Hornsea Pottery
Encyclopedia
Hornsea Pottery was a business located in the seaside town of Hornsea
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
, England
.
was founded in 1949 in a small terraced house by brothers Colin and Desmond Rawson with initial funding from a friend and local business man, Philip Clappison. The factory's earliest pieces were mostly designed by Colin Rawson, these included Character Jugs and posy vases with attached animal figures.
Their products sold well and they moved to larger premises and took on their first employee in 1950.
The continued expansion of the business brought about a move to an even larger site, at Edenfield, in 1954. At this time the business diversified and the Edenfield site became the first theme park in Britain. In 1984 the initial company foundered due to outside forces and financial difficulties and it was bought out in April of that year. Despite its difficulties, the factory continued to produce tableware and ornaments until April 2000 when it went into final receivership
. In October 2008, Hornsea Museum
in Newbegin, the main street of Hornsea, opened a permanent exhibition of Hornsea Pottery.
provided not only cash investment but all legal services for the rest of his life.
Their products sold well and by 1950 they took on their first employee and moved to larger premises at The Old Hall in the Hornsea Market Place. Robert (Bob) Hindle, Desmond's brother-in-law joined the company and provided additional share funding, and his 'straight dealing' policy provided the company with an excellent sales directorship for over 20 years.
, a student at Hull College of Art who produced the stylish, contemporary Elegance range of wares which are much in demand with collectors today. In 1954 the business moved to the site of the defunct Hornsea Brick and Tile Works. At this time the Pottery also employed other noted designers such as Dorothy Marion Campbell
and Alan Luckham as modeller.
In 1967, the factory started to produce full ranges of tableware, the first being the John Clappison-designed Heirloom, followed by his Saffron and Bronte patterns.In the 1970s, the Queensbury-Hunt partnership became involved in Hornsea tableware design, their Contrast and Concept ranges proving popular. Though innovative, these products they were not always practical in use.
By 1974 the Edenfield Works was employing 250 people and turning out three million pieces a year.
From the mid 1950s, the Hornsea Pottery business was becoming more diverse. There were factory tours but beside being able to see the pottery being made it soon became 'a Pottery in a Garden' a day out for all the family. As facilities improved to attract more people to buy the company's very popular products it became larger and included a popular leisure site with a number of activities for children. These included a model village
, birds of prey exhibition, car museum, a large adventure playground in the style of a wooden fort, remote control
boats and go-kart
s. For adults, there were several café
s, the Hornsea Pottery shop and factory tour and, towards the end of the factory's lifetime, a number of shops which turned the site into an American style outdoor factory outlet mall, selling clothing and other items at reduced prices.
Index before entering production. At one stage production of the Heirloom tableware soon could not keep up with the demand and department stores had to be limited on a quota basis.
It was during this time that John Clappison’s unique Strata trinket boxes and his People series were a produced. John was made redundant on 31 December 1984, subsequently gaining employment with Royal Doulton. The problems continued and in April 2000 the National Westminster Bank sent the receivers.The pottery factory no longer exists, but on its site is the retail outlet shopping village known as Hornsea Freeport.
Following its dissolution, several of the redundant managers and some key staff were able to relocate to the nearby Park Rose Pottery, which is just outside the sea-side town of Bridlington
. These staff may have originally started with several design ideas taken from the old Hornsea Pottery, but they now produce and sell a successful range of designer ware in their own right.
in Newbegin, the main street of Hornsea. Geoffrey Hindle, (Jolley Geoff); son of Bob Hindle, the driving force behind the very successful sales organisation; also nephew of Desmond Rawson, has spent many hours recording both of their life's work, donated all the family's pieces of pottery and many photographs to help the collection's guardians Carol Harker and Museum founder Dr Stuart Walker tell the full story of the company's success and eventual demise.
The Intellectual Properties of Hornsea Potteries including all the designs and trade marks were acquired at the time of receivership by Hornsea Potteries Intellectual Properties Ltd. Most of the designs are digitized and will be reissued both in the original format and as appropriate consumer goods.
