Portmeirion Pottery Wales, 20th century tableware

Portmeirion Pottery was founded in 1960 by Susan Williams-Ellis, daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who created the Italian-style Portmeirion Village in North Wales. Susan had been working with a small pottery-decorating company in Stoke-on-Trent called A. E. Gray Ltd, also known as Gray's Pottery, to produce designs to sell at the gift shop in Portmeirion Village.

In 1960, Susan and her husband, Euan Cooper-Willis, took over A. E. Gray Ltd and renamed it Portmeirion Potteries Ltd. They also purchased a second pottery company, Kirkhams Ltd, that had the capacity to manufacture pottery, and not only decorate it. These two businesses were combined and Portmeirion Potteries Ltd was born.

Susan Williams-Ellis was a talented designer and her early Portmeirion designs were both innovative and stylish. Some of her most popular designs included Malachite (1960), Moss Agate (1961), Talisman (1962), and Totem (1963) more... .

In 1972, Susan Williams-Ellis launched her iconic Botanic Garden range, which was based on prints from Thomas Green's nineteenth-century Universal Herbal. Botanic Garden was an immediate success and remains one of Portmeirion Pottery's most popular ranges to this day.

Over the years, Portmeirion Pottery has produced a wide range of other popular designs, including Sophie Conran's Portmeirion Home range, which was launched in 2004. Portmeirion Pottery is now a global brand, and its products are sold in over 100 countries around the world.

Portmeirion Pottery is still headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, but it has a strong connection to its Welsh roots. The company's flagship store is located in Portmeirion Village, and its pottery is often featured in the village's marketing materials. less...