Celtic pottery (Newlyn & Mousehole)

 

Bill and Maggie Fisher set up a small pottery in Mousehole Cornwall in 1958
The pottery was simply named 'The Studio' but in the early 60's they ditched that unimaginative name and Celtic pottery was born.
In 1968 Bill left his small pottery but Maggie continued by employing Ian  Box and his brother to produce the clay pieces that she would decorate.
In the 1970's Maggie moved production to Newlyn and soon found a new partner in Ev Stevens who ran Newlyn's Gwavas Pottery, they launced the Medallion pattern and soon expanded employing several local potters including several from the nearby Troika pottery.
Celtic closed in 1982

Here's a fishing boat

The bull & the lion

medalion range

More medallion range in another colour

Mousehole Celtic bowl.
Bill & Maggie Fisher originally set up Celtic pottery in Mousehole Cornwall,these pots are not as commonplace as the ones from the Newlyn pottery and are therefore more desirable.
Note the more rustic decoration and less sophisticated glazes.

more bull

My latest piece of Celtic but also the earliest,this Mousehole piece predates anything I have seen before,having the Wharf cottage label and also signed by Maggie Fisher in the glaze wash.

just called 'The Studio' at this point

This is the first label design when Maggie moved to Newlyn

& the front

hand painted signature

impressed stamp

the king design is the rarest Celtic pattern that I know of,I have only ever seen two,both online so I bought this one without hesitation.

here's another example of very early Celtic pottery,made when Bill and Maggie were just starting out

Another example of the 'king' celtic vase.

getting back to the more commonplace,later Celtic pottery, here is a lampbase with phoenix decoration.

An example of early Celtic Newlyn pottery

another early Newlyn piece

3 very rare vases,they belong to an ebay seller who kindly let me post this pic

Maggi informed me that they did make this shape of vase and all were hand made rather than slip moulded

back to the more commonplace designs but lovely nontheless