HOME SPRING 2019 55DESIGN |ICONS
DENBY POTTERY
Words PENDLE HARTEThe strength
and quality
of Derbyshire
clay led to the
formation of
Denby Pottery
The Legacy
D
enby Pottery is a British
institution. Everyone will
find Denby pieces that
remind them of their
grandparents’ houses
and their parents’ homes
– while the new collec-
tions continue to build
on the brand’s heritage to produce stylish
pieces for contemporary homes.
In 1809, entrepreneur William Bourne
discovered the strength and quality of Der-
byshire clay and set up a factory employing
local craftsmen, naming it after the village of
its base and kicked off the tradition of jollying,
fettling and handcrafting.
Over the years, Denby developed secret
glaze recipes that when fired to the right
temperatures give each piece its unique
and durable surface. The Majolica glaze is
over 100 years old. In the 1920s, as the nation
emerged from the darkness of the wartime
years, the vibrant Electric Blue glaze captured
the cheerfulness of peacetime. More recently,
Denby’s designers have reflected its captivat-
ing glaze effect in modern designs including
Halo and Praline.
Into the 1940s, wartime restrictions meant
that Denby ran out of all other glazes apart
from Utility Brown, which was aptly named
as craftsmen rallied together and filled thekilns with practical teapots, rum bottles for
the navy and even telegraphic insulators and
battery jars to aid the war effort.
In the 1950s designer Tibor Reich, the son
of a Hungarian ribbon manufacturer, created
eclectic designs for Denby which graced the
inside of No 10 Downing Street and Con-
corde, putting Denby firmly on the design
map. Tibor’s pottery was often described as
‘Picasso-like’ and had its admirers and critics.
Tibor also advised on colour and patterns for
several of Denby’s other ranges at that time.
The Chevron collection, produced between
1962 and 1978, was an outstanding success
in Britain and USA. Denby’s Natural Canvas
collection, launched in 2016, takes inspiration
and pays homage to Chevron and is every bit
as alluring for a modern audience. It is made
at Denby’s original pottery in Derbyshire, still
made by skilled artisans using high quality,
locally sourced clay. Each unique piece is in-
dividually and expertly glazed to give warmth
as well as prevent chipping for enhanced du-
rability and lasting appeal.
Denby’s current ranges Halo and Azure
really come to life in the kiln. With tiny par-
ticles of glaze, exacting temperatures and a
little specialist know-how, Denby continues
to create pottery works of art.
denbypottery.comCHEVRON, 1960SDENBY’S CURRENT HALO COLLECTIONTIBOR REICH FOR DENBY, 1950SHOME_Spring19_Legacy.indd 55 01/04/2019 15:57