D is for… Denby

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Group of vintage Denby Pottery Arabesque tableware

The name Denby Pottery is synonymous with good quality, hard-wearing British ceramic tableware.

Denby Pottery plate 'Potter's Wheel' pattern Detail of Denby Pottery plate 'Ode' pattern
Potters Wheel
(left) Ode (right)

It has to be admitted that there are a few, fairly drab ranges. But in amongst the company’s production there have been some outstanding designs.

Vintage Denby Pottery teapot 'Chevron' pattern
Metal-handled teapot in the Chevron pattern. Designed by Gill Pemberton in 1961

We love the work of Gill Pemberton, also Glyn Colledge, David Yorath and Thelma Hague. The output during the twenty year period spanning the mid 50s to the mid 70s was particularly strong.

Vintage Denby Pottery studio bowl Detail of vintage Denby Pottery studio bowl
Studio bowl by Glyn Colledge

At their height, the designs were original and exciting in terms of both decoration and shape.

Vintage Denby Pottery Arabesque fruit bowlFruit bowl in the Arabesque pattern. Another hugely successful Gill Pemberton design

Vintage Denby Pottery 'Trees' lidded soup bowlThe hard-to-find Trees pattern

Other highly collectable, popular ranges to look out for are Rondo, Stone and Teak, Gypsy, Westbury, Bokhara and Kismet.

To find out more about Denby designs, the following book is highly recommended – full of information and colour illustrations.

Denby Pottery 1809-1997: Dynasties and Designers

Visit this page for a brief history of Denby