Sad end to a Hornsea dream as thousands of pounds worth of iconic pottery goes under the hammer

Thousands of pounds worth of Hornsea Pottery is to go under the hammer next week following the closure of one of the last retail outlets in Hornsea selling the iconic pottery that once made the East Yorkshire seaside town world famous.

The auction – which includes both vintage period pieces and the modern Hornsea pattern wares now being manufactured – has been ordered by financial specialists handling the liquidation of Hopfrog, a company based at the Hornsea Freeport. Hopfrog started life as a craft beer retailer, a business that developed into a café bar before expanding into larger premises and then adding the Hornsea Pottery Design Shop.

At the time the owners said the development was the realisation of a dream to keep the long-closed pottery’s legacy alive in the town and to be involved with the beginning of a new era for the designs. Sadly, tough trading conditions resulted in the decision to close the business at the beginning of June.

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The insolvency specialists handling the liquidation of the company – Kingsbridge Corporate Solutions of Hull – have now instructed auctioneers Eddisons, of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, to sell off the entire remaining stock plus equipment and furnishings. It has been removed to Eddisons national auction centre in Dunlop Way in the town and goes under the hammer in an online auction that is scheduled to end on Tuesday, September 10.

Paul Cooper, Eddisons director, said: “The vintage Hornsea on offer in the auction includes small collections of many of the designs that took the country – and indeed the world - by storm in the Seventies and Eighties. We have more than 30 pieces of ‘Heirloom’ - the pottery’s first extensive range of tableware, launched in 1967 - a pattern designed by John Clappison, the Hull butcher’s son and Royal College of Art student who became the pottery’s chief designer.

“Other noteworthy lots include 40 pieces of Clappison-designed ‘Bronte’ tableware, the distinctive two-tone brown pattern that shouts Hornsea at ten paces. It was extremely popular back in the Seventies but nevertheless plates and bowls in perfect condition are still hard to come by according to specialist collectors. The auction includes two dozen in three different sizes.

“The vintage wares also include a number of pieces of ‘Contrast’, one of Hornsea’s most striking designs that achieved success around the world. It was so highly regarded that in 1976 the Victoria and Albert Museum acquired a set for their permanent collection.

“We also have some impressive pieces of the green floral ‘Fleur’, the Sara Vardy designed pattern that was Hornsea’s best-selling range in the United States.” Paul added: “Hopfrog was also an approved outlet for the Hornsea design products and giftware that are once again being manufactured, under licence from the American company that today owns the Hornsea intellectual property rights including designs, patterns and trademarks.

“The auction has modern Hornsea with a retail value of close to £10,000, amusing creations ranging from moneyboxes in the form of cats and owls through to bird-shaped serving dishes - as well as mugs, dishes, cruets, coasters and the like. And the auction has the stock and equipment from the Hopfrog bar, including serious quantities of craft ales and spirits, not to mention the now-back-in-fashion Sixties period teak furniture by renowned manufacturers such as G Plan, Stag, McIntosh and others that adorned the premises.”

The catalogue is available at auctions.eddisons.com/auctions. Viewing is 10am to 4pm on Monday, September 9 at the auction centre in Dunlop Way, Scunthorpe. The online auction is scheduled to end at 1pm on Tuesday.