Sunday, June 9, 2013

Poole Pottery/ Freeform, 1950's

An example of Freeform vases by Poole Pottery, designed 1950's

Left: Promotional plate used as signage in stores for Freeform, Right: Freeform vases

Left: pattern Trail vases, Right: Totem pattern shallow bowl by Diane Holloway


Left: Artists at work in the Poole Factory, Dorset, England in the 1950's
Right: The Freeform collection of Poole expert John Clark

Left: Unusually shaped Freeform bowl, Right: Platter, owned by myself

Left: Freeform vase owned by myself, Right: Another design in the same silhouette 

Left: lamp bases designed in Freeform range, Right: platter

Left: Tiles designed by Poole in the same period to promote Dorset, Right: Freeform vase

Left: Some quite unusual colors for Freeform in vases, Right: Freeform bowl


Often the most sought out and the most pricey to collect is the Freeform range from Poole Pottery, based in Dorset, England. Designed by Alfred Read and Guy Sydenham, Poole Pottery launched the Freeform range in 1956-57. Consisting of nine slip-cast 'freeform' shapes decorated in eight new patterns and some hand-thrown shapes, with ten additional new hand-painted patterns all designed by Ruth Pavely and Ann Read.

Influenced quite heavily by Scandinavian studio Pottery of the period such as Gustavsberg and their work with one of my heroes Stig LindbergScandinavian design was well ahead of the pack in the 1940s and it was in the mid 1950s that UK and USA began to catch up using shapes colours and glazes being produced by the leading Scandinavian factories.

I love the patterns that are used on the silhouettes of these vases and bowls, The soft but structured designs that were largely produced in dusty pastels, It's amazing that they are all so intricately painted by hand. 


I am lucky to own 2 pieces that I have acquired over the years but these guys are not easy to find and if you do, you have to be prepared to pay premium prices. 

Please note: Some of these images have been kindly supplied by John Clark, who generously reached out to me to share his knowledge of this period of Poole Pottery. I am afraid in my first post I did not get all the information right, This general post of Freeform also cover the Contemporary period that John pointed out is in fact often mistaken as Freeform but actually encompasses 2 periods of Poole.


For interested collectors of Poole, There is also good information in a catalogue from the 1997 “Poole in the 1950s” exhibition that John Clark co-hosted with Richard Dennis at his gallery in London. The catalogue is still in print and can be purchased through the Richard Dennis Publications website, as can the best book on the pottery “Poole Pottery” by Hayward and Atterbury which has information on all periods.
http://www.richarddennispublications.com/shop/category-46-book-list

17 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. Im not quite certain why you have deleted my comment...i still feel that Freeform Poole pottery is fabulous ..and has a big future in the market place..compared to the pricing of some studio pottery it is indeed very good value ..and i dont hear enough of the merits of freeform poole.I was excited to see your blog on the subject

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  2. I see that you have used a lot of my photos from "Flickr" which is not strictly allowed and at least it would have been good to ask my permission to use them. A lot of your facts are inaccurate too as only three bowls shown are from the Freeform period (1956/57) - the others are from the earlier "Contemporary" period (1953/54).

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    1. So sorry John, not to have asked permission, Please let me know if I can still use these pics and I am happy to credit, Also I appreciate you pointing out the inaccuracies, I will also try and correct these, Any feedback is appreciated as I know I still have plenty to learn as we all do, I know you are an expert in Poole so please let me know if I can also refer any websites you author in particular so I can make available the link to other Poole appreciators, Best, Marcus.

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  3. I am pleased to see your interest in 1950s Poole and was not trying to put you down! Keep spreading the message Marcus! Incidentally 1950s Poole is certainly not "underrated and undervalued" on www.vanbrughwestantiques.com!

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    1. Again I appreciate the comments John, I agree with your comment and I removed the other comment in question. Thanks again, Marcus.

