description Burleigh Pottery Overview
Burleigh is a British pottery brand associated with Middleport Pottery in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, an area central to the Staffordshire ceramics industry. Its earthenware tableware is decorated with transfer-printed patterns, particularly blue-and-white floral and pastoral designs. Production is distinguished by the continued use of tissue transfer printing from engraved copper rollers, a labor-intensive method developed during the nineteenth century.
help Burleigh Pottery FAQ
Is Burleigh pottery still made at Middleport Pottery?
Yes. Burleigh continues to produce earthenware at Middleport Pottery in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, which has been its home since 1889.
How does Burleigh's tissue transfer printing work?
A design is printed from an engraved copper roller onto thin tissue paper, which artisans cut and rub onto the shaped ware. The paper is then washed away, leaving the printed pattern before glazing and firing.
Which Burleigh patterns are the most recognizable?
Blue Calico and Asiatic Pheasants are two of the brand's best-known patterns. Asiatic Pheasants dates to the 19th century, while Burleigh records Blue Calico in its pattern book from 1968.
Why can two pieces of the same Burleigh pattern look slightly different?
The tissue is positioned and rubbed onto each curved piece by hand, so joins and pattern placement naturally vary. Those small differences are evidence of the transfer process rather than the uniform output of modern digital printing.
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