Lorna Bailey

Bold, playful and unmistakably British

Lorna Bailey is a British ceramic designer whose wonderfully distinctive pottery combines bold colour, strong geometric forms and a generous helping of personality.

Growing up close to the historic Staffordshire Potteries, Lorna studied ceramics at Stoke-on-Trent College before beginning work at her father's business, LJB Ceramics. Her early designs drew inspiration from the great Art Deco ceramics of the twentieth century, while developing a colourful and highly recognisable style of her own.

In December 1995, when Lorna was just 17, two of her earliest patterns, House and Path and Sunburst, went into production. Her designs were applied to an increasingly imaginative range of forms, including vases, jugs, teapots, sugar sifters, cruets and other decorative pieces.

The result was pottery that was difficult to mistake for anything else.

From Old Ellgreave to Lorna Bailey Artware

Early pieces are often found carrying the Old Ellgreave Pottery, Burslem backstamp. Despite the historic-sounding name, these pieces should not be confused with wares made by the earlier Ellgreave Pottery company: pottery carrying the Old Ellgreave Lorna Bailey mark dates from around 1998 onwards.

Lorna's work quickly developed a following. In 1998, Collect It! magazine commissioned the Astro Rocket Sugar Sifter, produced as a limited edition of 250, and the Lorna Bailey Collectors Club was formed later that year.

In 2003, production moved to the historic Price's Top Bridge Works in Burslem and LJB Ceramics became Lorna Bailey Artware.

Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, new patterns and limited editions appeared regularly. Alongside the striking Art Deco-inspired ceramics came Lorna's wonderfully characterful animal designs, particularly her now familiar comical cats.

A Lorna Bailey timeline

1995 — The beginning
LJB Ceramics was established and Lorna's House and Path and Sunburst designs entered production in December 1995.

1998 — A growing following
The Astro Rocket Sugar Sifter appeared as a magazine-commissioned limited edition and the Lorna Bailey Collectors Club was established.

2003 — Lorna Bailey Artware
Production moved to Price's Top Bridge Works and the business became Lorna Bailey Artware.

2005 — Recognition from Staffordshire University
Lorna received an honorary degree from Staffordshire University in recognition of her achievements.

2008 — Retirement
At the age of 30, Lorna decided to retire from pottery production to concentrate on her young family. Lorna Bailey Artware subsequently went into voluntary liquidation in May 2008.

2021 — The return
After 13 years away, Lorna returned to ceramics — but in a very different way. Rather than recreating the previous production model, her new work is individually hand-thrown and hand-glazed by Lorna herself, making each piece unique.

What do the coloured Lorna Bailey signatures mean?

Turn over a Lorna Bailey piece and the base can be almost as interesting as the front.

Lorna signed virtually all of her original pottery, and collectors will encounter signatures in several colours. For years there was some uncertainty about their significance, but Lorna herself has now explained how the system developed.

Black signatures were used on everything in the early years — including some limited editions. Once the colour system developed, black became associated principally with general-range pieces, commissions and pieces produced for stockists. This means an early black signature should not automatically be taken to mean that a piece was part of the general range.

Blue signatures came to be used for limited editions. Lorna has confirmed this herself, although she does not recall precisely when she began using blue for this purpose. Consequently, the colour should always be considered alongside the piece's backstamp, edition numbering and other markings rather than used alone to date a piece.

Red signatures were used for special pieces available at Lorna Bailey Open Days. Again, Lorna does not recall the precise date when the red-signature convention began.

Gold signatures are rather different. These were applied over the glaze when Lorna personally signed pieces at Open Days and special meet-and-greet events. Because the signature sits on top of the fired glaze, it can also be more vulnerable to wear.

For collectors, the important point is that signature colour is one part of the story, rather than a guarantee of age, rarity or value on its own. Pattern, form, production period, edition size, backstamp and condition can all be equally important.

Made in Stoke-on-Trent

One of the things we particularly enjoy about the original Lorna Bailey Artware is its connection with Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire pottery tradition.

The pieces were made using traditional production methods and individually hand decorated. The hand painting means that even two examples of the same pattern can show small differences in brushwork and decoration.

And although the influence of Art Deco is easy to see, Lorna's work developed its own identity: dramatic shapes, architectural lines, vivid colour, whimsical animals and designs that rarely take themselves too seriously.

Why we collect Lorna Bailey

At Three Craws Collectables, we're drawn to pieces with character — and Lorna Bailey certainly provides plenty of that.

We particularly enjoy finding unusual shapes, early pieces, limited editions, interesting signatures and striking patterns, but ultimately we choose pieces because we think they're great objects.

Some will appeal immediately to established Lorna Bailey collectors who recognise a particular pattern or form. Others might be bought by someone who has never heard of Lorna Bailey before but simply spots a gloriously eccentric teapot or fabulous vase and thinks, I have to have that.

We rather like both.

Each pre-owned Lorna Bailey piece offered by Three Craws Collectables is individually sourced, photographed and described, with significant marks, signatures and edition details noted wherever we can establish them.

Whether you're adding to an established collection or discovering Lorna Bailey for the first time, we hope you'll enjoy exploring the collection.