Ambleside Pottery

Sgraffito bowl, 21cm across, glazed white inside. Incised "Ambleside" mark:

A little Ambleside slipware dish we picked up last week...

I loves Ambleside. I like the potteries that are unusual and you never know what is going to pop up. I like quirky and different. Although 99% is mas produced it's the 1% that brings the delight.

Ambleside Pottery - A group of various items including George CooK signed pieces far right, second left (back) and the slipware mug. The pie dish is stoneware as is the CooK bottle far right.

I have more including that double signed and 57 dated CooK bowl ...somewhere?

it's wonderful that our studio pottery heritage is so rich that such quality is not even considered to be in the top league

Yes, very true Dan this is D-Lister category. That's on of the reasons I like it. If it were auction house popular then I could not own some fine examples of George's work.

Hello All, I am new to this forum, and I hope that someone on here could help me with the ID of this design for Ambleside pottery? It is signed to the base with the standard incised 'Ambleside' with no initials or other marks. I have seen many examples over the years, but I was shocked when I picked this up because I have never seen this type of figural designs. I picked it up from a local charity shop in South East London.

Thank you and Hi!

They did all sorts. I have some birds on beakers. I have seen these before, probably Puritans? Why? Very strange

Pretty certain they were by one of the women decorators not Cook. Mine were signed BJ

Well it looks like Ambleside but I don't know.
Whatever it is its FABULOUS!!!

Oddly I don't much like the figurative designs on Ambleside.
I much prefer the abstract almost Anglo Saxon designs..straight outta Beowulf via swinging London!!!
Still a great find though.

Has a bit of a look of Kenneth Clark/ Ann wynne reeves look about it. Especially the imagery.

This is an old post and I'm pretty sure it's Ambleside now. I love this type of pottery as most people overlook it as factory or touristware but every now and then something pops up of high quality. This is not top class but very quirky with comes a close second for me. I'm re-photographing my collection, slowly, I'm down to do Ambleside some time, I have some interesting bits.

Virtually zero quality Ambleside on EBay over locckdown

OK I usually try to hold some things back to post over Christmas and this year I have three cracking pots I bought from Brian (Thanks again Brian) months and months ago, June I think. They cost an arm and a leg. Two signed Cook but all early stuff.

A taller 12 inch tapering vase wide body single finger handle jug which is striped C 1950
10 inch double handled blue, brown and white vase Cook C1955
and a 9 inch brown wax resist (less usual for Ambleside) - Cook C 1960


Note - These ae Brian's photos as they are packed away atm

Very nice!

I remember that during the Midwinter craze days that Steven Jenkins was researching in order to put together an Ambleside Pottery book before he did the second Midwinter book. At the time, I knew nothing about Ambleside but now wish that he had gone ahead.

I would love a book.   if someone with knowledge would put it together, it's a bit of a niche market. Speaking to Brian there was so much I didn't know. Need to get him to come here and post his collection. I tend towards the dirty looking sgraffito but he had some other wondaful slipware pieces