Wemyss Ware
Encyclopedia
Wemyss Ware is the brand name of the Griselda Hill Pottery, which is situated in the village of Ceres, Fife
, Scotland
.
It was established in 1985 to produce colourful pottery based on the local Wemyss Ware that was made in Sinclairtown in the 19th century. This earlier pottery was first produced in 1892 by immigrant Czech designer/decorator Karel Nekola and local pottery owner Robert Heron. The pottery took its name from the Wemyss
family, titled incumbents of Wemyss Castle
on the east coast of Fife, who were early and enthusiastic patrons of Nekola and Heron's ceramic creations. It subsequently became popular with collectors.
The original Fife pottery closed in 1932, during the Great Depression
, and the rights to Wemyss Ware were bought by the Bovey pottery in Devon
. Karel Nekola's son Joseph, himself a designer, moved to Devon, where he carried on producing Wemyss Ware and training apprentices, including Esther Weeks. Joseph taught her the brand's famous 'cabbage rose' motif and other painting techniques he had learned from his father. When Josef died in 1952, Esther became head decorator and continued to paint Wemyss Ware until the Bovey Pottery closed in 1957.
The Wemyss name was resurrected in the 1980s when Griselda Hill became interested in pottery while teaching art in London. After seeing Wemyss Ware in Kirkcaldy Museum
, she became interested in creating Wemyss Ware-inspired pottery at an affordable price. After the first product, a cat modelled on an original displayed in the museum, was produced, the line has grown. In 1994, the Wemyss Ware trademark was acquired by the Griselda Hill Pottery. Esther Weeks, now in her seventies, is a regular visitor and she both paints a few pieces and also shares with a new generation of painters the techniques used on the original Wemyss Ware.
Ceres, Fife
Ceres is a village in Fife, Scotland, located in a small glen approximately 2 miles over the Ceres Moor from Cupar and 7 miles from St Andrews. The former parish of that name included the settlements of Baldinnie, Chance Inn, Craigrothie, Pitscottie and Tarvit Mill.-The village:It is one of the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
It was established in 1985 to produce colourful pottery based on the local Wemyss Ware that was made in Sinclairtown in the 19th century. This earlier pottery was first produced in 1892 by immigrant Czech designer/decorator Karel Nekola and local pottery owner Robert Heron. The pottery took its name from the Wemyss
Wemyss
Wemyss can refer to:Places*Wemyss Bay, a large village in Inverclyde, Scotland**Wemyss Bay railway station**Castle Wemyss, a demolished mansion in Wemyss Bay, Scotland*East Wemyss, Fife, Scotland*West Wemyss, Fife, Scotland...
family, titled incumbents of Wemyss Castle
Wemyss Castle
Wemyss Castle is situated on the cliffs between the villages of East Wemyss and West Wemyss in Fife, Scotland.- History :Accounts date the construction of the castle to the year 1421 when Sir John Wemyss decided to build a fortified castle to replace one destroyed by the Duke of Rothesay at...
on the east coast of Fife, who were early and enthusiastic patrons of Nekola and Heron's ceramic creations. It subsequently became popular with collectors.
The original Fife pottery closed in 1932, during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and the rights to Wemyss Ware were bought by the Bovey pottery in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. Karel Nekola's son Joseph, himself a designer, moved to Devon, where he carried on producing Wemyss Ware and training apprentices, including Esther Weeks. Joseph taught her the brand's famous 'cabbage rose' motif and other painting techniques he had learned from his father. When Josef died in 1952, Esther became head decorator and continued to paint Wemyss Ware until the Bovey Pottery closed in 1957.
The Wemyss name was resurrected in the 1980s when Griselda Hill became interested in pottery while teaching art in London. After seeing Wemyss Ware in Kirkcaldy Museum
Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery
Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery is the main museum and exhibition space in Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland.The land for the town's museum and art gallery was donated by John Nairn on the former site of Balsusney House, the home of John Maxton...
, she became interested in creating Wemyss Ware-inspired pottery at an affordable price. After the first product, a cat modelled on an original displayed in the museum, was produced, the line has grown. In 1994, the Wemyss Ware trademark was acquired by the Griselda Hill Pottery. Esther Weeks, now in her seventies, is a regular visitor and she both paints a few pieces and also shares with a new generation of painters the techniques used on the original Wemyss Ware.