{"id":10078,"date":"2022-04-19T12:00:55","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T10:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=29006"},"modified":"2022-04-19T12:18:10","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T10:18:10","slug":"the-history-of-moorcroft","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/the-history-of-moorcroft\/","title":{"rendered":"The history of Moorcroft"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Janet Gleeson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 19 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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\u2018I<\/span>t\u2019s my private passion and always has been,\u2019 says ceramics expert Eric Knowles about Moorcroft, the art pottery manufactory he\u2019s championed as non-executive director for more than two decades and admired for much longer than he cares to remember. \u2018Where I grew up, people didn\u2019t have a lot, but what they had most of was crockery. It abounded in second-hand shops, and you could buy things for very little. But Moorcroft was different. It was always held in respect. You wouldn\u2019t throw a Moorcroft pot out because you knew it cost money. And when I became interested in Art Nouveau<\/a>, it seemed leaps ahead of anything else made in this country.\u2019<\/p>\n

Within the history of British ceramics, Moorcroft stands out as a rare survivor. Not only does it still hand-make pots in Stoke-on-Trent as it has since the Arts and Crafts period<\/a>, it\u2019s also one of the very few potteries to have remained in independent ownership. \u2018When we say Made in England we really do mean it,\u2019 says Elise Adams, Moorcroft\u2019s proud MD. \u2018People can come and visit our original factory and see each stage of the production process.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The Moorcroft factory before the Clean Air Act required the removal of all but one of its chimneys. The remaining chimney is now Grade II-listed<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The factory\u2019s founder, a Staffordshire potter named William Moorcroft, was born in 1872, and trained at what is now the Royal College of Art in London before returning to Stoke in 1897 to join the manufactory of Macintyre & Co as a <\/span>designer.\u00a0 <\/span>Young and brimming with ideas, William Moorcroft was soon installed in Macintyre\u2019s art pottery studio, where he began by producing pieces influenced by William Morris<\/a>, before developing a range that combined classical shapes with the latest Art Nouveau naturalism.<\/p>\n

Christened \u2018Florian Ware\u2019, these pots featured tubelining; a distinctive decorative method where the design was drawn onto a pot like icing a cake, and colour applied between the lines. The technique gave a tactile quality to the pots and, to underline their status as works of art, most of the eye-catching pieces were hand- signed by Moorcroft to endorse their quality. \u2018The combination of shape with inventive decoration gave them a wow factor that was picked up by fashionable people shopping at Liberty, who were looking for what was new,\u2019 says Eric. \u2018Moorcroft was all about harmony, the colours, the soft gilding. His works were tasteful, he was an arbiter of taste.\u2019 Florian Ware also found huge success in America, where it won a gold medal at the prestigious St Louis International Exhibition in 1904.<\/p>\n

Despite William\u2019s boundless energy, his progress wasn\u2019t all smooth. In 1913, after a falling out, he parted company with Macintyre. Helped by the financial backing of Liberty, and spurred on by his determination, William lost little time in founding his own factory nearby. \u2018Within 18 months he had gone from idea to building a state-of-the-art factory; an extraordinary achievement. He even married the factory\u2019s inspector, Miss Florence Lovibond,\u2019 says Eric.<\/p>\n

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William Moorcroft in 1928<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Moorcroft\u2019s range of wares now expanded further: designs featuring flora, fauna, fungi and landscapes, delineated in trademark tubelining and painted in subtle colours, brought further accolades, and in 1928 the company achieved the great honour of a Royal Warrant.<\/p>\n

William\u2019s son Walter joined the company in 1935, working alongside his father until the war intervened. After William\u2019s death in 1945, Walter returned and took over, establishing his own distinctive designs that echoed the styles of the day. When the 1980s recession hit, however, Moorcroft found itself in serious financial difficulties. Eventually, after various changes, it was saved by Hugh Edwards and Richard Dennis, whose wife, fashion designer Sally Tuffin, became the factory\u2019s art director. It was her designs that saved the company. Some years later, Richard and Sally parted company with Moorcroft to start the Dennis China Works, leaving Edwards as chairman.<\/p>\n

