Pattern No: A8285
| Pattern Name | Design Type | Designer | Likely Design Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dicken's Days | Lustre - splashed | Not known | 1946 |
Notes
If the amount of A8285 pots seen at auction and on auction sites is anything to go by, this must have been an extremely popular pattern. It has been recorded on a wide range of both useful and ornamental ware such as tea and coffee ware, jugs of various shapes, plates of various shapes, cheese/butter dishes, comports, bowls, breakfast-in-bed sets etc etc. The list of shapes seems endless and Dicken’s Days may well be one of the highest volume designs ever produced by Gray’s Pottery.
The vast majority of the pots recorded have been in North America, especially in the USA, undoubtedly a reflection of the influence of the British government’s introduction of regulations concerning decorated pottery during the Second World War: the manufacture of decorated pots for the Home market was largely forbidden in order to encourage and develop export sales.
Surprisingly, despite the vast number of pots recorded, only one has been found with a pattern number, and this example is unclear. However, the designation A8285 is given because of the Gray’s sample label on the egg-shaped tray shown in the first image. Also surprising are the backstamps which have been recorded: Clipper N3, N6 and N9, as well as N0 and N1, Hanley backstamps originally in use from 1931-33 (see the Backstamps section). The only logical explanation is that there was a shortage of the later Clipper (Stoke-on-Trent) backstamp: perhaps there was an interruption of supplies during the restrictive conditions imposed by the Second World War.
The small jug in the third image was known as a ‘Castle’ jug at Gray’s Pottery: see the website section Retailers, North America – USA, Skinners for more information on these jugs.
Search key: cheese/butter
The vast majority of the pots recorded have been in North America, especially in the USA, undoubtedly a reflection of the influence of the British government’s introduction of regulations concerning decorated pottery during the Second World War: the manufacture of decorated pots for the Home market was largely forbidden in order to encourage and develop export sales.
Surprisingly, despite the vast number of pots recorded, only one has been found with a pattern number, and this example is unclear. However, the designation A8285 is given because of the Gray’s sample label on the egg-shaped tray shown in the first image. Also surprising are the backstamps which have been recorded: Clipper N3, N6 and N9, as well as N0 and N1, Hanley backstamps originally in use from 1931-33 (see the Backstamps section). The only logical explanation is that there was a shortage of the later Clipper (Stoke-on-Trent) backstamp: perhaps there was an interruption of supplies during the restrictive conditions imposed by the Second World War.
The small jug in the third image was known as a ‘Castle’ jug at Gray’s Pottery: see the website section Retailers, North America – USA, Skinners for more information on these jugs.
Search key: cheese/butter
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