :o) 

Diving in, this is what we have ....





Shall we start with the bag itself?

Well, that's my new Cranleigh bag up there which I received from Village England which is a relatively new English brand. I did know a little about them as I've seen the bags featured on a number of my favourite blogs and I know that Julia Dobson and Eddie Knevett the founders have been clever, done their homework and produced a range of leather bags pitched at the more affordable end of the luxury leather goods market. That's good news for you and me :o) My days of Mulberry are long gone as I feel they've overpriced themselves in recent years but I still want a nice bag at a sensible price.  This is where Village England hopefully fill a gap. And do you like the antiqued brass hardware on the bag? A little bit quirky but smacks of English tradition. This is something which Eddie (he's in charge of the bag designs) has pulled off really well as his business idol is  Sir Paul Smith who he says has managed to create a strong brand with a quirky identity. Yep  Eddie definitely nailed it with the Cranleigh!

Now I picked this little black saddle bag because it's the perfect size and shape for me for me to use every day. Not too big, not too small but spacious enough for me to fit a few things in there comfortably. I went with the black despite it being not the most exciting colour ever but you know what? I like black bags. They rock my world. I also like a messenger strap - I've been going handsfree for the last nine or so years - if you have children, you'll understand and it becomes a hard habit to break. And other things worth a mention include (1) there are no fiddly buckles to deal with as the bag is fastened with a magnetic closure, (2) the heavy antiqued brass finish on the hardware is just perfect as I don't like shiny shiny anyway and (3) the new leather smell. Yep, you've got the real deal there!

Moving on to the actual contents :

Tissues. I pick up a pack of ten from the pound shop and usually have a pack floating around in one of my bags. Where there are boys there is snot.

Maoam Sweets. Keeps them quiet.

Burts Bees Lip Balm in Dahlia. That's the only makeup I carry around with me but it's all I can manage when I'm out of the house anyway. 

Keys. We all have keys.

Purse. This is one I got from Kurt Geiger a few years back and it seems to be holding up quite well. Its quite big but it needs to be to house all my receipts for all my returns. I bet you weren't expecting it to be pink though were you?

Power Bank. Also known as the "life saver". I took this with me when I went camping and you know when you're hanging on to battery life by 1% before your phone conks out - this little gadget saved me and my sanity. Yes it's sad but oh you should have seen the joy when I realised it fitted my phone. I bought it originally for the boy's iPads but found it fitted my Samsung instead #oh_happy_day

Fold up Bag. I went posh and bought myself a little fold up bag that I picked up from Clas Ohlson which I took a shine to just because I liked that zingy shade of green. They do come in handy you know. 

Phone. We can't go anywhere without the phone can we? You can? You have more of a life than me.

Panda Keyring. This was too cute to pass up. Actually that's not true. I passed him up the first time he came out a few months back and then he sold out and then he popped back in store again. So I had to buy him before he sold out again. 

Camera. Not shown in the picture because I was using it to take the picture!

So for a rather compact looking bag ... it fits quite a lot in doesn't it? The most joyous thing is the fact that the days of baby wipes are long gone! Woohoo!




Next coat, Ganni Sweatshirt, Topshop Baxters, Adidas Stan Smiths

Village England Cranleigh Bag available here and here


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Last Notes :


  • Well I've used the bag every day since I've got it - I guess that means it's a goody.
  • To use the Village England quote on their site, I like that the bag is "not so precious that it can't be thrown in the back of the car" because that's what sometimes happens!
  • The Village England bags are also available at House of Fraser where there just happens to be a Black Friday promotion going on. Have you seen the jaguar print one? Treat yourself or maybe get writing that letter "Dear Santa ....."




* Cranleigh bag c/o Village England


17 comments

  1. I like it and it reminds me of bags from the Mulberry early days (the best days) and I have to say I am loving the whole outfit Sue, just fab ...... the pop of colour suits you! The bag in jaguar ohhhhh ....... I am off to have a nose as its looks rather nice .........

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    1. I know what you mean Annmarie - the leather is a nice heavy full grain leather and it has a nice weight to it. The bag in jaguar has your name on it though - I know you like a little bit of leopard print!

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  2. Gorgeous bag! I have just ordered the burgundy calf hair bag like yours from HoF.

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    1. Oh lovely - I did think about that one too - basically I love the Cranleigh styling. Hope it's good when it arrives. And the Black Friday deal over at House of Fraser are making them very sweet aren't they?

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  3. Never heard of this company Sue but I love their selection. Gutted that the red mini Cranleigh is sold out. It's just what I'm looking for. Actually, hold that statement, I need to check HofF.....

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    1. I think you would like their bags a lot Donna. And HoF does have the red mini Cranleigh. Go go go!

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  4. What a beauty the Village England bag is Sue! Absolutely love it....it is so you! May I just also say how absolutely gorgeous that pop of colour is on you! You look fabulous! xx

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    1. It's one of my favourite coat's Michelle - I've had it a good old number of years and it's going nowhere whilst it fits me. And I think I would hold on to it anyway even if it didn't. It's the coat I wore when I first met the Grump's mother :o)

      And you should have a look at the Cranleigh bags - I have a feeling it would be totally up your street!

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  5. Really gorgeous, it looks lovely quality with the full grain leather and antiqued brass. I bet it will age beautifully too.

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    1. It is lovely Tanya but not too precious. It's a bag to be used rather than brought out on special occasions. I can be a little too careful with some things and never end up using them but I think this one will go the distance and can take the extra hammer.

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  6. It's a gorgeous bag Sue, I have to admit to spending a fair few hours regularly perusing the Village England website whenever one of their emails pops into my inbox! The perfect choice for you I think, and I'm impressed by the amount of stuff you've managed to fit in there! xx

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    1. I don't travel lightly - it's a wonder I'm not lopsided sometimes. I forget to clear out my bags basically and just throw more and more stuff in. And it's quite deceptive isn't it - holds far more than it looks. A leopard Cranleigh for you perhaps? #enabler

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  7. Love the bag! Definitely a classic. Also loving that shade of purple on your coat, it's fab!

    http://arthursmum.com

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    1. It's a great colour on the coat isn't it? It terrified me when I first got it but I knew I wanted it in the purpley colour and not black. Thinking about it, I should have got it in the black as well - it's a design which has obviously lasted.

      And the bag ... I think that will last too :)

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  8. The bag is lovely Sue - liking the Jaguar print version too. Can't believe you only have one lip product in you bag though - you'd think I was a weirdo if you saw my collection! x

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  9. Oh I can totally imagine what your collection is like. I think I have about 5 in total, mainly lip balms - that's a bit poor isn't it?

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  10. Hi Carol. Mine is the full size Cranleigh. It's a great little bag - I've hardly stopped using it since I got it.

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Susie So So