This year marks the 150th anniversary of William Moorcroft\u2019s birth and the factory\u2019s designers are hard at work on a tribute collection. \u2018Taking inspiration from William\u2019s creations, they have come up with their own designs, and the plan is to launch them in March,\u2019 says Elise. Like all Moorcroft pots, the new range will adhere to the traditional techniques<\/a> that William would recognise. \u2018Visitors to the Heritage Centre can compare modern pieces with William\u2019s originals, many of which are on display in the Moorcroft Museum,\u2019 says Elise. \u2018They can also see the bottle oven where pieces were originally fired. There were once around 2,000 to 3,000 of these in this area. Now only 47 are left.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Anemone\"<\/picture><\/div>
Julie Dolan, one of Moorcroft\u2019s artists<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Anemone\"<\/picture><\/div>
Anemone Jubilation beside Moorcroft\u2019s earlier Anemone design<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victoria\"<\/picture><\/div>
Victorian Iris is a classic blue-on-blue design<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""La\"<\/picture><\/div>
La Vague, from the Art Nouveau Collection<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Hispalian_preview"\"<\/picture><\/div>
Hispalian is a nod to Hesperian Ware launched in 1902<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Florian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Florian Farewell, designed by Nicola Slaney, featuring cornflowers beside an earlier incarnation of this iconic Moorcroft motif dating from 1925\u20131935<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Florian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Peacock Feathers from the William150 collection<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Daffodils\"<\/picture><\/div>
Daffodils of Olde, designed by Emma Bossons for the William 150 collection, stands beside a Florian Daffodil bowl c1900, with a Macintyre Florian backstamp, designed by William Moorcroft<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Aurelian\"<\/picture><\/div>
A fine example of an Aurelian Ware vase, designed by Moorcroft in 1897 while working for James Macintyre & Co<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

Moorcroft\u2019s limited, high-quality output has long made it attractive to collectors. \u2018We can only produce so many pieces a year. We have a small team of tubeliners and painters, so we might make just five pieces of a design, but that means they are very sought after and collectable,\u2019 says Elise. \u2018It\u2019s part of our appeal, and we cut our own path, selling mainly in specialist shops and at events such as the Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows.\u2019<\/p>\n

Prices for modern pieces range from about \u00a370 to \u00a35,000, depending on the size, and how long it takes to make a piece. \u2018Some pieces take us three to four weeks from coming out of the mould to emerging from the kiln and completing their journey,\u2019 says Elise. On the antiques market<\/a>, Moorcroft has dipped a little in value in recent years, but prices start at \u00a350 and rare pieces still command thousands.<\/p>\n

New designs are supervised by Elise, who briefs the team if there are special commissions and encourages them to present their own ideas. \u2018No two days are ever the same. I\u2019ve been here 24 years now and design is constantly evolving. There\u2019s always something to look forward to. We\u2019re creating new art every day; there\u2019s nothing better, and the firm still has a family ethos. That\u2019s a lovely thing in the 21st century.\u2019\u00a0 <\/span><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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By Janet Gleeson Published: Tuesday, 19 April 2022 at 12:00 am \u2018It\u2019s my private passion and always has been,\u2019 says ceramics expert Eric Knowles about Moorcroft, the art pottery manufactory he\u2019s championed as non-executive director for more than two decades and admired for much longer than he cares to remember. \u2018Where I grew up, people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":10079,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/the-history-of-moorcroft.jpg",1512,1600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/the-history-of-moorcroft-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/the-history-of-moorcroft-284x300.jpg",284,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/the-history-of-moorcroft-768x813.jpg",768,813,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/the-history-of-moorcroft-968x1024.jpg",800,846,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/the-history-of-moorcroft-1452x1536.jpg",1452,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/04\/the-history-of-moorcroft.jpg",1512,1600,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Janet Gleeson Published: Tuesday, 19 April 2022 at 12:00 am \u2018It\u2019s my private passion and always has been,\u2019 says ceramics expert Eric Knowles about Moorcroft, the art pottery manufactory he\u2019s championed as non-executive director for more than two decades and admired for much longer than he cares to remember. \u2018Where I grew up, people…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/10078"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}