Geoffrey Curran, Fen Pottery, Godmanchester

The enigmatic Fen Pottery. I think Geoffrey Godden in his encyclopaedia of marks indicates it was in existence from the early 1950s,
but that he would would like further information.  A survey of the local economy in Huntingdon from around that time (no longer available online) briefly mentions a Fen Pottery in the town, and I have occasionally seen sellers mention Huntingdon in their descriptions.

The examples I've seen have all been in white earthenware, with simple banded decoration. The glaze seems prone to cracking and staining, but this rather thickly glazed one has survived in unusually good condition. The mark, barely legible here, reads "FEN HAND MADE ENGLAND".

My other piece:





I've also seen a FEN child's mug, decorated with a steam train in the most abject manner imaginable.

Hello!
Please can anyone shed any light on this Fen pottery vase? Info on the pottery is quite scarce! Is it Studio Pottery?

Pots stamped ENGLAND are rarely studio pottery, because they’re usually mass produced wares and stamped for export. Hand made indicates it’s hand thrown and or decorated by hand at the factory, but studio potters don’t need to say that; it’s self evident.

Thank you. This vase is hand thrown & hand decorated that’s what was confusing me!

Bitsnbobs wrote:Thank you.  This vase is hand thrown & hand decorated that’s what was confusing me!

Many production pieces are handmade, eg, Poole pottery is hand thrown and hand decorated but the throwers and decorators are employed by the company. A studio potter will do all the processes by themselves.

Ah, I see now! My ignorance is reducing! Thanks to you!

A Google books search for "Fen Pottery" "Huntingdon" indicates that it was active as early as 1949.

Thanks for info! Wonder how Fen pottery can be dated??

Just wondering if this is a Fen Pottery Huntingdon jug? There are no markings on the base. Thank you

Looking at the other examples here then I would say it is. It would have been easy to forget to stamp it.

Thank you for this

1960s or 50s style egg cups
Marks seem to say HAND MADE ENGLAND
But what is the mark at the top?

The decoration is reminiscent of Jo Lester and various pupils on the Isle of Wight. They had a fair number of stamps between them.

I think it's Fen pottery, the marks seem to tally

https://www.20thcenturyforum.com/t19667-fen-pottery-huntingdon-cambridgeshire

Denby, well done! Maybe there’s a Fen Pottery eggcup collector waiting for these! Thank you

My father-in-law, Geoffrey Curran, was the founder of Fen Pottery, which he started shortly after de-mobilisation following the end of WWII. The post-war Labour government gave grants and subsidies for new business ventures started by ex-servicemen to help them settle in civilian life. Geoffrey Curran sold the business in the early 1950s but it folded soon after when the Conservative government stopped the grants and subsidies.

The attachments are from a book on Liberty's (the London store) which stocked Fen Pottery products.

We also have Fen Pottery pots but none are as nice as the ones which other people have posted here. We have only the "seconds" or "rejects".

The second attachment didn't load in my last message so I'm posting it separately.

Many thanks for that information because the Pottery has always been one where information is lacking.

As an aside you should be proud that your father-in-law's name was spelt correct in the book and Lucie Rie's name was not!!

Although this type of pottery isn't something central to my current interest, I do have a small jug here on my office shelf that I will photograph and add below.

That's great info, thank you

The jug that stands of the shelf in my office.


and the base

This is a photo of Geoffrey Curran pre-WWII.  We have a photo of him in his RAF uniform during the war, but I can't find it, but this will give some idea of what he looked like.