The Burleigh rebuild is on
Read our editorial for opinion on the Burleigh acquisition and watch out for a longer feature this Wednesday (17/06)
After parent company Denby Pottery entered administration in March, we feared for Burleigh’s future. That is why we were delighted to hear that the Middleport-based manufacturer, renowned for its distinctive patterns created using hand-engraved copper rollers and tissue-transfer printing, has been acquired by one of the biggest names in British fashion, Christopher Bailey.
Appointed CEO of Burberry in 2014, Bailey helped turned the luxury fashion house’s fortunes around, reimagining its classic trench coat for contemporary audiences by streamlining the silhouette and introducing different lengths, hardware, and colours, and expanding its ready-to-wear collections.
Local MP for Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove David Williams told The Knot he was both relieved and delighted by the news. “Burleigh has been made down at Middleport since the 1880s - losing it would have been a quiet tragedy for this city. I’m just glad the people who actually make the pots get to keep making them.” He added, “When someone of Christopher Bailey’s standing chooses to put his money behind it, the message to the rest of the sector is that there’s real value in what we make here – not nostalgia, value.”
Hannah Ault, CEO of Fenton-based Valentine Clays, which supplies more than 100 clay formulations to potters and ceramic manufacturers around the world, and President of Ceramics UK, the trade body representing and championing the sector, told The Knot that Burleigh’s rescue was hugely important for the wider ceramics ecosystem in Stoke-on-Trent. “Businesses such as Burleigh are not only part of our heritage, they also support a much wider network of suppliers, manufacturers and skilled jobs across the city and wider UK supply chain.”
With a design visionary like Bailey now at the helm of Burleigh, we can’t wait to see how the next chapter unfolds at Middleport. You can read more about what David and Hannah had to say about the Burleigh acquisition – and what it could mean for our pottery industry – in our feature this Wednesday.
In other Knot news, as we continue to introduce more local reportage and feature content, tomorrow’s edition will be our final standalone What’s On newsletter.
From next week, you’ll find our pick of the best events, activities and things to do as part of Monday’s newsletter, while Wednesdays will be dedicated to a longer-form local news feature.