Heirloom

Hornsea Potteries, which became a much-loved household name in the 1960s, has been revived after 21 years. It is with pleasure that Studio Eleven is offering this unique exhibition within the Fruitmarket, Hull, for the first time. Partnering with Hornsea Pottery LLC, these designers and artisan are reinventing the iconic designs.

John Clappison’s designs are loved the world over and his Hornsea Pottery bird Muramics (limited edition ceramic wall hangings circa 1971 – 1972) are highly sought after. John joined Hornsea Pottery in the 1950s and soon rose to become one of Britain’s most influential ceramic designers of the 20th Century, not only for his striking designs but also for innovation in the production of mass-market pottery. His work is highly collectible and identifiable today the world over.

Deborah Bowness has produced a beautiful range of understated wallpaper hangings and borders inspired exclusively by the iconic Heirloom design. Inspired by observing the method in which Clappison adapted the pattern over different tableware shapes & created by deconstructing, rebuilding, reusing & redesigning the original Heirloom pattern.

Inspired by the design history of contrasts and mid-century design patterns, Adele Howitt has reinvented the Muramics into fabrics and tiled flat ware. The Paradise Bird designs are also inspired by the work of John Clappison, Hornsea Pottery’s creative designer from 1958.

In 2020 Hopfrog launched a range of craft glasses with the three of the most loved John Clappison Hornsea Pottery designs – Heirloom, Saffron and Hornsea Cat. The huge success of these has led to Hopfrog expanding its range of designs and products with a new bigger venue at Hornsea Freeport (the old HP factory site).