The Evolution of Moorcroft

1897 saw the launch of the company by William Moorcroft. William trained at the Royal College of Art in London. From the start, prestigious stores like Liberty and Harrods of London as well as New York’s Tiffany & Co. were customers – and this has continued to the present day.

1913 The company moved to its present location in Sandbach Road, Stoke-on-Trent, England. Right in the heart of the Potteries area.

1927 The company was honoured to become “Potters to H.M. The QUEEN”

1945 Walter Moorcroft took over the reins as sole designer.

1986 The post of sole designer was taken up by Sally Tuffin. Sally brought in birds, animals and geometric shapes into her designs.

1993-1997 Rachel Bishop was responsible for the design. She built on previous works and the international reputation of the company increased till further under her direction.

1997 saw the creation of the Moorcroft Design Studio. This bought in fresh ideas and now, there are five top ceramic designers. Hundreds of new patterns have been created by this talented group.

2017 The Independent Design Consort came into being. They produce very contemporary works with abstract patterns, although the production is based on traditional methods. Often, they add the delicate lustre of gold or silver.

Production – From Clay to Master Piece

The production of these masterpieces is quite complex and requires highly skilled and trained artists.

Making the Mould

First, a “profile” is made by carving a solid piece of plaster. From this, a “model” is created – turned on a lathe to ensure this plaster model is the exact shape desired.

The model is coated with plaster, usually in two halves, to make removal after it has set easier. This is the master “Block Mould”. From this, a ”Case” is made in a similar way, but using a tougher plaster as this has to be used many times, usually up to 40 fills.

Next, Comes the Casting

The moulds are filled with slip and then left to start drying. The plaster absorbs moisture from the slip and the longer it is left to dry the thicker the final piece will be. They usually leave them about an hour, depending on the size.

The surplus slip is tipped away leaving a hollow space and then the remaining clay is left inside, lining the mould and continues to dry. When the clay is firm enough, they remove the mould and take the piece to the drying room where it remains overnight.

The Following Day

The turner uses a hand-held lathe to trim off excess clay and then uses specifically designed metal tools to perfect the trim in each case. Burnishing with a softer metal tool then smooths the surface.

Natural Sea Sponges

Natural Sea Sponges are used to create a really smooth finish. The first mark is impressed.

Decoration techniques

The design is transferred from paper to cellophane. They use special ink for this. Then the tube liner transfers the design onto the pot. This is done by rubbing the cellophane which has been placed in position, with their fingertips. Then the tube liner uses a small rubber bag containing slip to make a trail of the pattern – a bit like icing a pattern onto a cake. This is a very skilled task.

Sgraffito

To add finer detail, a sharp metal tool is used to incise the clay in a process called “sgraffito”.

The base of the item is stamped with the tube liners’ initials.

The painting

The artists use metallic oxides thickened with gum Arabic or bentonite. They add water to get the right strength of colour.

Mostly, they use a floating technique, whereby the paint is allowed to float over a designated area. They can build up layers of paint to achieve the strength of colour desired. They might even use 2 or 3 different colours to obtain the exact shade required. They use their fingertips to blend the paints, giving shade effects.

The painter highlights the factory marks and adds their own initials onto the base. Once the decoration is complete, the piece goes into a drying room overnight and the paint is absorbed into the clay.

Firing in the Biscuit Kiln

The pot enters the electric biscuit kiln. Temperatures reach 1100 °C and the process usually lasts overnight. The pot becomes rigid and the colours fast.

The item is checked and if it passes scrutiny, the final marks are painted onto the base.

Glaze and Glost Firing

Finally, the pot is glazed and dried overnight. Next day, further firing takes place – again for about 8 hours and again at a temperature of 1100 °C. It is here that the lower colours burn through to the surface to be seen for the first time.

Moorcroft Marks

The first marks are impressed after the piece has been smoothed over with the sponges. There are three marks, the Moorcroft stamp, the Made in Stoke-on-Trent England stamp and a date stamp.

