In 1897, at the height of the Victorian art pottery boom, a talented 24 year old called William Moorcroft (1872-1945) was employed as a designer by the Staffordshire pottery James MacIntyre & Co. His talents impressed his bosses, and within a year, they gave him his own studio and team to produce his innovative designs. Amongst his biggest early successes was Aurelian Ware, with its ‘High Victorian’ complex, boldly coloured transfer-printed and enamelled patterns. But it was Florian Ware that really made his name - and launched the hallmark of the company which lasts to this day.  

Florian Ware was decorated using a technique called tube-lining, where the outline of a design was piped in lines onto the body of a piece by hand using liquid clay known as ‘slip’. A little like icing a cake! This gave the slightly raised outlines of a pattern, which could then be filled in with colours. And what amazing patterns they were - Moorcroft hit the style nail directly on the head by creating detailed patterns that followed the dominant Art Nouveau style of the day. Flowers and foliage were delineated in complex, curving lines and bold colours that also echoed Moorish ceramics, hitting on another style trend of the period. His eye for proportion and pattern, meticulous attention to detail, and quality control led to orders from top deck retailers such as Harrods, Tiffany & Co, and Liberty.  

The latter swiftly became critical to him as Moorcroft’s relationship with Macintyre & Co. began to falter, partly due to the immense costs of maintaining the high standards of hand production that Moorcroft demanded. When the relationship disintegr

ated, and MacIntrye’s moved on to producing industrial ceramics, the Liberty family stepped in and backed Moorcroft to open his own factory in Cobridge, 

Staffordshire in 1913.  

He reintroduced new, bolder coloured takes on his widely popular Florian wares, and also produced new patterns including landscapes, mushrooms, and other flora, fruits and fauna. But it was always British flowers that sat at the heart of his designs, each delicately delineated in tube-lining. In 1928, more success came when Queen Mary awarded him the Royal Warrant. Adapting to the colours and styles of the day, the new company blossomed and bore fruit, and was in a healthy state when William died in 1945 and was succeeded by his son Walter.  

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Walter continued to grow the company’s portfolio of floral designs by introducing new patterns including exotic flowers, and continuing popular ranges, often by introducing dramatic new colourways. The Liberty family’s interest was bought out in 1962 and the company continued to prosper into the 1980s when the costs of production began to become prohibitive. In 1984, the company was sold to Roper Brothers, who attempted to mass-produce Moorcroft pottery, but this was unsuccessful – the lack of quality showed and sales plummeted. The Roper share was sold to entrepreneurs Hugh Edwards and Richard Dennis who, with Dennis’ noted designer wife Sally Tuffin, refreshed the company’s ranges with Walter Moorcroft at the design helm until his retirement in 1987. 

More new energy flowed in 1993 with the appointment of Rachel Bishop as only the fourth designer at the company in over a century. In 1997, a new age was ushered in with the founding of the Moorcroft Design Studio, which employed a team of designers led by Bishop. This new diversity of eyes and minds widened the company’s ranges, and thus appeal, but all were still united through both the use of tube-lining and nature as an inspiration. Emma Bossons, Nicola Slaney, Kerry Goodwin, Vicky Lovatt and others have since produced many hundreds of innovative designs that continue William’s aims from over 120 years ago. 

Nearly all Moorcroft is sought-after and, although prices have dropped in general in the past decade or so, they have remained firm since then. Many elegant and vibrant pieces from across the ages can be found for around £50-900, with long running patterns such as Pomegranate tending to be the most affordable. The highest prices, often into the thousands of pounds, are paid for landscape designs such as Hazeldene, with its tall trees, and the best of William’s Florian Wares. Shapes abound, from elegantly tall Art Nouveau vase forms to practical bowls, to broad baluster vases that show the patterns that Moorcroft is loved for internationally off to their best.  

One area I’m personally drawn to are the miniatures produced across nearly the entire company’s history - small is beautiful and you can build up a jewel-like representative collection from across the decades. Many of the modern trial pieces and limited editions are also well worth looking into. The devil is in the detail, so always pay attention not only to condition, but also to the marks on the base. But, as with all antiques, only buy what you love – and, with our nation’s obsession with nature, there’s lots to love with Moorcroft.  

Pictured above

A large 1930s Moorcroft Pottery ‘Wisteria Plum’ vase, designed by William Moorcroft, with typically bold 1930s colours.  

A modern Moorcroft Pottery limited edition ‘Cottingley’ vase, designed by Emma Bossons in 2011, numbered 21 from an edition of 150. 

This article first appeared in Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine in November 2024.