A Fremington pottery mottoware jug by Edwin Beer Fishley (1832-1912), part of The Burton’s North Devon pottery collection
Key ceramic pieces illustrating the heritage of North Devon pottery are now being exhibited in our museum following their acquisition at auction.
The purchase was made possible thanks to The Friends of The Burton, a charity that provides essential support to The Burton at Bideford through fundraising, supporting acquisitions, sponsoring events and promoting the work of the gallery.
The items come from the ‘The Fishley Collection’, which went to auction late last year and included over 50 ceramic pieces from several generations of the Fishley family. George Fishley (1770-1865) founded Fremington Pottery in the early 1800s and ceramic production continued through generations of the family for nearly 200 years. Their work was renowned for a focus on the decorative traditions of slipware and sgraffito, and was influential to key members of the studio pottery movement including Bernard Leach, Michael Cardew and Hamada Shoji.
The Burton’s acquisitions include a jug from Fremington Pottery by Edwin Beer Fishley (1832-1912) and four ceramic pieces from Braunton Pottery by William Fishley Holland (1888-1971), as well as a small quantity of Yelland Pottery studio ware by Michael Leach (1913-1985).
The Fremington Pottery jug was recently featured as a ‘Devon Treasure’ in the December 2024 issue of Devon Life magazine. It features a humorous poem celebrating (bemoaning?) how life changes through parenthood:
‘When he was single/ His heart was light/ And he would sing/ From morn to night
When he was wed/ And his babe was born/ He’s got to sing/ From night to morn’
These new works continue to deepen our holdings of North Devon ceramics as part of one of the most significant pottery collections in the South West of England. As well as using the collection of over 1,000 works to introduce the heritage of ceramics in the region, The Burton supports contemporary artists to bring new perspectives to it through an annual ceramics residency. The residency is currently held by Glasgow-based artist Florence Dwyer who will present new work at the gallery later this month.
The new acquisitions are now on display in our museum. Free entry.
