Description
A range of hand-finished fine china has gone on sale commemorating the upcoming coronation of the King and Queen Consort. The official porcelain, using centuries-old manufacturing processes and made in the heart of The Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, will mark the ceremony on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London. The range, from the Royal Collection Trust charity, features a bespoke design incorporating the royal coat of arms and a laurel leaf wreath symbolizing peace.
It is available from Friday.
Also featured is a decorative border of oak leaves symbolizing strength and longevity along with the four crests of the United Kingdom nations: the thistle, rose, shamrock and daffodil, while an intertwined ribbon symbolizes the association of the king and queen consort.
The design features the Carlos cipher, which is stamped in gold foil, designed by the College of Arms and consists of the initials of his name and title, rex, which means king in Latin.
Ian Grant, Head of Product Development and Purchasing at the Trust, said the process of designing and manufacturing thousands of parts did a great deal of pride to the staff working to produce the range.
The trust, part of the royal household, has been making commemorative porcelain for 30 years.
But Grant said: "It's probably the most important occasion for which we've developed a product."
Grant, who started in the industry as an apprentice at Wedgwood in 1984, said designers and craftsmen needed to create a range of desirable products "very quickly" after the coronation date was announced.
The exact manufacturing location is being kept secret, but the workers there, some of whom got their start in the ceramics industry in their teens and are now in their 60s, expressed their delight at having taken part in holding an event so historic.
At the Stoke factory, high-quality white clay supplied by Devon and Cornwall is machine-mixed with water and other ingredients to form liquid clay, known as slip, which is sifted for impurities, then channeled and poured into hand in molds by staff. using pressure hoses.
The pieces of clay that dry must then be removed at the precise moment, in a process that requires careful timing, from the plaster of Paris molds.
Plus Slip is used as a glue to secure the individually molded grips, if necessary, by hand.
Before being fired in a kiln, the dried clay is cleaned with a damp sponge and deburred, where the seams of the molds are carefully removed by hand in a process that hasn't changed for decades.
Grant said each step requires 'years of training', drawing on an 'incredible process' that gives value to the Made in England stamp each item has applied to its base.
Once deburred, the porcelain is fired in a biscuit kiln at 1238°C for 11 hours, firing the ceramic so much that, when it is poured at 4am, it will have shrunk by 15%, a percentage shrinkage that indicates porcelain. high quality. .
The pieces are then placed in vibrating electric machines filled with small composite cubes of wood and ceramic that act to "polish" the object without damaging it, allowing it to be glazed and annealed at 1,080°C.
The items are then decorated with a hand-applied lithographic screen print.
In its still unfinished state, the colors of the objects decorated, with paint containing liquid gold, do not match.
But when fired a third and final time at 810°C, heat and chemical processes turn browns to golds and greens to a vivid, lifelike deep blue.
Even the boxes in which the pieces are packed are made by hand by another company in Stoke-on-Trent, where an experienced team can make 200 packages an hour.
Mr Grant said: “Our guests and visitors to the Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse sites are always looking for something a little bit special when they visit us.
"So we wanted to make sure that this product would meet the expectations of our visitors, but also truly and correctly reflect the occasion."
The 55-year-old said the trust has been a strong supporter of porcelain making at The Potteries since Buckingham Palace opened to the public in 1993, and has always sourced its Staffordshire commemorative pottery.
“We are proud of our association with the region,” he said.
“So many hands, so many skills involved in creating this wonderful product.
“Every piece we sell has passed through 50 different pairs of highly skilled hands, who have spent years in the industry, and each piece has its own skill, passion, love and care.
“The industry is very proud; It's had its ups and downs over the years, but seems to be in a pretty good place now.
“Working with the big vendors that we work with, they take tremendous pride in what they do – to work on something like this, a product for such an important occasion.
“There is enormous pride.
"Customers love to buy it, they love to see it, and it's also good for the industry because it helps keep those amazing skills alive that would otherwise be lost."
The range includes a coffee mug priced at £30, a pillbox at £40, a jug at £50, an eight-inch dessert plate also at £50 and a teacup and saucer at £75.
There are also several limited-edition lines that will be hand-numbered, produced in small runs ranging from 150 to 1,000, and will be "a little more special," Grant said.
Proceeds go to the Trust for the Care and Preservation of the Royal Collection.
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