Johnson Bros Summerfields, A Lighter Look for the 1980s

Johnson Brothers produced plenty of tableware that could never be accused of being shy.

Historic scenes, elaborate borders, dense florals and richly decorated dinner services all formed part of the company's long history.

Johnson Brothers Summerfields went in quite a different direction.

Introduced in the mid 1980s, it uses a remarkably restrained combination of small pink flowers, fine grey foliage and an interrupted black border against a clean white ground. The result feels lighter, fresher and distinctly contemporary compared with many of the patterns for which Johnson Brothers had traditionally been known.

A Johnson Brothers Pattern for a Different Era

Summerfields appeared around 1985, by which time Johnson Brothers had been part of the Wedgwood Group for almost two decades.

The wider tableware market had changed considerably. Customers still wanted complete coordinated services, but the decoration was often becoming simpler and more modern.

Summerfields reflects that shift rather neatly.

There is plenty of white space, the floral decoration is deliberately sparse and the body itself has a relatively light, refined appearance. Rather than covering the plate with ornament, just a handful of small flower heads and buds provide the colour.

It is floral tableware without being particularly traditional about it.

Pink Flowers, Grey Lines and That Black Border

The decoration is deceptively simple.

Small pink flowers, often described as poppy-like, are joined by buds and fine grey stems. Dark centres add definition to the flowers, while the broken black line close to the edge provides the strongest graphic element.

That black detailing is important.

Without it, Summerfields could easily have become another soft floral pattern. The contrast gives the design a sharper, almost drawn quality and makes it feel much more characteristic of the 1980s.

The decoration also works particularly well on the plain white body because there is nothing competing with it.

More Than a Dinner Service

Summerfields was produced across a surprisingly broad range.

The everyday tableware included dinner plates, breakfast or salad plates, starter plates, tea plates, cups, saucers and several bowl sizes.

There was also the serving ware expected from a substantial Johnson Brothers service, including platters, serving dishes, gravy boats, milk jugs, sugar bowls and covered tureens.

But the range extended further into the kitchen too.

Flan dishes, roasting dishes, ramekins, soufflé dishes and individual oven dishes were produced to coordinate with the tableware. Matching accessories and other household pieces also appeared, allowing somebody who particularly liked Summerfields to carry the design well beyond the dinner plate.

That idea of a fully coordinated kitchen and table feels very much of its time.

Made to Be Used

For all its relatively delicate appearance, Summerfields was not conceived simply as decorative china.

This was everyday tableware.

The broad range of plates, bowls, cookware and serving pieces tells you quite a lot about how Johnson Brothers expected it to be used. You could prepare food in matching dishes, bring it to the table in the same range and serve dinner on the accompanying plates.

That practicality is one reason so much Johnson Brothers tableware remains in use decades after production ended.

A Contrast With Eternal Beau

Summerfields is particularly interesting when placed alongside another enormously successful Johnson Brothers design from the same general period, Eternal Beau.

Eternal Beau is decorative, romantic and immediately recognisable, with ribbons, flowers and stronger border treatment.

Summerfields is almost the opposite.

Its decoration has been pared right back. There are fewer flowers, more empty space and a much stronger reliance on simple line and contrast.

They demonstrate rather nicely how one manufacturer could appeal to very different tastes during the same decade.

Why Summerfields Still Works

There is something pleasantly unfussy about Summerfields.

The pink and grey prevent the design from becoming stark, while the black line stops it becoming overly sweet.

That balance also makes it easy to use.

It does not demand a formal table setting and it does not feel especially seasonal. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or afternoon tea all look perfectly at home on it.

Even now, the design has a certain crispness that helps it avoid feeling like a stereotypical floral dinner service.

Replacing Johnson Bros Summerfields

Summerfields was made in enough different pieces that replacing a service can become surprisingly involved.

Alongside the obvious plates, cups and bowls are several sizes of serving ware and a considerable selection of oven and kitchen pieces.

Fortunately, some of the everyday items still appear reasonably regularly on the pre-loved market.

At the time of writing, we have useful quantities of dinner plates, cups and saucers available, together with breakfast or salad plates, dessert bowls and a selection of serving pieces.

Less common items can take rather longer to appear, particularly complete covered dishes and some of the matching cookware.

You can browse our current selection of Johnson Brothers Summerfields replacement china on the MrPottery website.

A Very 1980s Kind of Floral

Summerfields may not have the instant recognition of some older Johnson Brothers patterns, but that is part of what makes it interesting.

It captures a point when British tableware was becoming cleaner and lighter in appearance, while customers still expected manufacturers to provide a proper, extensive dinner service.

The flowers are still there.

They have simply been given a little more room to breathe.