Louise Irvine

Moorcroft is one of the most popular exhibits at WMODA, and we are sad to report that the Staffordshire pottery is facing significant financial difficulties. After more than 100 years in business, Moorcroft has ceased trading, and we await news on whether the art pottery can be revived under new ownership. We have many happy memories of working closely with the Moorcroft team over the years, and our thoughts are with them during this challenging time.

The Moorcroft story began in 1897 when William Moorcroft began designing art pottery for James Macintyre & Co in Burslem. Within a year, William was in charge of their art studio, and his name soon eclipsed that of his employer. In 1904, his Florian ware designs were acclaimed at the St. Louis World’s Fair, where he was awarded a gold medal. Leading stores, such as Liberty of London, began selling his elegant vases in the fashionable Arts & Crafts style.

Florian ware was hand-decorated by William Moorcroft on wheel-thrown pots. The floral motifs were outlined in raised liquid clay, colored in metallic oxides under the glaze and fired to a high temperature. This intricate decorating technique, known as tube-lining, has been used at the Moorcroft Pottery continuously up to the present day.

When Macintyre’s closed their art pottery department, William Moorcroft secured funding for his own factory to be built in Cobridge with financial support from Liberty’s. He moved in 1913, and production has continued at this site until April 30 this year. The historic structure with its surviving bottle kiln is a Grade II Listed Building of “Outstanding Architectural and Historic Merit.”

To mark the centennial of the Moorcroft factory, Kerry Goodwin, one of the studio’s leading artists, created designs commemorating William’s walk to his new factory with his workforce. The monumental vase can be seen in the display of Moorcroft’s prestige art pottery at WMODA. Another museum display showcases scenes from the Potteries inspired by Moorcroft’s history, including William at work.

Arthur Wiener, our founder, has been an avid collector of vintage and modern Moorcroft designs for many years, and he has donated a large collection to WMODA, including Moorcroft tables and jardinieres, which can be seen in the library and Secret Garden. Arthur enjoyed meeting the artists on his visits to the Moorcroft factory, where he acquired many of the artists’ original watercolors and trial vases.

Before WMODA was established, I worked closely with Moorcroft, arranging collector visits to the factory and artist demonstrations in the USA and South Africa. In 2006, Kerry Goodwin was the star of the Florida Collectors show in West Palm Beach, where she held masterclasses for collectors. Later that year, after Moorcroft exhibited at a South African antiques show, we traveled together on safari, where she drew inspiration from her encounter with elephants for the spectacular Timbavati vase. Moorcroft continued to be a major draw at the International Ceramics and Glass Fairs held at our Dania Beach location, where new pieces were acquired for the museum.

Unfortunately, 2025 is not the first time the Moorcroft pottery has faced financial difficulties. Nearly forty years ago, in 1986, Hugh Edwards, a lawyer and passionate collector, stepped in to save the pottery from the brink of insolvency. For five years, he worked closely with Richard Dennis, the well-known art pottery dealer and publisher, to give Moorcroft a new lease of life.  The story of this revival can be followed in a trilogy of books by Hugh Edwards which are available for sale at WMODA.

The Moorcroft management team was adamant about keeping pottery production in Stoke-on-Trent and not outsourcing to Asia as other illustrious china companies have done. In 2008, Hugh Edwards tried and failed to find a buyer who would honor his commitment to the British Potteries. Sadly, rising energy costs with the additional pressure of carbon taxes and cheaper imports made these heroic efforts impossible and Moorcroft ceased trading on May 1 with the loss of 57 jobs. Is it the end of a remarkable era?  We will keep you posted..

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