Poole Pottery

Poole Pottery is a pottery manufacturer, originally based in Poole, Dorset, England. The company was founded in 1873 on Poole quayside, where it continued to produce pottery by hand before moving its factory operations away from the quay in 1999. Production continued at the new site in Sopers Lane until its closure in 2006. Historical products from Poole Pottery are displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The pottery has recently restarted production at its new factory in Burslem, Staffordshire, and the Poole Quay pottery studio and shop has reopened.

History

Poole Pottery was originally "Carter's Industrial Tile Manufactory" and it was this company that provided the financial foundation for the later "Poole Pottery". Carter (Jesse) joined forces in the 1920s with Harold Stabler and John Adams to form "Carter Stabler Adams", who produced Art Deco pottery.

The Carter company produced much of the ceramic tiling used on London Underground stations built in the 1930s and, of particular note, made the relief tiles, designed by Stabler, showing symbols of London–some of these can still be seen on stations such as Bethnal Green.

"Carter Stabler Adams" eventually became "Poole Pottery", and during and after World War II produced many lines, including Twintone and Traditional Much of the traditional range was based on the work of the chief designer in the 1920s, Truda Carter; her original designs were interpreted by "paintresses" who added their own individuality to the pieces, all of which were hand made.

Robert Jefferson joined in the 1950s, and alongside such artisans as Leslie Elsden (designer of the "Aegean" Range), Guy Sydenham, thrower and designer of the "Atlantis" range, Tony Morris, developer of the early "Delphis" Studio wares with Jefferson, and paintresses such as Carol Cutler, Diana Davies, Ros Sommerfeld, Ann Godfrey and others, including the three Wills sisters, Laura, Julia and Carolyn, produced two lines which are probably the most famous of all Poole's output: Delphis and Aegean.

• 
  Design by Robert Jefferson

Delphis is easily recognised: it is psychedelic, with vibrant colours and designs inspired by artists such as Mondrian, Warhol, Matisse and Pollock. Aegean is more subtle, with the sgraffito technique used to create the "silhouette" patterns that make this range so recognisable.

A new company trading as Poole Pottery was later formed and produced many of the old designs and styles of the original pottery.

Twintone

Poole Pottery (Carter, Stabler and Adams) produced two-coloured tableware from the 1930s, but had to stop production during World War Two. When they re-launched the range in the late 1940s, they named it Twintone. Twintone was used on three shapes of tableware, many table accessories and a whole host of decorative ware right up to 1981.

Closure

On 15 December 2006, it was announced that the shop would close, due to non-payment of debts mounting up since the new owners took over in August. The company, including the factory, went into administration on 20 December 2006, owing £1 million to over 300 creditors.

Poole Pottery came out of administration on 10 February 2007 and is now under the control of Lifestyle Group Ltd, which also own Royal Stafford Pottery.

The pottery shop remains open on Poole Quay, selling Poole pottery and the Lifestyle Range of products. There is also a studio on site, where some design work is still done by Jane Brewer and Nicky Massarella.

The main Poole Pottery factory is now at the Royal Overhouse Manufactory (sharing with Royal Stafford) in Burslem, Stoke on Trent where production is now carried out following the closure of the Poole factory.

External links

• http://www.poolepottery.co.uk/content/
• Poole Twintone and Tableware.
• http://www.poolepottery.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/