Tableware Blog

Plain white china sounds simple enough. No bold pattern, no flowers, no dramatic border, no complicated colourway to match.

But anyone who has tried to replace a piece from a white tableware range will know that “plain white” is rarely quite as plain as it first appears.

Shape, glaze, rim detail, weight, finish and even the shade of white can all make a difference. Sometimes the appeal of a white pattern is precisely that the design is quiet, but quiet does not mean without character.

Hornsea Contrast is one of the most distinctive and successful tableware ranges produced by Hornsea Pottery. With its dark brown body, crisp white working surfaces and bold black and white banding, it has a strong, confident look that feels unmistakably of its time, yet still remarkably usable today.

We’ve added another useful selection of discontinued china and replacement pieces to the website this week, including fast-moving Denby White Coupe mugs, a strong group of Johnson Brothers Eternal Beau, elegant Paragon Tree of Kashmir, and a rare Poole Pottery Chestnut casserole dish.

When you are trying to replace a piece of discontinued china, the pattern name is often the first and most useful thing to know.

In many cases, that is enough. If you know the maker and the pattern, you are usually well on the way to finding the right replacement piece.

However, there are times when the backstamp can make all the difference.

When we talk about Denby Pottery, certain patterns immediately come to mind. Arabesque, Chevron, Gypsy, Troubador, Romany and the Renaissance Collection all speak to a period when Denby was producing tableware that was bold, practical and unmistakably modern.

Behind many of those designs was Gill Pemberton, one of the key names in Denby’s mid twentieth century story and a designer whose influence went far beyond surface decoration.

Her work helped shape not only how Denby looked, but how it felt in the hand, how it functioned on the table, and how British stoneware could move confidently into a more contemporary era.

We’ve added another varied selection of discontinued china and replacement pieces to the website this week, with some particularly nice finds across Royal Albert, Midwinter, Royal Doulton and Duchess. Highlights include a charming Royal Albert Moss Rose teapot, a strong group of Midwinter Still Life, useful Royal Doulton Vanborough serving pieces, and a good selection of Duchess Indian Tree.

One of the slightly odd things about replacement china is that it does not behave like ordinary retail stock.

If a current product sells out in a shop, the retailer can usually order more. With discontinued china, it is different. Once a pattern is no longer being made, every plate, bowl, mug or serving dish has to come from the pieces already out there in the world.

That means some items are available regularly, while others may take a little patience.

Indian Tree is one of those tableware designs that seems to belong to many potteries at once. Rather than being tied to a single maker, it became a decorative style interpreted by a wide range of British manufacturers, each bringing its own shapes, colours and character to the design.

At MrPottery, we have seen versions by Johnson Brothers, Duchess, Aynsley, Coalport and Wedgwood, among others.