Portmeirion Pottery began in 1960 when pottery designer Susan Williams-Ellis (daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who created the Italian-style Portmeirion Village in North Wales) and her husband, Euan Cooper-Willis, took over a small pottery-decorating company in Stoke-on-Trent called A. E. Gray Ltd, also known as Gray's Pottery.Susan Williams-Ellis had been working with A.E. Launched in 1972, Botanic Garden was uniquely different - inspired by a serendipitous find of antique botanical books, and with a variety of individual floral decorations, it encapsulated the new mood for casual dining. 1960 1st January Susan and Euan take over Gray's Pottery. Susan’s life was spent socialising with and being taught by creative talents such as Bernard and David Leach, Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland and, keeping such interesting company, her innate feeling for shape, form and pattern flourished. Susan Williams-Ellis had been working with A.E.
On 23 April 2009, Portmeirion Potteries Ltd purchased the Royal Worcester and Spode brands, after they had been placed into administration the previous November. Rare Botanic Garden plates can reach as much as £200. In 2005 Susan received an honorary fellowship from Universityof Arts, London. Since 1960, Portmeirion designs have enchanted British pottery enthusiasts, inspiring many to become collectors. Neither was produced in large quantities but both received high critical acclaim. Portmeirion Pottery - A Guide for Collectors.
Gray for some years, commissioning designs to sell at the gift shop in Portmeirion Village, the items bearing the backstamp "Gray's Pottery Portmeirionware". Thanks for visiting Portmeirion Group. This allowed Susan to both create her unique, cylindrical shapes from scratch and apply the design and decoration. Being in Stoke has been a wonderful part of my life. Following the success and increasing demand for this pottery, in 1960 Susan and Euan purchased A. E. Gray Ltd., a small pottery decorating company based in Stoke-on-Trent. Magic Garden, seen as a follow up to the popular Magic City range, had a shorter run after smaller sales, and has since boosted in value.
Retired designs in the Botanic Garden collection include Cereus Cactus and Double Camellia, and are very popular amongst Portmeirion collectors. 2011. She later created Magic City (1966) and Magic Garden (1970), but arguably Portmeirion's most recognised design is the Botanic Garden range, decorated with a variety of floral illustrations adapted from Thomas Green's Universal or-Botanical, Medical and Agricultural Dictionary (1817), and looking back to a tradition begun by the Chelsea porcelain factory's "botanical" designs of the 1750s.
Her philosophy that tableware should be both beautiful and practical will continue to permeate Portmeirion's design values and to determine the success of the company that she created in the challenges of the 21st century. Any piece with a trophy back stamp will almost certainly be older (though it was revived recently, so it’s best to double check), whereas oval stamps are applied to modern pieces. Every piece of Portmeirion pottery is stamped for authenticity at the bottom of the piece. Portmeirion Pottery began in 1960 when pottery designer Susan Williams-Ellis (daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who created the Italian-style Portmeirion Village in North Wales) and her husband, Euan Cooper-Willis, took over a small pottery-decorating company in Stoke-on-Trent called A. E. Gray Ltd, also known as Gray's Pottery. A factory shop selling Portmeirion designs can be found in the village and is popular amongst tourists who visit.
/*-->*/ Portmeirion pottery has mostly consisted of crockery, mugs, coffee sets, teapots and vases. Collectors also snap up unusual items tha… The people of Stoke are really the nicest people one could ever meet, and their hard work has established Portmeirion and enabled us to sell our pots around the world. Gray, who had been supplying the gift shop, and later combined it with another pottery company named Kirkhams to create the Portmeirion Potteries business. [3] More recent designs have included Sophie Conran's Crazy Daisy and Dawn Chorus. I have been very fortunate.". But we believe gaiety, brightness and good design are good business as well as good things in themselves.” – Susan Williams-Ellis (1918 – 2007), Susan's father, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis at Portmeirion village, Susan Williams-Ellis lithographing a Botanic Garden piece, Portmeirion: Pottery Trendsetter at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Portmeirion Group UK Limited Registered in England No. [CDATA[/* >