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Originally founded as a studio in 1897 within a large ceramic company, James Macintyre & Co, Moorcroft Pottery soon made its mark on the world. Designs came from 24 year old William Moorcroft who was soon personalising each piece of pottery produced with his own signature or initials. This did little for James Macintyre’s name and reputation, and in 1912 the inevitable split occurred. William marched his workforce across Cobridge Park to a new factory in Sandbach Road where Moorcroft Pottery is still made today. Money came from Liberty, the famous London store, and Liberty continued to control Moorcroft until 1962.
In 1904, Moorcroft Pottery won a gold medal at the St Louis International Exhibition and followed the achievement with further medals and commendations, culminating in the appointment of the Moorcroft company as Potters to HM The Queen in 1928.
On the death of William Moorcroft in 1945, his eldest son, Walter, took over management and design. In 1962, the Moorcroft family bought out Liberty, but Moorcroft seldom prospered. Finally, in 1984, the family sold the bulk of their shares on the open market. After several material shareholder changes in the mid-1980’s and early 1990’s, Moorcroft is now controlled by the Edwards family, and has been since 1993.
In 1993, Rachel Bishop joined Moorcroft Pottery as only its fourth designer in almost a hundred years. Just 24 years old, she was soon to see sales of her work flourish.
With that success came the Moorcroft Pottery centenary in 1997, and in the same year the Moorcroft Design Studio was formed, comprising no less than eight designers with Rachel at their head. Through the medium of this new initiative, and with added value coming from the skills and craftsmanship of a dedicated workforce, Moorcroft Pottery is selling more of its magnificent ware all over the world today, than it did even in its previous heyday in the mid-1920's.
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