Founded in 1872, Craven Dunnill is renowned for the supply and manufacture of fine ceramic tiles. Its mission is to act as a guardian for British craft, offering bespoke and browseable products for the commercial and residential interiors markets, as well as complete restoration service to preserve the wealth of ceramic history in England and beyond. Clearly harmonious with Burleigh’s rich and intricate history, we have been making exquisite earthenware at Middleport Pottery in Staffordshire since 1851, celebrating our 170th anniversary this year. The last Pottery of our kind in many respects, Burleigh bears a binding commitment to tradition and craftsmanship; demonstrating true charm in each and every piece of ware. At Burleigh we look to the way our founders embraced modernity to improve factory conditions and workflow and hold ourselves to that standard. We embrace technology where necessary in the production process, and by combining our unique decorating technique with new and reimagined designs from our archive to reflect the changing relationships society has with ceramic ware.
For Autumn/Winter 2021, Burleigh, the British pottery famed for its tissue transfer decorated earthenware, has partnered with Craven Dunnill Jackfield, a tile manufacturer for the world’s leading hospitality venues and cultural sites, to launch a collection of tiles, entering Burleigh’s 171st year in new categories and carving our path for an even more exciting and prolific future.
The partnership marks our first collection of tiles, of which the classic Calico will be reimagined in 5 vibrant colourways for both pressed and cast produced tiles, demonstrating the versatility of our most-revered pattern; which dates back as far as February 1968. As with our original engraved Calico design, the three dimensional nature of the tiles allow for a seamless transfer of the pattern into this new medium and utilises varying densities of one ceramic pigment to produce rich tonal impact, which subtly reacts to changing lighting conditions bringing the ceramic surface to life.
Design Development Manager at Burleigh, Alison Howell speaks of the collaboration with anticipation, ‘We’re excited to introduce such a meaningful collaboration during our 170th year. Going back to our beginnings, our founders always looked outside of the business and embraced the most advanced technology and progressive thinking of their time to advance Burleigh; I believe this care is one of the reasons we are still in production nearly two centuries later. For me personally this is particularly meaningful, as with this collaboration we are not only producing something beautiful, we’re celebrating the intersection of craft skills and technology, which is so vital to preserving the tacit expertise within our industries’.
In an incredibly exciting move for both Burleigh and Craven Dunnill Jackfield, this partnership sees the reinvigoration of the ceramics market across both categories. Each brand demonstrates a true commitment to craftsmanship, authenticity, unrivalled expertise and a determined integrity for almost 300 years of combined history. Each operating out of factories steeped in cultural and design history: Burleigh at Middleport Pottery in the heart of the Staffordshire, and Craven Dunnill at Ironbridge, the oldest surviving purpose-built tile factory in the world.
Alison Howell, Design Development Manager at Burleigh explains how important is it for both Burleigh and Craven Dunnill Jackfield to experiment and work with other brands and manufacturers on collaborations and breath new life into a traditional art and craft form. ‘The exploration of the synergies and differences between our companies awakens renewed respect and admiration of our own processes and designs by reflecting them in the eyes of our collaborators. This can open doors to challenge long held beliefs, which can be reviewed in new light and either upheld with a new authority and respect, or redeveloped to improve the process and design’
To find out more or to purchase our range of Burleigh x Craven Dunnill Jackfield tiles, please contact the Craven Dunnill Jackfield team. For complimenting Burleigh items, shop our Calico collection, with history dating back as far as 1968.