Tea Moment

I've been uploading a series of pottery pictures from Stoke-on-Trent in England and 

will continue on it but just wanted to have a tea break. I thought you might like a cup too. 

A cup of tea in Parlour at Sketch, Conduit St, London

Bea's of Bloomsbury, Theobalds Road, London

The Duke of Cambridge, St. Peter's St, London

Yumchaa, Soho, London

A small tea party in Cotswolds, England

Stoke-on-Trent ceramics: Portmeirion

Portmeirion is well known for Botanic Garden, the most successful tableware series for the company. It's been produced since 70's and still draws buyers. I don't feel the charm of it personally as it's too country. The late Susan William-Ellis, a pottery designer who also founded the company created all and these series above are wondrous. She studied under the sculptor Henry Moore.

Stoke-on-Trent: Oatcake

Traditionally, those pancakes  (called oatcake locally) were potter's portable lunch to take to work from home. In closed form this can be warmed on a top of kiln or stove without spilling the filling. You can still find small eateries in Stoke-on-Trent town with a sign board "Oatcake". I had a ham and cheese oatcake in a pottery museum. Love the napkin holder.

Stoke-on-Trent ceramics: Emma Bridgewater

Emma's husband, an artist ( he has published many watercolor books on architecture) Mathew Rice and their daughter Kitty. She was decorating a pot, a gift for her teacher.

I am a dot person ( not dotty!) than stripe person. Hence the picture contains a lots of dots.


Stamp work is done by nimble fingers in the factory. Some of those motifs have appeared more than often on Emma Bridgewater ceramic ware - if you are a fan you might recognize it..


Nimble fingers with a sharp object and a decisive mind make them all.

Next to the office there was a sort of "drawing room" with archives and frames. I put flowers in a mag among this sepia environment.

Stoke-on-Trent ceramics: Crown Dorset

An entrance to the factory. I cannot tell what exactly it is but a door stopper was a lovely feature there.

  Alice's tea party stuff. In a mass like this, cute teapots becomes a tad eccentric.


There are some pieces that I really liked in the show room.


But what I fancied most was this old trademark. Crown Dorset is one of the long established ceramic companies in Stoke-on-Trent. This was hung on a wall in the office...it has 60's feeling. Maybe early 70's, would you say?


Crown Dorset. Here again, flower motif is royally reproduced from a fraying old template book.