Moorcroft began to use the alphabet as a date stamp starting in 1990. But instead of the date they use a symbol as shown below:

• 1990 – an impressed arrow
• 1991 – an impressed bell
• 1992 – a candlestick
• 1993 – a diamond shape
• 1994 – an eye
• 1995 – a flag
• 1996 – a gate
• 1997 – an HC monogram for the centenary year
• 1998 – an iron
• 1999 – a jug/pitcher
• 2000 – a key with a double ‘M’ for the teeth and so on…

The next stamp is the tube liners, followed by the painters. The final marks are painted onto the base after selection. These include the copyright as well as the year the design was originally drawn on paper. Each designer has their own individual mark, and these are also included on the numbered and limited editions.

Collectors – Note the Silver Stripe

The silver stripe means the piece is imperfect in some way. You can usually find this through the WM monogram if present.

In fact, Moorcroft marks have become ever more elaborate and informative as the years pass. Here is more information on the marks together with illustrations.

A few words about Moorcroft Design Studio

At the time of writing, the Design Studio has five internationally successful members – each with their own unique and recognisable style. In addition, guest designers help to ensure that the work is always fresh and interesting. Adding to the original designs with flowers, fruits and landscapes, modern ideas are incorporated into the Moorcroft pieces. These include animals and birds, as well as contemporary geometric designs.

Rachel Bishop is the senior designer, with a worldwide reputation. Her work brings to mind William Morris and she features British flowers in many of her designs.

Kerry Goodwin inserts humour into her designs – you will often find yourself smiling when you see her sometimes quirky creations. Her pieces have character!

Emma Bosson produces highly popular items and has designed many successful limited editions – she is also the youngest member of the Royal Society of Arts because of her design skills.

Vicky Lovatt incorporates her love of astronomy into many of her creations. She produces brilliantly coloured animals and birds, set against a black night sky background. It was Vicky who designed the nine giant ceramic globes for the medal-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden.

Nicola Slaney creates rare collectable limited editions – and also pieces which are more affordable. Nichola is a very versatile designer, with many styles reminiscent of the flowers, fruit and landscapes which made Woolcroft so well known at the beginning

Guest designers

Guest designers add their own skills to the mix of talent and include renowned artists like Paul Hilditch, Alicia Amison, Helen Dale and Anji Davenport.

The Design Consort

The Design Consort hones the development of the unique brand style. Independent of Moorcroft, it trials and tests designer ideas, filtering and weeding out those which do not quite fit their brand concepts. All the pieces are made on Staffordshire and many have delicate gold or silver lustre, adding to the trademark geometric and abstract patterns.

Pieces for sale Prices and availability

eBay has a number of Moorcroft items for sale – but sadly, they often do not state who the designer is. Some examples are from the Stunning STRAWBERRY THIEF by Rachel Bishop at £135.00 and a SUPERB RARE MOORCROFT FLAMBE FISHBOWL c.1930 for £224.19 – which is attracting quite a few bids despite a poor photo and the designer not being mentioned

The Moorcroft Shop

There are many lovely modern items for sale here– together with some good advice is needed!

This includes selling a genuine Wiliam Moorcroft Orchid vase for £399.00.

Popular with Famous People

If you are a collector of Moorcroft, then you are in good company. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, adds them to her royal collection, former US presidents, British prime ministers, together with many well-known actors and singers, collect Moorcroft. And Leonard A Lauder, President of the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire, has a very large collection.

Final Thoughts

Moorcroft has designed a unique style of tube lined works with brilliant colours and great artistic appeal. The earlier pieces featuring flowers and fruits have been extended to modern abstract designs – yet still using the traditional methods of manufacture.

You can always find something interesting and stylish for your collection, prices ranging from the highly valued limited editions to the more affordable – yet still valuable ceramics. And the detailed marks make Moorcroft satisfying, and you always know what you are buying (if you look!).