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Some QUESTION-MARKS and MYSTERIES

This page is devoted to anomalous or unexplained examples of Premier Pottery Preston's products. Some items may not even be from Premier.

If you can shed light on any of these mysteries please do contact us.

Unmarked 'speckled-glaze' shapes

Certain shapes are found with a distinctive speckled glaze finish. The glaze is not typical Remued, nor are the shapes found anywhere in the known Remued or Kerryl range - with one important exception. If it were not for that one exception there would be no reason to connect these pieces with Remued at all. The exception is a cylindrical jug identical in shape to Later Series 145. That Later Series 145 jug, along with its Early Series equivalent Early Series/PPP 79, is a shape familiar to Remued collectors. The speckled-glaze cylindrical jugs' similarity to that shape is so striking that there is believed to be a direct connection, even if the nature of that connection is uncertain. Furthermore, if there is indeed a connection then surely other shapes with identical glazes share the connection. Other shapes include Dutch jugs and conical beakers. All came in a limited range of colours, in a single all-over colour including the interior and usually the base as well. The base often shows traces of trivet marks, something rarely seen in pieces fired at Premier.

Cornwell-style trough vase

This trough vase is numbered and signed Remued. Its style, however, is unlike anything else in the Remued range and the shape exactly matches one produced by Cornwell's Pottery. Only a single example is known. Is it authentic? For a discussion of this piece see Early Series 380.

If you have a similar trough vase that is signed Remued or numbered, please contact us.

The origin of these speckled-glaze shapes?

None is found with a Remued signature, or shape number, or authentic sticker. Later Series 145 cylindrical jugs which are their link to Remued, are themselves unusual in that no signed or numbered example is recorded; another 'mystery' making the link more tenuous. The shapes seen here in the 'speckled' range are not always speckled. Other glazes are sometimes found, for instance a uniform deep blue or apple-green finish, but speckled glazes are usual. We believe these pieces were not actually produced at Premier Pottery Preston, despite a genuine connection . . . . . . . . . . . .

An 'Animal' numbering series?

A group of pieces featuring decoration of three-dimensional animals on shapes with a wide flaring foot narrowing upwards. Their numbering coincides with numbers near the beginning of the Early Series. Perhaps they are just re-using numbers that had been discontinued, a practice known to have occurred. Alternatively, they may be a distinct little numbering series of their own, separate from the Early Series. A tantalizing thought because, if so, there are still more awaiting discovery.

See also -

Applied Decoration, BIRDS & ANIMALS

Faceted jugs

The sides and base of these jugs are octagonal, not round like every other known PPP piece, and the handle and spout are unlike Premier's style. They appear to be moulded, a technique not used by Premier except for press-moulded gumleaves and the like.

The most likely explanation is that, in the earliest days of Premier Pottery, they bought in moulded blanks from one of the larger potteries in the area and applied their own decoration and glaze.

Can anyone identify the shape as being from, say, Hoffman? - contact us

While sometimes found in Remued Later Series, speckled glazes are more prevalent in 'A' Series and later Kerryl pieces. The common thread throughout the whole history of the cylindrical jugs was potter Allan James and it seems most likely that these speckled examples came from his backyard electric kiln alongside 'A' Series production in the early to mid-1950s. If so, despite the Remued connection, they are not from Premier and so should not strictly be considered 'Remued'.
An alternative hypothesis is that these are wartime production from Premier. This is considered less likely however, because of observed differences compared with both pre-war and post-war production; notably having interior glazes uniform with exterior.
As a third hypothesis, it is even conceivable - albeit improbable - that the supposed link to Later Series 145 cylindrical jugs is illusory and all these pieces are actually from some other source altogether.

Any more like these?

A key to working out the history and range of Premier Pottery Preston's production has been to amass a database of plenty of examples. Here are some pieces that might be regarded as oddities however, because only one or two examples are known. It's quite possible though that they are not oddities at all. Do you know of any more examples? - please contact us!

Why no shape numbers?

There can be various reasons why a particular piece is un-numbered. The very earliest pieces are always un-numbered, including most PPP. Centenary souvenir ware is never found numbered.

Rare and special pieces were often outside the numbering systems. But there are other shapes that are only found un-numbered despite being neither rare nor particularly early. Here are some. Even a single numbered example would make them easier to slot into this catalogue - if you know of one please contact us!

Is it from Premier?

This vase has Remued-like leaves. However they are covered in glaze of a thickness quite unlike Remued; there is no signature or shape number; and it isn't a recognised Remued shape. It could easily be dismissed were it not for a sketch that survived, not in a potter's notebook but on a piece of scrap paper. The scrap is a carbon-copy sheet torn from an order book. Its other side shows a list (Early Series pieces) dated November 1940 so the sketch must date from some point after that. The leaves, and the match of shape and dimensions, point to the vase being Remued.

Do you have a similar piece? - or any of these other shapes found on the same scrap paper? - contact us.