Hornsea
Hornsea is a small seaside resort, town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England at the eastern end of the Trans Pennine Trail.-Overview:According to the 2001 UK Census, Hornsea parish had a population of 8,243....
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Overview
The potteryPottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
was founded in 1949 in a small terraced house by brothers Colin and Desmond Rawson with initial funding from a friend and local business man, Philip Clappison. The factory's earliest pieces were mostly designed by Colin Rawson, these included Character Jugs and posy vases with attached animal figures.
Their products sold well and they moved to larger premises and took on their first employee in 1950.
The continued expansion of the business brought about a move to an even larger site, at Edenfield, in 1954. At this time the business diversified and the Edenfield site became the first theme park in Britain. In 1984 the initial company foundered due to outside forces and financial difficulties and it was bought out in April of that year. Despite its difficulties, the factory continued to produce tableware and ornaments until April 2000 when it went into final receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
. In October 2008, Hornsea Museum
Hornsea Museum
Hornsea Museum is a local museum in Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, northern England.The museum was established in 1978. It is housed in an 18th-century farmhouse and two cottages. The museum is a registered charity and is largely run by volunteers...
in Newbegin, the main street of Hornsea, opened a permanent exhibition of Hornsea Pottery.
Early years
In 1949, Desmond and Colin Rawson started a business making plaster of Paris models to sell as souvenirs to tourists who were visiting the seaside town of Hornsea. Both had attended the Batley College of Art but they had no pottery making experience. They worked in the scullery of their kitchen at 4 Victoria Avenue in the town. Initial funding came from a friend and local business man, Philip Clappison. After the purchase of a small kiln they started working with clay. Additional funding was received from Charles Wright, a retired Morecambe hotelier, whose son, Micheal Wright, was working with Desmond on early products. Desmond Rawson's father-in-law Henry Knowles, a solicitor in MorecambeMorecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
provided not only cash investment but all legal services for the rest of his life.
Their products sold well and by 1950 they took on their first employee and moved to larger premises at The Old Hall in the Hornsea Market Place. Robert (Bob) Hindle, Desmond's brother-in-law joined the company and provided additional share funding, and his 'straight dealing' policy provided the company with an excellent sales directorship for over 20 years.
Edenfield site
In the mid 1950s, the Rawson brothers started to recognise the potential of Philip's son, John ClappisonJohn Clappison
William John Clappison is an English Ceramic and Glass designerWhen the family moved to Hornsea and John’s father started to support Hornsea Pottery, the founders of the Pottery, Colin and Desmond Rawson, saw great potential in John Clappison...
, a student at Hull College of Art who produced the stylish, contemporary Elegance range of wares which are much in demand with collectors today. In 1954 the business moved to the site of the defunct Hornsea Brick and Tile Works. At this time the Pottery also employed other noted designers such as Dorothy Marion Campbell
Dorothy Marion Campbell
Dorothy Marion Campbell was an English potter.Early in 1954 Marion replied to Hornsea Pottery’s advertisement in the Hull Daily Mail for ‘a modeller in clay’ and was invited to work for the Rawson brothers...
and Alan Luckham as modeller.
In 1967, the factory started to produce full ranges of tableware, the first being the John Clappison-designed Heirloom, followed by his Saffron and Bronte patterns.In the 1970s, the Queensbury-Hunt partnership became involved in Hornsea tableware design, their Contrast and Concept ranges proving popular. Though innovative, these products they were not always practical in use.
By 1974 the Edenfield Works was employing 250 people and turning out three million pieces a year.
From the mid 1950s, the Hornsea Pottery business was becoming more diverse. There were factory tours but beside being able to see the pottery being made it soon became 'a Pottery in a Garden' a day out for all the family. As facilities improved to attract more people to buy the company's very popular products it became larger and included a popular leisure site with a number of activities for children. These included a model village
Miniature park
A miniature park is an open space that displays miniature buildings and models, and is usually open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, or it can contain a number of different sets of models...
