Blog Arts de la table

Wedgwood Hathaway Rose is one of those floral china patterns that feels quietly English without needing to shout about it.

Produced from 1959 to 1987, it is a discontinued Wedgwood fine bone china range decorated with soft pink roses, green and grey foliage, and fine gold edging. It has a gentle, traditional look, but there is more to the pattern than a simple rose border.

There are some places where an industry becomes part of the landscape.

For British tableware, that place is Stoke-on-Trent.

Known around the world as The Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent has been shaped by ceramics for more than 300 years. It is the city behind many of the names found in British cupboards, dining rooms, dressers and sideboards: Wedgwood, Spode, Minton, Johnson Brothers, Royal Doulton, Burleigh, Portmeirion, Royal Stafford and many more.

Not every British tableware story begins in Stoke, of course. But an extraordinary number of them pass through it.

Wedgwood Florentine is one of those tableware patterns that feels unmistakably Wedgwood: elegant, detailed, formal, and just a little bit grand.

It is best known today in its rich Turquoise version, but Florentine is not a single-colour story. Over the years it has appeared in a number of colourways, each giving the same distinctive border design a slightly different character.

See below for the latest discontinued china added to our website. Are your replacement china pieces amongst it? This week’s new stock update brings together a really varied mix of discontinued china, from practical everyday replacement pieces to a few more decorative and collectable arrivals....

Some tableware patterns are easy to recognise because they only really exist in one familiar colourway.

Others are a little more complicated.

A customer may know they are looking for Denmark, Fruit Basket, Beryl, Maze or Andante, but that may only be part of the answer. With some patterns, the colour matters just as much as the pattern name.

Blue, green, brown, pink, terracotta, black, turquoise, purple and cream versions can all change the feel of a design. They can also make a real difference when trying to match replacement pieces.

Denmark, often known as Blue Denmark or Denmark Blue, is one of those tableware patterns that can be both instantly recognisable and slightly confusing at the same time.

Most people remember the blue and white version. It is the classic one, with deep blue stylised flowers, trailing stems, shaped borders and a crisp traditional feel. But Denmark is not quite as simple as one pottery, one pattern, one version.

See below for the latest discontinued china added to our website. Are your replacement china pieces amongst it? Our second stock update this week has a strong high street tableware feel, with several Marks & Spencer patterns added alongside Poole Pottery, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Villeroy...

This week’s first stock update includes a lovely mix of everyday replacement pieces, popular Denby ranges, classic Hornsea, and a particularly interesting rare Midwinter arrival.

There is a good showing from Denby this time, with Greenwich, Jet, Luxor, Monsoon Chrysanthemum, Imperial Blue and Regency Green all added. These are the sorts of practical replacement pieces customers often need most, especially cups, saucers, mugs and smaller tableware that see plenty of everyday use.

There are also some nice mid-century and later vintage pieces in the mix ....