Albert & Glynn Colledge

Oct 26

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.

Denby Cotswold Jug – Design by Glyn Colledge 1973

Denby Cotswold 1970s — Denby Cotswold 1973, Glyn Colledge Designer

Denby Cotswold Trio- Design by Glyn Colledge 1973

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.

Denby Cotswold Vesion 1, Designed by Kenneth Clark 1956 – Image via eBay

Mar 28

Denby Cheviot

This impressive and now very rare design is from the Cheviot range by Glynn Colledge at Denby, mid 1950’s.

I think this is one of the most impressive modernist designs from the hand of Glynn Colledge. It was released simultaneously with another outstanding series called Tigo Ware, designed by Tibor Reich.

I was fortunate to come across the piece below several years ago on eBay, but haven’t seen a piece since.

Denby Cheviot

About “Cheviot” the book “Denby Pottery 1809-1997”, Hopwood:

Cheviot was quite different from any of Glyn’s previous work. It reflected his awareness of the latest design trends and demonstrated his flexibility…..Glynn with his love of colour and decoration, could not resist embellishing Cheviot. He created one version with a matt finish, in black, dark grey or khaki, which was covered in finely drawn, abstract sgraffito, often including crystals, stars or simple stylised leaves. A second highly coloured version was glazed in yellow, blue or lilac with black tube lining, or in red or green with white tube lining. Some patterns were geometric, some herring bone and others were organic.

Denby Cheviot – Image via thesaleroom.com

Below is an image from the Hopwood Denby book, of a group of Cheviot Vases – featuring the most outstanding pieces from the series. Love to get hold of even one of these superb pieces of mid-century design one day!

Denby Cheviot Group – Hopwood

Oct 30

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Denby Romany

The Denby design “Romany” is from the 1970’s – but I don’t have an exact date.

Apparently this striking glaze came about from an accidental mixing of the wrong proportions in a glaze recipe – and when it was fired and shown to Glynn Colledge he loved the effects of the glaze with its runs and thicker brown areas on top of the “old gold” glaze…so it went into production as a range.

It has that very 1970’s handmade feel about it, and is yet still contemporary – especially with some of the forms such as the bowl in the first image. Some of the pieces of Romany display lovely colour runs in the glaze, and the colour can vary from piece to piece quite a bit as you can see below – but this all adds to the charm of the design I think.

The Romany glaze has a lovely satiny smooth feel to the touch as well. Denby pottery is also all very tough stoneware – so if cared for it will easily last for decades.