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Midwinter pages 1 2 3 4 5
W. R. Midwinter, Ltd., Albion & Hadderidge Potteries, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Makers of earthenware. Trade names (in 1955): "Porcelon". "Peggy Gibbons" Nursery Ware; "Stylecraft"; (additional, in 1963): "Fashion", "Midwinter melmex", "Midwinter" Fine Table Ware.

Stylecraft and Fashion

A word about Midwinter body shapes. Stylecraft (from 1953 onwards) and Fashion (1955 onwards) are the commonest shapes. Transfer patterns may be re-used on both (as with the designs of French cafe scenes called Riviera when used on used on Stylecraft, and Cannes when used on the Fashion shape).

For a higher resolution image of the 1955 Midwinter trade advert for stylecraft (left), click here.

Stylecraft shape

Fashion shape

 

Vase or flask, mid-late 50s
Possibly the flask from a lemonade set (which would have had a set of matching beakers) or a vase. Impressed number 201, and a hand-incised number 2. In typical mid 50s-late 60s turquoise glaze. Mint, with only a couple of crazing lines on the underside. Value: £50-70

triangular tray with turned up corners (No. 259)
Rare shape, with maroon gloss interior and matt black exterior. Also seen in other freeform shapes. Possibly late 1950s. Some scratches to purple interior, three tiny chips or manufacturing marks on foot rim. Value: £30-40

freeform bowl (No. 257 impressed)
with a gilded rim. This unusual and scarce piece is in mint condition. Value: £30-40

 

Green Domino variant, designed by Jessie Tait (1953)

 
Egg cup
With gilt backstamp and MIDWINTER stamped. Mint condition with no crazing or damage. Value: see below.

 

Red Domino, designed by Jessie Tait (1953)

 
Egg cup
With the same backstamp as the green version (above). Undamaged and with no crazing. Value: normally, I would say £3-7, but one sold on eBay in November 2005 for £31.

 

Clayburn Studio Pottery Ltd.

Milner St., Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Closely associated with Midwinter, and Jessie Tait worked for them for a time.

 

Clayburn trade ad., 1955

Click here for higher res. image

    

Clayburn trade ad., 1957

'In outstanding contemporary styling. Every piece is hand made and hand decorated'. Interestingly, the advert says 'Sales through W. R. Midwinter Ltd., Burslem.'

 

Click here for higher res. image

    

 

Zambesi designed by Jessie Tait (1956)

This range was produced on the fashion shape. Watch out for paint loss in the red areas. Sugar bowls, most flatware and some other items had no red-painted areas. Variants are seen in which the red detailing, normally present on a particular shape, is lacking. It is possible that these are pieces where damaged red paint has been stripped, but I don't know. Another so-called 'Zambesi variant' is an unnamed pattern from the early sixties on gravy boats, with a red ground with broad white stripes and no black.
Jug
Pristine condition. Common. Value: £20-40
Sugar bowl
Pristine condition. Common. Value: £20-35

 

Plant life designed by Sir Terence Conran (1956)

 

Trade Advert (1957)
Showing a plant life coffee set laid out on the breakfast table (on which can also be seen a letter, a croissant and cigarette and book of matches — all essential components of a trendy full English of the 1950s).

click here for larger image

  

 

Monaco designed by Jessie Tait (1956)

This range is frequent.

 

Cup and saucer
Value: £5

 

Vegetables by Eve Midwinter (c. 1960)

This is a hand painted design.

 
Hors-d'œuvre dish
With MIDWINTER crown backstamp (used from 1960 onwards), the initials S.M.S. In gilt, and 2T or LT scratched into the body. Mint unused condition with no crazing or damage. Please email me if you know anything about this piece. Value: £5-15

 

Unnamed blue-mesh design by Jessie Tait (early sixties)

This infrequent range has cobalt blue hollow-ware and flatware with an irregular grid pattern of cobalt blue lines. The shape is fashion. I have seen pieces in this range with dated backstamps from 1961-1963. Dealers sometimes call it 'blue mesh' or 'denim'; however, denim is an official pattern name in an unrelated Midwinter stoneware range.

 

Cup and saucer
The saucer carries the crown backstamp used from around 1960 onwards. The range is not very common, and does not seem to be highly collected, despite its simple beauty. This pair is in mint condition. See Jenkins (1997) p. 80; top figure p. 59; and p. 92 for the backstamp. Value: £5

 

 

Midwinter simple stripe by Jessie Tait (c. early to mid 60s)

This range is rare.

 

Small fancy plate (1965)
In the fashion shape. "Fancy" is a generic term for small decorative pieces with no obvious function, or which were used as pin dishes, etc. This one is dated by its backstamp to 1965. Value: £15
Midwinter pages 1 2 3 4 5