The history of our vintage pots.
Hornsea pottery.
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Hornsea Pottery was a British ceramics company, founded by brothers Colin and Desmond Rawson, in a small terraced house in the seaside town of Hornsea, East Yorkshire, in 1949. The brothers started out making small souvenirs for tourists, but their venture quickly grew into something much bigger, and in the 1950s and 1960s, Hornsea Pottery became famous for its homewares with their bold, modern designs.
In the 1970s, at the height of its popularity, the pottery was the largest studio pottery in the world, employing over 700 people - but despite its success, the pottery faced tough competition and financial challenges in the 1980s and eventually closed its doors in 2000.
Although the factory is long gone, the beautiful retro designs are still much loved and highly collectible today. Patterns like Heirloom, Saffron, and Brontë, featuring geometric patterns in earthy colours, are now classics of mid-century style.
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Tremar pottery.
We don't have as much info on Tremar Pottery as we do Hornsea. What we do know is that it was a Cornish studio founded by husband and wife team, Roger and Doreen Birkett, in the early 1960s. From their little workshop near Liskeard, they created gorgeous rustic, Celtic-inspired pottery pieces, with matte glazes and earthy tones - and for two decades they were a staple of Cornish craft.
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The early pieces were hand thrown, but as the studio grew they switched to using moulds which was a lot faster. As well as their much loved homewares, they also produced lots of collectable ornaments which were incredibly popular with the tourists.
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Since launching our vintage wine beaker candles we've learned a bit more about the pottery from talking to people who recognise it. As the studio expanded, it transpires that they started to use a 'tupperware party' style business model, where people would take samples to parties and the guests could place orders for the pieces they liked. What a great way of introducing the brand to people that couldn't get to Cornwall to see the pottery for themselves!
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So why Hornsea and Tremar?
Not only are these pieces of vintage pottery super cool, they are also incredibly robust which makes them perfect candle vessels. Plus, of course, they can be used for their original purpose after you've finished your candle!
Our candles are hand poured into original egg cups, spice pots, salt + pepper shakers, sugar bowls and wine beakers. We are often asked whether they are replicas and the answer is no! Each one is lovingly sourced from vintage shops and antique fairs across the UK.