William Moorcroft 1872 – 1945 was brought up in the back streets of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. He knew tragedy from an early age losing his sister when he was 8, his mother a year later and his father when he was just 12. Perhaps it was this tragic upbringing that helped develop his strength of character and resilience that saw him establish himself as the most accomplished studio potter of recent times. 

William trained at what was to become the Royal College of Art and could have pursued a career as an art teacher but instead chose to employ his artistic talents in the medium of pottery. He stuck faithfully to the principles of the great William Morris who stated that “nothing was worth producing if it hadn’t come from the artist’s own hands”. Whilst not unique, his skill in producing tube-lined pieces with designs inspired by nature are at the very pinnacle of the potter’s art. International gold medal awards, a supplier to renowned retailers Liberty and Tiffany, a successful global export business and a Royal Appointment to Her Majesty Queen Mary in 1928 are just some of his many achievements.