Shelley Pottery For Auction

Shelley Potteries, situated in Staffordshire, was earlier known as Wileman & Co. which had also traded as The Foley Potteries. The first Shelley to join the company was Joseph Ball Shelley in 1862, and it remained a Shelley family business until 1966 ,when it was taken over by Allied English Potteries.

In 1881, Joseph Shelley’s son, Percy, joined the company. Joseph Shelley died in June 1896, leaving Percy in complete control of the company. Percy wanted to improve the company and, in 1896, he employed Rowland Morris. Morris was a ceramic designer and went on to design the ‘Dainty Cup’ shape. This shape became very popular, especially in the USA after World War II, and continued in production until the takeover in 1966.

The well-known Frederick Alfred Rhead was employed as the Arts Director in 1896. Rhead brought his own kind of skills to the company and introduced several ranges of China and earthenware, which enhanced the company’s reputation further. A decorative range of earthenware called “Intarsio” was one of Frederick Rhead’s major contributions to the pottery. He left the company in 1905.

Walter Slater then took over as Arts Director. The Slater name was another well-known family name in the pottery industry. Walter was an apprentice at Mintons in the late 1870s before moving to Doulton at Nile Street, Burslem, under the direction of his uncle John Slater. 

In 1910, Percy Shelley decided to try to register the “Foley” name as its trade name, as the china was still marked Foley China. Another company that also used the “Foley” name on its backstamp objected and this resulted in a court case, where it was judged that Wileman’s could not have the exclusive claim to use the name. Percy Shelley changed the name to “Shelley”, which was placed within a shield. From 1910 to 1916 the words “Late Foley” were put over the top of the shield. Shelley’s placed advertisements advising the public of the changeover – one statement read:

‘The world-wide reputation of “Foley” China has caused many cheap imitations and in future, to protect the public, the real and genuine “Foley” China will always be indelibly marked “Shelley” China, a trademark which is a guarantee of the highest excellence.’

In 1911, the economic situation had started to improve, and Walter Slater was given more artistic freedom. He started to develop ornamental pottery and earthenware, as well as supervising the development of fine bone china. By 1914, Shelley had started to make a name for itself by producing dinnerware in china, as opposed to high quality earthenware. Within a few years it proved to be a great success.

The company was still called Wileman & Co, even though it had been controlled by the Shelley family for over fifty years, and on 1st January 1925 the Shelley name and trademark were registered.

The period of the mid-twenties until the start of World War II were Shelley’s most productive years. It was during this time that the Art Deco period was proving to be very successful with the various Deco shapes that were designed.

In the mid-twenties, Shelley broke with tradition and employed a well-known illustrator of the time, Hilda Cowham, to produce a range of nursery ware. Cowham designed a series called Playtime; the design was a simple representation of children’s activities. A second series of designs were produced in 1927, and in 1928 a tea set with a seaside theme was produced. The teapot was a bathing tent, the sugar bowl was a sea side bucket and the milk jug was in the shape of a shell with a seaweed handle.