These are two of five short advertisements that the Hornsea Pottery Company made between about 1969 and 1978. They also made an extended film in the early 1970s aimed more at commercial outlets that takes the form of a buyer from Australia visiting the factory. There is also film of the visit of Princess Margaret to the factory in 1976, and a film that highlights the production process of Hornsea Pottery and the quality of their products, Hornsea Pottery Made In Britain. The adverts would...

These are two of five short advertisements that the Hornsea Pottery Company made between about 1969 and 1978. They also made an extended film in the early 1970s aimed more at commercial outlets that takes the form of a buyer from Australia visiting the factory. There is also film of the visit of Princess Margaret to the factory in 1976, and a film that highlights the production process of Hornsea Pottery and the quality of their products, Hornsea Pottery Made In Britain. The adverts would probably have gone out to local cinemas. Together the films and adverts were part of a concerted campaign to build up sales of their products in the 1970s. This need to promote and advertise its products was as great for small and medium size businesses as it was for large ones. The YFA has a number of similar films – see the Context for Spero Publicity, made about the same time as this film in1972, for more information on advertising.

 

The 1970s were a period of rapid growth for the company as sales of their innovative designed tableware took off, forcing them to restrict the production of some ranges, and expanding to open a new factory in Lancaster. The company only began in 1947, from the humble beginnings of two local brothers, Desmond and Colin Rawson, making plaster-of-paris models in the scullery of their house at 4 Victoria Avenue in Hornsea. It became a limited company in 1954, and soon after this advert was made in the early 1970s, the Edenfield Works had a workforce of 250 staff and was selling over 3 million items a year, many exported to more than 50 countries. 
 

As part of its promotional strategy Hornsea Pottery introduced guided factory tours, a tearoom and opportunities to buy ‘seconds’.  In line with its innovations in design and production techniques, it then went one step further by opening up other visitor attractions that the adverts highlight, like the children’s playground, aviary, monkey house, café and garden centre. The park was the first factory shopping village in the UK. This was to become an extremely popular tourist attraction, with school trips from across Yorkshire, causing a strain on the limited road system to Hornsea. A similar park opened up with the factory in Lancaster in 1976. The Pottery park did much to put Hornsea on the map.

 

The leisure centre was a great way to attract potential buyers, and the adverts reveal the way Hornsea Pottery targeted young and newly wed couples. The jazzy designs were meant to appeal to a modern taste. Unfortunately, despite its relative success in competing with the dominance of the Staffordshire earthenware industry, the Pottery went into decline in the 1980s from which it never fully recovered, going into liquidation in 2000. But before this the leisure centre had been re-packaged as Hornsea Freeport in 1992, and was taken over by Freeport Leisure two years later, who expanded it into a shopping village.

 

The company didn’t start up until 1949 when two brothers, Desmond and Colin Rawson, started making plaster-of-paris models in the scullery of their house at 4 Victoria Avenue. These they would sell as souvenirs to visitors to Hornsea.  Although they attended Batley College of Art, they had no experience of working in pottery. But they soon moved onto using a kiln and to renting premises at the Old Hall in the Market Place. Their first full time employee, school leaver Michael Walker, used to cycle every day from Beverley. By the time it became a limited company in 1954 it had a workforce of 64, moving to the site of the old Hornsea Brick & Tile Works. Hornsea was an unlikely location for a flourishing pottery works, having no local clay (having to come from the south west), local fuel or locally trained potters!

 

At this time most of the products it made were decorative rather than functional. Designer Marion Campbell introduced the much sought-after black animals, cats and large dogs. Soon after John Clappison, an art student at the Hull College of Art, designed the contemporary, eyecatching, Elegance range whilst still in his teens.  Showing great potential, the Pottery sponsored John Clappison for the Royal College of Art and he became their Chief Designer in 1958. Clappison developed new techniques and went on to create many innovative designs, such as his early tableware of cruets, milk jugs, sugar, cheese and butter dishes. 

 

They also took on other designers, such as Alan Luckham and Dorothy Marion Campbell who made African and Arctic figures, stylised vases, dogs, giraffes and cats. These were at the forefront of modern design, and their work is now very collectible – see the Hornsea Pottery website for some examples of their work, References. This was their staple production during the 1960s until 1967 when they started to produce tableware, such as the Heirloom range of tea and dinner services, and including those of the Saffron, Tapestry, Cornrose, and Contrast ranges. There were also other nearby pottery makers, such as Scarborough Pottery, which many of the Hornsea Pottery designers, modellers and technicians also contributed to – often making it difficult to distinguish between them.

 

As well as employing innovative designers, the company also had other innovative employees who both designed and made many of their own machines.  By 1974 the Edenfield Works employed 250 staff and was turning out over 3 million pieces a year, sold worldwide, becoming one of the major producers of pottery and tableware in the U.K.  In fact so successful were they they had to ration some of their products, such as the Heirloom tableware, and stopped producing the the Fauna Royal line, selling off the blocks and moulds to Eastgate Pottery in Withernsea. They were also winning Council of Design Awards, and had to expand their production capacity, eventually opening a new plant on Wyresdale Road in Lancaster in 1976, opened by Hornsea born actor Brian Rix – on whom see the Context for Brian Rix Appeal (1964). This too soon won awards for three of its early ranges. For a contrast with a more traditional approach to pottery making see Isaac Button Country Potter (1963-64).

 

Also in 1974, in collaboration with Lord David Queensberry and Martin Hunt, they launched new ranges of tableware design, starting with Contrast, then the Ebony range and the Cinnamon range exclusively for Harrods. By 1981 the pottery was employing 700 employees. But despite these success there were difficulties ahead, with losses and management problems.   The Lancaster factory finally had to close in 1988, and eventually, despite trying out many new designs, Hornsea Pottery too went into receivership in April 2000, and then liquidation, with the loss of 150 jobs – the Hornsea Museum website has more details on this history and why the company didn’t survive.

 

The loss of this innovative family company, which had a reputation for its comaradie, was a great loss to the area. But the distinctive designs, so very representative of the 1950s,1960s and 1970s, live on. John Clappison was made redundent in 1984, going on to work for Royal Doulton. But his designs, as well as those of the many other pioneer designers, are still keenly sought after. For those wanting to see a full range of their collection see Brian Heckford’s book produced by the Hornsea Pottery Collectors and Research Society – see Peter and Dorothy’s website for details. Because the tableware was produced in such bulk much of this is less collectible – they often turn up in charity shops – but who knows whether this might not radically change in the future?

 

References

 

E W Bedell, An account of Hornsea, in Holderness, in the East-Riding of Yorkshire / Part 1,
Malet Lambert H.S., Hull, 1983.

Brian Heckford and Bian Jakes, Hornsea pottery 1949-89 : its people, processes and products, Hornsea Pottery Collectors and Research Society, Hornsea, 1989.

Lawrie Dex (compiled by), Hornsea pottery : a collector's guide, 1949-1967, Hull, 1989.
E W Bedell, An account of Hornsea, in Holderness, in the East-Riding of Yorkshire / Part 1,
Malet Lambert H.S., Hull, 1983.

Michael Sewell, Hornsea Essays 3: further aspects of the history of Hornsea and Holderness, Hornsea, 2002.

Hornsea Museum

Hornsea Pottery Production Dates

Wikipedia: I'm Backing Britain

Peter and Dorthy’s Hornsea Potter Site

Hornsea Pottery Tableware Gallery

Hornsea Pottery

Hornsea Town Council, a Brief History of Hornsea