Cobridge

A vase from 1998. It isn't marked as 'Trial', but I don't think it actually went into production. I have two copies of this, the other one was photographed for the Collect It magazine - so is a star.


African Sunrise vase


And finally a wonderful Gorilla Trial vase.

just a few more for you to enjoy will post more later geoff

Darn, my secret is out

Again, some really nice items Geoff.
I do like many of those tiles and I liked the Dragons when I first saw them - but I don't remember seeing a Dragon Vase, that looks stunning

Glad to see Herman

hi mate i put Herman on for you lol The dragon vase is of course by andrew hull i think he did it in green also , your gorilla vase looks very special,i will keep in touch and add more photos when my son feels like it!! lol if you hear of anything a bit special for sale give me a shout(only if you dont want it lol)
hope we never meet at a auction prices might shoot up , have you seen the vase on ebay? cauldon lock would love it but to pricey for me regards Geoff

mallabu wrote:have you seen the vase on ebay? cauldon lock would love it but to pricey for me regards Geoff

I haven't - will take a look in a moment.
However, thankfully I managed to get one when they first came out - take a look at my first post on page 3, 3rd shelf down on the right.
they almost instantly sold out, but when I went to their 1st open day in 1998, I met their main sales guy (sorry I've forgot his name), who gave me a list of the shops who took some. After a lot of phone calls, I found a shop that would probably have a spare. They eventually did get a second one and I drove all the way over to Bath to collect it.

I have bought very few items off auction (probably 5 or 6), as I joined the collectors club in the first year and went to the open days for several years - so most of my collection came from the shop, or their collectors club auctions.

Hi friends just added a few more cobridge pieces all marked as trials enjoy Geoff

it would be useful to know how the date code works,I know a few of them but not all

As you wish.

Apple = 1998
Boot = 1999
Crown = 2000
Duck = 2001
Egg cup (with an egg in it) = 2002
Feather = 2003
bunch of Grapes = 2004
2 Holy leaves = 2005

hi all ive just bought a vase with mushrooms painted on,(not here yet but ill post pic as soon as i get it) it is signed by PAUL ADIAMEC any one got any info on him? thanks for any help regards Geoff

The vase looks quite nice - I googled it

That is almost cettainly a typo and should be Paul Adamiec. He designed the Lodore Falls and Derwent Water ranges from the 2003 Catalogue.

In 2004 he designed the range Caledonian Sunset (limited Ed 25).

I'll look through the newsletters later and see if anything more is said about him.

May or may not be the same person, but there is a Paul Adamiec listed as a freelance artist working in Staffordshire http://pauladamiecartworks.com/

very similar to the work of H R Giger

Hi to you all, just heard a story perhaps you can all let me know your thoughts , in the old cobridge  factory shop/showroom there was a massive set of tiles (as i never went to the shop i have never seen it) various people  say it was fantastic,  and was on the wall above the till,the story is it has been sold to a very rich oversees collector, just seems a shame it has ended up oversees and probably will never come back,or is it me just been old fashioned,wonder how much it went for ,and if stoke on trent museam could have bid on it take care all my friends Geoff

It certainly did exist and WAS Fantastic. From memory, it showed several of the industrial images used on pots as a scenic view, as well as an underground coal mining scene.
No idea what happened to it, but if sold, it must as cost a fortune - but well worth having if you could afford it.
They did a limited edition poster which showed either some of it, or possibly all of it. I can't remember of hand, I'll try and find mine and upload a pic.

7 inch tall vase designed by Anita Harris in 2003

Newly acquired.
A trial vase standing 12.5 inches tall.

dantheman wrote:




5 inch trial plate, made in 2001
note the bird mark on the back which is not a date mark

I have never seen another piece with this design,does anyone here know if it went into production?

Anybody with an interest in Cobridge Stoneware have some Sneyd Colliery pieces for sale or know where some might be for sale?

mallabu wrote:
just a few more for you to enjoy will post more later geoff

is this the one?

Yes the Tile and the lamp are the designs I am looking for.

water poem 1999 designed by Rachel Bishop,

Would like to know what the complete set of the Derwent Water design was made up of.

dantheman wrote:




5 inch trial plate, made in 2001
note the bird mark on the back which is not a date mark?

Years later and I'm non the wiser regarding the impressed bird mark on the back of this plate? Can anyone here enlighten me please?

Dan,
I think you'll find it is the date stamp - Duck is 2001
That design is mentioned in the Collectors Club mag No.5 "Sian Leeper weighs in with some very attractive House Martins on a vase that is square and blue at the base, moving up to a delicate shade of pink at the rim". At the time this new range was called UPBRUSH and was an earthernware range, rather than the main Stoneware.
However, the main catalogue for 2001 doesn't feature the design, nor does 2002. So it would appear not to have been produced in a big way. But some designs did come and go throughout the year, in small numbers. This was presumably one of them.

The small plates were used for trials and for staff to practise the designs, before they moved onto the main vases. Any that were good enough, were sold in the shop. Before these 'saucers' they used what look like tea pot stands. They all make really good display pieces, when you find good examples and this is one!

Hi all,
I have recently acquired this Cobridge vase.
Could anyone please give me advice as to the name of the design?
Also it appears to be a trial vase. Would this be a design trial or glaze trial? Or maybe both!
Does the fact it says trial make it any more valuable or desirable?
Many thanks for your time