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    2. Dear John
      Im glad that you have had a chance to have a look at my freeform poole section on my website ...im sorry that you took my comments on this blog out of context...all i was trying to do and still am is to promote freeform poole pottery which i have done by adding a number of pieces to my stock..and hopefully creating an interest with my home and international client base.

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  5. Thanks for your replies Marcus; you are welcome to free use of my pics so long as I am credited in future. I have enjoyed reading your blogs and am pleased that you chose to write one on 1950s Poole. Here are my suggestions for more information:

    I have an article in this months Vintagexplorer magazine (Issue No.10 June/July 2013) illustrating the 1950s Poole ‘Contemporary” and “Freeform” ranges. Most people use the term “Freeform” as a generic term to cover these two distinct ranges but this is not strictly correct.
    The magazine is available from their website and also on eBay (UK):
    http://www.vintagexplorer.co.uk

    There is also good information in a catalogue from the 1997 “Poole in the 1950s” exhibition that I co-hosted with Richard Dennis at his gallery in London. The catalogue is still in print and can be purchased through the Richard Dennis Publications website, as can the best book on the pottery “Poole Pottery” by Hayward and Atterbury which has information on all periods.
    http://www.richarddennispublications.com/shop/category-46-book-list

    There are also my pictures on Flickr that show my 1950s Poole collection. The picture you titled as “Factory Display of Freeform” is actually part of my collection in my home!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/getcarter3/collections/72157631730619968/

    I hope this helps any budding new collectors.

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    1. Thanks so much John for taking the time to clear that up! I am currently on vacation in Denmark and am keen to provide more posts on Poole on my return, I am also planning a trip to Dorset in the near future and hope to visit the Poole Factory and Museum. It's an honor to have your input, Thanks again!

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    2. I wouldn't bother to change the original blog but more on Poole would be good. Dorset may be a bit disappointing as there is only a retail outlet with one potter and one and sometimes two decorators. It is a sad sight now the main pottery has closed! They make most things in Staffordshire now! The Poole Pottery Museum and Archive was sold at Christie's, London in 2004 but Poole Council Museum managed to buy quite a lot and it is on show on the top floor of their Museum in Poole. Have a good time in Denmark - I liked the blog on Copenhagen, it must be so different from NYC. When you come to the UK you must come to see me in Brighton - the best town in England!

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  6. Oops meant to say marked not steamed

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  7. hi all, maybe u can help. i i.herited a vase from my grandma. it is marked plt 703 i believe it was painted by pat dightam? bowever i am not sure. i can not find this shape of vase with this pattern in the same color. i do have pics if that helps!

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    1. Your vase is part of the "Contemporary" range designed by Alfred Read and Guy Sydenham in 1953/54 with a pattern also designed by Alfred Read. You can see a larger version (Shape 704 - 11" tall) in this photograph (see link below - second vase from the left) and also in "Poole Pottery" by Hayward and Atterbury page 103. Mine is also painted by Pat Dightam and I think she was the best painter of this pattern.

      http://www.flickr.com/photos/getcarter3/9074991084/in/set-72157627136661409

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    2. Sorry - I have just re-read your original message and see your pattern was PLT not PKT as I have shown. I don't have a 703/PLT but I have one in the alternative colour-way PLC which can be seen on the left in this picture:

      http://www.flickr.com/photos/getcarter3/8561461091/in/set-72157627136661409

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  8. so how do i find out the worth of my vase? and do u mind if i email you a pic of the vase? i have searched for hours upon hours, only to find the same vase shape that u posted in your second link, but i cant find one in the exact same colors as mine. its frustrating......lol

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    1. 1950s Poole is not easily found, even in the UK, and I probably have never seen your vase in 30 years of collecting! I am not sure why you want to find a picture of your exact vase but I can tell you that it is probably worth about £100 at the moment - but it all depends who is interested in it on the day! My email address can be found on my Flickr pages (as above) in my profile and you are welcome to send me a photo. I hope that this helps!

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