, birds of prey exhibition, car museum, a large adventure playground in the style of a wooden fort, remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
boats and go-kart
Go-kart
thumb|A [[Kart racing|racing kart]] at the [[Commission Internationale de Karting|CIK-FIA]] European Championship 2008A go-kart is a small four-wheeled vehicle...
s. For adults, there were several café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s, the Hornsea Pottery shop and factory tour and, towards the end of the factory's lifetime, a number of shops which turned the site into an American style outdoor factory outlet mall, selling clothing and other items at reduced prices.
Lancaster site
During the 1960s, Hornsea Pottery had become the biggest employer in the town and Hornsea Pottery had become so successful that the need for increased production called for expansion. Plans for further development at Hornsea were frustrated by local government objections, so locations outside the town were sought. A number of sites for the second factory were considered and Lancaster was chosen and the new ’Pottery in a Garden’ opened in 1974. Unfortunately, there were many teething problems and it took factory workers longer to train to the higher standards required for the newly introduced brown Vitramic body. Despite this shaky start the first three ranges produced at the Lancaster factory received Design Centre Awards and with them Hornsea Pottery enhanced its worldwide reputation.The Lancaster site only lasted for twelve years. Despite overcoming the early difficulties and its eventual profit making, it could not stand up against the economic climate of the time.It closed in 1988.Heyday
Hornsea tablewares were sold worldwide for over 20 years and all tableware ranges were accepted for inclusion on the Design CentreDesign Council
The Design Council is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body incorporated by Royal Charter and registered as a charity.Registered charity number 272099.- In the beginning :The Design Council started in 1944 as the Council of Industrial Design...
Index before entering production. At one stage production of the Heirloom tableware soon could not keep up with the demand and department stores had to be limited on a quota basis.
Decline
In 1979, the number of employees rose to 460, and by 1981, it peaked at 700. However, this state of affairs did not last and between 1978 and 1982, profits plummeted. A team from the National Westminster Bank was sent to review the management and appoint a new managing director. Anthony Kusmirek was appointed but was dismissed within three months and The National Westminster Bank then appointed Gordon Barker as managing director and nominated a new management team.It was during this time that John Clappison’s unique Strata trinket boxes and his People series were a produced. John was made redundant on 31 December 1984, subsequently gaining employment with Royal Doulton. The problems continued and in April 2000 the National Westminster Bank sent the receivers.The pottery factory no longer exists, but on its site is the retail outlet shopping village known as Hornsea Freeport.
Following its dissolution, several of the redundant managers and some key staff were able to relocate to the nearby Park Rose Pottery, which is just outside the sea-side town of Bridlington
Bridlington
Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
. These staff may have originally started with several design ideas taken from the old Hornsea Pottery, but they now produce and sell a successful range of designer ware in their own right.
Museum
Over 2,000 pieces from the pottery's beginnings in 1949 to 2000 are on display in two converted 18th century cottages in Hornsea MuseumHornsea Museum
Hornsea Museum is a local museum in Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, northern England.The museum was established in 1978. It is housed in an 18th-century farmhouse and two cottages. The museum is a registered charity and is largely run by volunteers...
in Newbegin, the main street of Hornsea. Geoffrey Hindle, (Jolley Geoff); son of Bob Hindle, the driving force behind the very successful sales organisation; also nephew of Desmond Rawson, has spent many hours recording both of their life's work, donated all the family's pieces of pottery and many photographs to help the collection's guardians Carol Harker and Museum founder Dr Stuart Walker tell the full story of the company's success and eventual demise.
The Intellectual Properties of Hornsea Potteries including all the designs and trade marks were acquired at the time of receivership by Hornsea Potteries Intellectual Properties Ltd. Most of the designs are digitized and will be reissued both in the original format and as appropriate consumer goods.