Midwinter Pottery

Found this in a local charity shop and I love it.
Transported me directly back to my bottom drawer collection of the early 1980s which is all but gone now.
It does look like the 'Style' range but it's a huge jug, holds over 1.5 pints.
The stamp underneath is the curiosity. It looks like VIT TEST PIECE.
Is it a Midwinter or not?
Thank you all!

The decoration looks correct, Maybe a shape test, just to see how it looked.

Midwinter Stonehenge flower pattern
Any idea on pattern name? I trawled through eBay and a list of Stonehenge patterns and couldn’t see it.
I never realised there were so many different Stonehenge designs!

It is one of the matt glaze Stonehenge patterns and it could be a version of Caprice otherwise it doesn't have a name or the name has been lost.

One of my specialist subjects, but never seen this one

Rare and hugely valuable ( I know it’s not) or just an unpopular pattern that nobody bought?

I looked up caprice and there it was - it’s a Jessie Tait design called Blue Bells. Not a common design but there are bits on eBay. Thank you Studio & Denby

The "Stoneware" range of Midwinter Pottery was the last range produced before the retirement of Roy Midwinter in 1981. It was the result of Roy wishing to fuse the art of the studio potter with commercial pottery and he called up the potter, Robin Welch, to help achieve this.

I spoke to Robin at length about the process and although he told me that it was a difficult experience lasting over 2 years, it was very rewarding, although not financially.

Along with Sid Machin, Midwinter's head model-maker, he was responsible for the final shapes of the range, developed from Robin's domestic wares from earlier in that decade.

The plate below from the range is decorated with Denim, an Eve Midwinter pattern.

Has anyone ever come across one of these before? Regency Period Figure (Sir Richard) by Midwinter. The use of a sans serif font for the word 'Midwinter' probably dates the piece to the 1950s? I have to say this is the first one I've ever seen!

Me too Dave! I wonder who it might be?, definitely not Cliff!

...or 'LITTLE'! Merry Christmas!

Larry the Lamb

DAVID24/5 wrote:Has anyone ever come across one of these before? Regency Period Figure (Sir Richard) by Midwinter. The use of a sans serif font for the word 'Midwinter' probably dates the piece to the 1950s? I have to say this is the first one I've ever seen!

I have never seen one before and back in the 1990s I dealt in Midwinter in a big way here in London.

My thoughts is that it is more likely to be from the 1940s when decorated ware was only allowed for export and "Regency Figures" seems the type of thing that the N. American market would go for and that was the main export market at that time. Some would have been able to have been sold here if they were seconds or orders that were made and then cut in quantity or completely.

Had a part service in the family for decades. Of special interest to me living in the Exeter area and this midwinter has a local companies name on it from the 1930s " Mark Rowe and son Exeter ltd"
Tried to find the pattern to no avail...looks like oranges, Can anyone help me with it and if the local connection is of any interest
Thanks in advance

It may have been a special commission for a retailer or wholesaler.
Have you researched Rowe?

The actual mark is one used circa 1930-41.

Mark Rowe were important Exeter retailers whose premiss were destroyed in WW2. The link below shows their shops, and gives some of their history if you scroll further down.
http://demolition-exeter.blogspot.com/2011/02/nos-266-267-high-street.html

Thanks for your info..I had researched mark rowe and son..more famous for furniture back in the day before being bombed during the war. Re opened in a new location later but after this china was made. Did read he was a businessman with fingers in many pies including eateries in the area and wondered if he had this made to use in them. Would be nice to know if the pattern had a name but i suppose "Oranges"may be apt and of the deco period.

When pottery of this period has a retailer's mark like this then it usually means that it was a specific order for that retailer. The shape would have been a standard "deco" Midwinter factory shape but the pattern would have been bought it, probably for this retailer. The pattern could and most likely would have been used by other manufacturers. In the inter-War period, Midwinter did not have any in-house designers, so most patterns would have been bought in or maybe "copied" from ideas developed at the Wilkinson Newport factory next door. Oranges could have been the name of the pattern but it could equally have just been a code number.

Midwinter did get Heath Robinson to design patterns for nursery ware during this period but, as far as tableware was concerned, that was about it.

Carboot find this morning, lovely Midwinter Chintz cake plate with triple footed chrome stand.

Nice. Can't say I've seen a stand like that before, nevermind on Midwinter!

denbydump wrote:Nice. Can't say I've seen a stand like that before, nevermind on Midwinter!

I hope it's to be Filled with Cakes Soon

With all the interest in baking it it might actually be back in fashion? yes?

Not sure if the stand is by a designer called Carrol Boyes !!!