Portmeirion Pottery
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| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pottery |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Founder | Susan Williams-Ellis & Euan Cooper-Willis |
| Headquarters | , |
| Website | http://www.portmeirion.co.uk/ |
Portmeirion is a British pottery company based in Stoke-on-Trent.
History
Portmeirion was founded in 1960 by the legendary pottery designer Susan Williams-Ellis (daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis) and her husband, Euan Cooper-Willis. Susan had been asked by her father to create gifts for the Ship Shop at Portmeirion Village. These gifts became so successful that in 1960 Susan Williams-Ellis and Euan purchased a small pottery decorating company in Stoke-on-Trent called A. E. Gray Ltd. Susan had been working with A. E. Gray for some years, commissioning designs to sell at the gift shop in Portmeirion Village and produced items bearing the backstamp mark Gray's Pottery Portmeirionware. This was followed by the purchase of a second pottery company, Kirkhams Ltd, that had the capacity to not only decorate pottery but also make it. These two businesses were combined and Portmeirion Potteries was born.
Susan's early Portmeirion designs include Malachite (1960) and Moss Agate (1961). In 1963 Susan launched Totem. Totem's bold, tactile and abstract pattern coupled with its striking cylindrical shape propelled Portmeirion well and truly to the forefront of fashionable design in this memorable era of evolving and revolutionary British design.
With an ever-evolving reputation for striking design, Susan Williams-Ellis later created Magic City (1966) and Magic Garden (1970), but arguably Portmeirion's most recognised design is Botanic Garden[1].
Botanic Garden
Launched in 1972, Botanic Garden is still manufactured today in Portmeirion's factory in Stoke-on-Trent, the heart of The Potteries.
Botanic Garden features a variety of beautiful floral illustrations. It encapsulated the new mood for casual dining, dispensing with the old formalities and bringing a new design philosophy to the market place. It has since become a classic of British design and has amassed a worldwide following and an ardent fan base.
Susan always expected her designs to fit comfortably with everyday life - a requirement of the modern consumer. This philosophy lives on at Portmeirion and continues to determine the success of the company that she created in the challenges of the 21st century.
Portmeirion today
New designs for Portmeirion, embodying Susan's philosophy that all designs should be both beautiful and practical, include Sophie Conran for Portmeirion, Crazy Daisy and Dawn Chorus. These and more can be seen on Portmeirion's Official website.
On 23 April 2009 Portmeirion Potteries Ltd purchased the Royal Worcester and Spode brands, after their parent company had been placed into administration the previous November. Portmeirion Potteries has since changed its company name to Portmeirion Group to reflect this acquistion. The Portmeirion brand name remains the same. Portmeirion Group has brought the manufacture of many pieces in Spode's Blue Italian and Woodland ranges back to England, to its earthenware factory in Stoke-on-Trent [2].
The purchase does not include Royal Worcester and Spode's manufacturing facilities as Portmeirion Group owns a factory in Stoke-on-Trent. The manufacture of much of Spode's ware was returned from the Far East to Portmeirion Group's factory in the heart of The Potteries. [3]
References
- ^ Jenkins & Mckay Portmeirion Pottery (2000)
- ^ David Johnson, [http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Pottery-s-sales-soar-buying-brands/article-3013056-detail/article.html Article in The Staffordshire Sentinel on 16.12.10, The Sentinel
- ^ "Stoke kilns fired up for Spode again". Staffordshire Sentinel. Nortchliffe. 2009-04-24. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
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Further reading
- Jenkins, Stephen, & Mckay, Stephen 2000. Portmeirion Pottery. Richard Dennis. ISBN 0-903685-78-7.