In the first of two rooms dedicated to Hornsea Pottery, we tell the story of how this pottery flourished, against all odds, as a result of the energy and imagination of the Rawson brothers and some of their remarkable friends and employees.
In the second room, we discuss the decisions and forces which brought decline and eventually the failure of the business.
And of course, we show you lots and lots of Hornsea pottery from this, the largest public collection in the world, a fascinating trip through 50 years of design history.
On display is a selection of about 2000 pieces of Hornsea Pottery following the chronological order of production. This display illustrates the wide-ranging designs and techniques that were used over the years.
Examples of
Hornsea Pottery
The museum acquired an enormous amount of pottery, designs and other archive material following the closure of the world famous Hornsea Pottery2000. The material is of great importance and has been described by a national authority as one of the most complete records of a pottery in the UK.
Donations have included important pieces such as :
- The "Bust of a young girl" (by John Clappison & Alan Luckham 1965) donated by the executors of Gwen Aspinall's will. Gwen was a retired Hornsea Primary School teacher who died on 30 Dec. 2000. Her husband Jack was the Hornsea Post Master in Newbegin where he had a display case in the shop, which he let to the Pottery. The rent charged was the pieces that were taken out when the display was changed !
- Impasto Wall lights (designed by John Clappison in 1961) donated by Mr Harding of Hessle. He left Hornsea in 1969 and his work took him all over England before he returned to live in Hessle in 2000. The lights remained in their packing case for 31 years and were donated to the Museum after he heard a talk on Hornsea Pottery at Hornsea Probus Club.
News, letters, and reminiscences of past employees are still wanted, so we can have as full representation as possible of the history of the Pottery that made Hornsea famous.
A reunion of past employees was held at the Museum in October2006. If you are interested in attending the next one, please contact
enquires.hornseamuseum@virgin.net
The display continues into the neighbouring house - No 15 Newbegin, which is accessed from 'Burn's Lane' (the street scene).
Following a successful bid, a new display is being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and is expected to open in June 2008.
Here, the
pottery from the post-Rawson eras are displayed.
It covers all aspects of the Pottery from founding in 1949 through to its closure in 2000.
The exhibition was opened in 2004 by Paul Atterbury from 'The Antiques Road Show', shown here with John Clappison and Stuart Walker.
Some 2000 pieces are currently on display.
Also in Swallow Cottage is the SCHOOLROOM. more