Bluebell Designs for Pottery made by Moorcroft, 1904-2022

A selection of bluebell designs for pottery made by Moorcroft in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, between 1900 and 2022, for recreational interest only.
This gallery includes work by William Moorcroft, Walter Moorcroft, Sally Tuffin, Rachel Bishop, Emma Bossons, Amanda Baggley, Kerry Goodwin, Paul Hilditch, Vicky Lovatt, Nicola Slaney, Shirley Hayes, and Elizabeth Todd. And many highly-skilled modelers, moulders, casters, turners, spongers, tracers, tube-liners, painters, glazers, and firers in the making.

Page 1: 1900 to 2008

1900 to 2008 • 2009 to 2015 • 2016 to 2022

1900

William Moorcroft
BUTTERFLIES AND SPRING FLOWERS

6½ inch Florian Ware loving cup for James Macintyre & Co.

Moorcroft Florian Ware Butterflies Loving Cup

The bell-flowers are from the artist's hand and not really correct for a botanical variety, though the fronds are bluebell.

1904

William Moorcroft
BLUEBELLS

3¼ inch miniature vase for James Macintyre & Co.

Macintyre miniatures designed and painted by William Moorcroft are rare and, in general, of greater value than full-size pieces.

Mcintyre miniature bluebell vase by William Moorcroft

Two examples of William Moorcroft bluebell pottery for Macintyre from the archive at Andrew Muir.

1904

William Moorcroft
MACINTYRE BLUEBELL PLATE for Liberty & Co.

10 inch plate.

Mcintyre bluebell plate for Liberty by William Moorcroft

Mcintyre bluebell covered dish for Liberty by William Moorcroft

Covered dish in the same pattern, auction photo.

1984

Walter Moorcroft
BUTTERFLIES
AND BLUEBELL

7½ inch vase.

Moorcroft Butterflies and Bluebell vase by Walter Moorcroft

This vase, along with a companion 'Butterfly and Brambles' and the 'Lily with Grasses' design, were produced in small quantities signed by Walter Moorcroft.
This is the only Walter Moorcroft design featuring bluebells.

This 1948 Spring Flowers vase, and other, but not most, of the Walter Moorcroft Spring Flowers designs included some bluebells.

Moorcroft Spring Flowers vase by Walter Moorcroft

1988

Sally Tuffin
BLUEBELL
SAKE CUP

From a set of six Sake cups made for ATO Galleries in Tokyo, sold in presentation cases holding your choice or two, three, or all six cups.

The Sally Tuffin 1990 Buttercup design was produced as plates, vases, mugs, pitchers, and lamps in various sizes.

Only the 12 inch prestige vase had a few bluebells added at the bottom.

Moorcroft Buttercup vase by Sally Tuffin

1995

Rachel Bishop
CYMBELINE

6 inch ginger jar.

One of a series of five original limited edition Shakespeare ginger jars made exclusively for B&W Thornton of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Moorcroft Cymbeline ginger jar by Rachel Bishop

1997

Rachel Bishop
VERELEY

12 inch vase.

Vereley is an area in
New Forest, Hampshire.

2000

Emma Bossons
FUSCHIA AND BLUEBELL
2001 Year Plate

8½ inch plate.
One of 750 numbered.

Moorcroft 2001 Year Plate by Emma Bossons

2001

Shirley Hayes
SPRING FESTIVAL BLUEBELLS

3½ inch egg cup.

Moorcroft Bees at Breakfast egg cup by Shirley Hayes

Moorcroft Bees at Breakfast egg cups by Shirley Hayes

One of a set of six floral Spring Festival egg cups.

2005

Amanda Baggley
BLUEBELL FLORAL

4 inch pin dish.

Moorcroft Bluebell floral dish by Amanda Baggley

Other floral designs that include some bluebells or harebells have been produced, which although excellent aren't proper bluebell designs.

I show five examples: Golden Lily (1993), Rain Daisy (the 2005 Moorcroft Collectors' Club vase), and Meadow White (2020) by Rachel Bishop, Rose End Meadows by Emma Bossons (2020), and, below, the Centenary plate by Rachel Bishop from 2007.

Moorcroft 2007 Centenary Plate by Rachel Bishop

The flower is painted is generally clear to see, or known by the item name or designer brief. For pottery in this collection, for a few designs, some galleries and auctioneers might say bluebell and others Scottish bluebell or harebell.

Ivory Bells are a visually similar variety (Fritillaria persica), and the name of this 2004 six-inch vase by Philip Gibson.

This miniature is often called 'Periwinkle' and also 'Bluebell,' and may be Australian Royal Bluebell, but I think more likely Campanula.

2006

Rachel Bishop
COMBERMERE

6 inch vase.

Combermere Abbey is a former monastery, later a country house, near Burleydam in Cheshire.

Moorcroft Combermere vase by Rachel Bishop

8 inch tray.
Signed.

Moorcroft Combermere tray by Rachel Bishop

This gallery was created by Paul Davies, Toronto, Canada, for recreational interest only.
I have very little experience with photography, taking these photos with a Samsung S-10+ phone camera using a white nylon sheet for a background. Brightness is low in favour of reduced glare and accurate colour.
Thanks to Julie T. Rose for encouragement and counsel.
Contact at industrialart@outlook.com • www.pauldavies.net • www.sybiltawse.info

TOP • 2009 to 2015 • 2016 to 2022