Poole Pottery "Parkstone"

Poole Pottery Parkstone was produced on Poole’s Compact shape, the practical ribbed tableware form made famous by earlier designs such as Chestnut. Parkstone became one of the most familiar and widely used Compact ranges, with an extensive selection of dinner ware, tea ware, coffee ware and serving pieces.

The design has a heavily flecked stoneware-style background, finished with a dark chocolate brown rim. Its neutral colouring made it a versatile everyday service, while the strong Compact shape gives it the unmistakable look of Poole tableware from this period.

IMPORTANT: Parkstone is sometimes confused with Poole Broadstone and Poole Lakestone. If your pattern has a yellowish background, it is probably Broadstone. If it has a heavier stoneware-style background with a dark chocolate brown rim, it is probably Parkstone. If it is lightly flecked with a milk chocolate brown rim, it is more likely to be Lakestone.

Very few customers have Lakestone compared with Broadstone and Parkstone, so if you are unsure which version you need, it is always worth checking carefully before ordering.

Click here for a more in-depth article about the differences between Parkstone and Lakestone.

Parkstone was also used as a background for decorated Compact designs, including patterns such as Arden, Argosy and Lagoon. This makes it part of a wider family of Poole designs where the same shape and base glaze were adapted with different decorative treatments.

For many customers, Parkstone is a pattern they are trying to keep in regular use. Dinner plates, cereal bowls and breakfast cups are especially sought after, no doubt because these are the pieces that tend to be used most often in everyday services.

Availability depends entirely on what becomes available through the pre-loved market. As one of the more popular Poole Compact ranges, Parkstone does still turn up, but the most useful everyday pieces can sell quickly when they come into stock.