Denby Cotswold
I havent posted a new article to this site in ages, although I have been maintaining and updating posts in the background with new information as I come across it.
This new post I couldn’t resist though – It has always been one of my favourite Denby designs, but until recently hadn’t actually had a piece in real life.
The design is Cotswold and was part of a series designed by Glyn Colledge in 1973 and in production until 1982. The series was “The Country Fayre Collection” and consisted of Sable, Chiltern And Costwold.
Cotswold holloware has the most wonderful hand textured dark brown exterior (which Ive seen described as either “bark” or “avocado skin”) combined with a subtly iron speckled satin gloss warm brown glaze. Inside the hollow ware pieces is a contrasting satin white glaze. The flatware has a freely hand-painted floral spray in light browns and ochres on the satin white glaze.
The pieces such as the cups, jugs etc would have been hand thrown and decorated and the flat pieces jiggered or jollied as was the Denby production process for dinnerware in this era.
As with all Denby from this era, it is stoneware, tough as nails, lasts for decades, and from a time when Denby Pottery (and most other pottery production) was led by good design, and skilled designers.
NOTE: there is also an earlier and different Denby “Cotswold” designed by Kenneth Clark in 1956 using the shapes of the Gourmet range, with a satin white glaze and bold sgraffito decoration to the underlying clay body. It seems incredibly rare now and I have yet to spot a piece in real life.
