Bluebell Designs for Pottery made by Moorcroft, 1898-2023

A selection of bluebell designs for pottery made by Moorcroft in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, between 1898 and 2023.

This gallery includes work by William Moorcroft, Walter Moorcroft, Sally Tuffin, Rachel Bishop, Emma Bossons FRSA, Kerry Goodwin, Paul Hilditch, Vicky Lovatt, Nicola Slaney, Sian Leeper, Philip Gibson, Anita Harris, Shirley Hayes, and Elizabeth Todd. And many highly-skilled modelers, molders, casters, turners, spongers, tracers, tube-liners, painters, glazers, and firers.

My interest is how this work illustrates the varied treatments of the same subject that can be made by the same and different artists in the same media over many years' time.

Page 1: 1898 to 2008

1898 to 2008 • 2009 to 2016 • 2017 to 2023

1898

William Moorcroft
BUTTERFLIES AND SPRING FLOWERS

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

Moorcroft Florian Ware Butterflies Loving Cup

The registration number 326688 dates the design as 1898. The bell-flowers are not really correct for a botanical variety, and references differ.

1904

William Moorcroft
BLUEBELLS

3¼ inch miniature vase for James Macintyre & Co.

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

Mcintyre miniature bluebell vase by William Moorcroft

Two related examples of Moorcroft bluebell pottery for Macintyre, on the left for Liberty from 1908 in the Paul Atterbury book; on the right 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,' were produced in small quantities signed by Walter Moorcroft.
This is the only Walter Moorcroft design featuring bluebells noted in Atterbury.

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

1986

Walter Moorcroft
BLUEBELL MUG

Moorcroft bluebell mug by Walter Moorcroft

The unusual circular stamp is the same used on the 1986 Bottle Oven mug made for the first National Garden Festival.

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

1992

Sally Tuffin
BLUEBELL MUG

This example has the 1994 'eye' year mark.

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.

Moorcroft Verely trial vase by Rachel Bishop

1997 Vereley trial paint. Auction photo.

7½ inch vase.

The Vereley vase was produced in 7½, 10, 12, and 14 inch sizes.

Vereley was included in 'Four Seasons,' a 1997 set of 14 inch prestige vases.

A few notes here —

The flower 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.

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

I show ten examples:

• Golden Lily (1993) by Rachel Bishop
• Rain Daisy (2005 MCC) by Rachel Bishop
• Moorcroft Centenary plate (2007) by Rachel Bishop
• Sorrow and Laughter (2016) by Nicola Slaney
• Shakespeare's Flowers (2015) by Kerry Goodwin
• Butterfly Ballet (2018 trial)
• Meadow White (2020) by Rachel Bishop
• Rose End Meadows by Emma Bossons (2020)
• Glenfinnan Viaduct by Vicki Lovatt (2020)
• Four Seasons (Spring Panel) by Paul Hilditch (2020).

A few that I did select to feature on these pages you might still consider marginal on this basis.

Ivory Bells (or Cornish Bellflower) is a visually similar variety, and the name of this 2004 6-inch vase by Philip Gibson.

Moorcroft Ivory Bells vase by Philip Gibson

This miniature is often called 'Bluebell' and also 'Periwinkle,' or may be Australian Royal Bluebell.

The flowers on Spring Bells in the Sir Harold Hiller Gardens Collection by Emma Bossons are, I think, Canterbury Bells, a campanula.

On the right, Bees and Flowers by Nicola Slaney includes deep indigo coloured bell flowers, edition of 150 in 2013.

Moorcroft Bees and Flowers vase by Nicola Slaney

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.

2004

Sian Leeper
PARISIAN DREAM BLUEBELLS

3½ inch egg cup.

Moorcroft Parisian Dream egg cup by Sian Leeper

Moorcroft Parisian Dream egg cups by Sian Leeper

One of a set of six floral Parisian Dream egg cups.

2005

Emma Bossons
WILD MEADOW

4 inch pin dish.

Moorcroft Bluebell floral dish by Amanda Baggley

Moorcroft Wild Meadow jug by Emma Bossons

This design was also produced as a 7½ inch jug. Auction photo.

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

Combermere was also produced as 8, 11, and 14 inch vases.

8 inch tray.
Signed.

Moorcroft Combermere tray by Rachel Bishop

This gallery was created 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.
Contact at paul@pauldavies.net • www.pauldavies.net • www.sybiltawse.info

TOP • 2009 to 2016 • 2017 to 2023