The first pieces of fine art pottery from Moorcroft were designed by William Moorcroft and launched into the world in 1897 whilst employed at James Macintyre & Co. William Moorcroft was a graduate of what is now the Royal College of Art in London, and the new art pottery was purchased strongly from the outset by such prestigious stores as Liberty of London, Harrods and Tiffany & Co. in New York. Early Moorcroft is much-prized by the most renowned auction houses across the world and regularly fetches high prices. Happily, this is still a feature of Moorcroft today where the art pottery’s reputation for both remarkable artistic and good investment qualities have been proven over more than a century.

In 1913, with the aid of substantial funds from Liberty, William was able to move production of his art pottery to the present factory in Sandbach Road under the name of W. Moorcroft Ltd. In 1928, after winning many gold medals and prestigious international awards, Moorcroft was appointed ‘Potters to H. M. The Queen’ an honour which William proudly accepted on behalf of his company.

Walter Moorcroft assumed the responsibilities of sole Moorcroft designer in 1945. Design continued to evolve under the stewardship of Walter, as he developed his own style which experts say matured in the 1950s. It was Walter who introduced many exotic flowers into Moorcroft design. A dramatic use of colour began to emerge from the Moorcroft kilns after WWII, and coming as they did in the wake of the sombre mood of war, this was a welcome change. It was in 1986 that Sally Tuffin took over design. Aided by Phillip Richardson, she introduced animals, birds and geometric patterns into the vision of Moorcroft art.