Hornsea Pottery; a mid-century design icon.
Beginning life out of the kitchen of 4 Victoria Avenue in 1947, Hornsea Pottery would go on to become one of Britain’s most famous ceramic producers and an icon of mid-century design.
Established by brothers Colin and Desmond Rawson, in Hornsea a small coastal town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the firm began life as a small cottage industry making Paris models as souvenirs for the local tourist market.
It proved to be something of a success and by 1954 the brothers had upscaled their premises to the derelict Brick and Tile Works at Edenfield, on the outskirts of Hornsea. The new Hornsea Pottery began increasing its range and by 1967 it had introduced full tableware collections. By 1974 Hornsea Pottery was the biggest employer in town employing 250 people who were producing three million ceramic items per year from the Edenfield site.
Both Rawson brothers had both attended the Batley College of Art, and in the early days of Hornsea Pottery took upon most of the design work. However by the mid 50s the brothers had begun to see the potential of John Clappison, the son of an early investor, who was a student at the Hull College of Art. Thus begun Clappison’s long and illustrious career with the Yorkshire firm.
Although Clappison is not as familiar as many of his mid-century British ceramic design contemporaries, partially on account of his work not being signed, his work would go on to sell in the millions. Although during a lifetime in the industry he plaid his trade for various firms, he is most synonymous with the Hornsea study. The iconic ‘Elegance’ and ‘Heirloom’ ranges are two of the designs conceived by Clappison which continue to highly sought after collectors items to this day.
John Clappison at the Hornsea Studio with an example of the 'Hierloom' design.
Partially thanks to the popularity of the Clappison designs Hornsea Pottery continued its expansion, opening new sites in both Lancashire and Corfu. However it was the costs of this rapid expansion combined with increasing cheap imports which eventually spell the end of the firm. Problems began in the late 70s, with Clappison himself being made redundant on the 31st December 1984. Though the firm continued in a diminished capacity for some time, the bank called in the recievers in April 2000 and sadly Hornsea Pottery was no more.
The story didn’t completely end in 2000 however, as Hornsea Pottery pieces became increasingly collectable, with both ‘70s nostalgists and admirers of British Mid-Century design. Amongst those legions of fans were Magpie, who strongly believed that the legacy of Hornsea shouldn’t be forgotten and should be loved by future generations too. Magpie has started re-manufacturing some of Hornsea Pottery’s greatest designs, starting with the illustration works of John Clappison. These classic stoneware pieces utilise original Clappison designs, archive colourways and traditional glazing techniques.
Magpie x Hornsea Pottery Hierloom Lidded Bowl and Cat Lidded Teapot.
Atom Retro is proud to present a great selection of the Magpie x Hornsea Pottery range, all presented in a matching gift box, which are perfect presents for any any fan of mid-century design.
Check out the full Magpie x Hornsea range here.
Magpie x Hornsea Pottery Octopus Mug and Squarcles Mug.
