Some pottery whispers. Moorcroft doesn’t. Those glossy, jewel-coloured glazes and raised outlines of flowers, fruit and trees are impossible to walk past and we never tire of seeing them come through our saleroom doors in Scarborough and York. Collectors feel the same. In 2026, a William Moorcroft vase in a flambé landscape pattern, one of only three known examples, set a new world record when it achieved a hammer total of £41,984. Not bad for a vase about a hundred years old.
The best part is that you don’t need a record breaker to join the fan club. Moorcroft comes in all shapes, sizes and price points, from grand vases and glowing lamp bases to mantel clocks, tea sets and the occasional very charming egg cup. Whether you’re buying your first piece or adding to a cabinet that’s been growing for decades, there’s always something to fall for.
The Secret Is in the Line
What makes Moorcroft so recognisable is tubelining, liquid clay piped onto the surface like icing on a cake, then filled with rich coloured glazes. William Moorcroft began it all in Burslem in the 1890s with his Art Nouveau Florian Ware. Before long, his innovative use of slip trailing (tubelining) and vivid enamels led to early commissions from luxury retailers including Harrods, Liberty of London, Rouard of Paris, and Tiffany & Co. More than a century on, designers like Rachel Bishop and Emma Bossons have kept that raised line alive with patterns of their own. Tip a piece over, and the impressed marks, painted signatures and initials on the base will tell you plenty about who made it and when.
Moorcroft For Sale