Denby Pottery, based in Denby, Derbyshire, is one of the world best known tableware manufacturers. Starting in the early 1800's, William Bourne began the production of a salt glazed pottery, with it soon building an impressive reputation for it's quality. Over the next 100 years or so, the company continued to produce a wide range of bottles and jars. However as glass became a cheaper and more popular material to use, Denby began to diversify and started to produce kitchen & serve ware
It was during the 1920's that the first familiar tableware patterns from Denby appeared. Beginning with 'Cottage Blue' and slightly later, 'Manor Green' and 'Homestead Brown'. These patterns were just the beginning to the colours, designs and versatility that Denby would produce
The classic Denby 'non drip' teapot in 'Homestead Brown'
Denby continued to produce a range of products throughout World War II, but once the war had ended and materials became easier to acquire, a new era of colourful designs & glazes began to emerge, propelling Denby to become even more well known for it's contemporary designs became iconic in British ceramic history
One of the first designs that became highly successful & very popular was 'Greenwheat' designed by Albert Colledge in 1956. With a wide range of items produced in the stylish wheatsheaf pattern, accompanied by a green accent, it remained in production for over 20 years attracting a strong following of collectors
Denby continued to push the design boundaries with patterns such as 'Chevron' in the 1960's with it's stylish modern military green look & matt glaze finish and 'Potters Wheel' with it's simplistic circular design. But perhaps one of it's most iconic designs produced was 'Arabesque' designed by Gill Pemberton. After taking her inspiration from a trip to Russia, this pattern is probably Denby's most recognised design & despite being discontinued in the early 80's is still highly collectable
In more recent times, Denby has led the way with it's innovative patterns & glazes, with 'Luxor' being one of the 90's most desired patterns showcasing an enamelled trim. Some later patterns have also had accent pieces, such as platters, mugs and jugs added with an enamelled finish to complement the range. However, of course, Denby is a master at producing a universal staple in the form of 'Imperial Blue', an incredibly classic and popular everyday design. This range is one of several colourways in this shape, and is continuing to prove it's popularity with customers old & new
