Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Burleigh Pottery


Since I started my blog ten years ago, Tiffany & Co. discontinued most of its china as well as its much-loved Bamboo sterling flatware, Steuben went out of business (although the Corning Museum of Glass is now reproducing Steuben's designs), and Wedgwood faced an uncertain future. Needless to say, times have been tough for heritage tableware brands, so when a manufacturer succeeds in today's world, it's news worth sharing.

Take hand-crafted Burleighware, for example. The famed English pottery, produced in Stoke-on-Trent for over 160 years, has been collected by generations, and thanks to its charming patterns, its popularity shows no signs of abating. Blue-and-white pottery has been part of the Burleigh repertoire for years, but the firm recently introduced one new pattern and a new color option that seem sure to appeal to traditionalists and modernists alike.

Black Regal Peacock, striking in black and white, is an update of Blue Regal Peacock, a pattern created in 1913 and presented to HM Queen Mary.  But this was no mere pattern update facilitated by a computer.  Rather, Burleigh went the old-fashioned and tried-and-true route, creating a new hand-engraved copper roller to produce this black pattern.  It's nice to see a company staying true to its roots.

Also recently introduced is Burleigh's Dove Grey colorway, available in their Calico, Felicity, and Pantry patterns.  I realize that for a number of you, gray is a color that does not always resonate, but I think that Burleigh's new color option is a sensitive update, one that maintains the charm of classic Burleighware.

Below, you'll see a few pieces from both introductions, but be sure to visit the Burleigh website to see the full range.  I've also included a video at the end that shows the Black Regal Peacock pottery being crafted by Burleigh artisans.  And, if you're so inclined, purchase a piece or two of Burleighware.  After all, it's up to us to ensure that Burleigh exists for another 160 years.


Black Regal Peacock:






Dove Grey Pieces:









All images and film courtesy of Burleigh Pottery

7 comments:

  1. As a bride in 1975, I chose the Blue Calico for my everyday dishes—and I have continued to use them every day for the last 42 years. I have six sets of china—somewhat of an addiction, I must say—but my hand reaches out for the blue and white most often. I am so old that one of those sets includes Armetale! It was the eve of the bicentennial, what can I say?

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    1. That's the beauty of these classic patterns...they never go out of style, and one never tires of them.

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  2. How nice to see something other than all white dishes. I'm SO tired of them in every single kitchen, on shelves and in glass-fronted cabinets. BORING! If someone wants a more contemporary look, any of these - the black and white or the gray - would look wonderful without being so boring.

    Like HBD above, I'm a huge fan of blue and white dishes (and also have a "dishes addiction" - 11 sets for me!). My everyday pattern is an old, now discontinued Royal Copenhagen pattern called Tranquebar. My late MIL also had it but I only got a few of her dishes - they appear to have disappeared and no one knows who got them (of is telling!).

    Is anyone going to remember their grandmother's plain white Crate and Barrel dishes? Probably not, but they will remember dishes such as the Burleigh and others that have stood the test of time and are very special.

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  3. It's very pretty, both the black and the gray, but I think I would fall for blue and white.
    Personally, we have Limoges china in white, with a relief design. We use it every day, because we're worth it! I can't imagine having an "inferior" set. Life is too short!

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  4. I only have four sets of dishes, one of which is blue and white. The black and white Burleigh would make for a very striking tabletop, but I would also be partial to the blue and white. Patterned dishes are so much more pleasing than plain.

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  5. Anonymous12:05 PM

    The great advantage of plain china, maybe with a simple border, is that food looks good on it.

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  6. Anonymous5:24 PM

    My everyday dishes are Spode's Blue Italian, but I have a good collection of Burleigh, including Blue Calico and Red Calico dinner plates, and a variety of the large sugar bowls in various blue patterns which look lovely together. But my favorite item, bought on sale about 10 years ago, is an enormous Dutch jug which looks magnificent at this time of year filled with flowering branches or tulips. Long live Burleigh!

    The black does look tempting, and while the grey isn't my cup of tea, it's very current and might be just the thing to tempt someone toward a hint of color and pattern.

    Rebecca

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