All Made Here
As part of our dedication to being All Made Here, we continue to strengthen our position on authenticity. In many industries but particularly ceramics, customers may not easily understand where the products are actually made.
If a mug has ‘ENGLAND’ printed on its backstamp, does that mean it’s made in England? No. There are lots of legitimate reasons why a pottery might put ‘England’ on its backstamp but it doesn’t seem right to not also say where the product is manufactured.
We challenge our customers to think about where products are made and we challenge our industry to openly explain provenance. How much of what we are told is true and how many brands that we know and love do we trust as being made where we think they're made?
All Made Here 2.0… All Made Where
Stoke-on-Trent comprises of six towns, each making up The Potteries; a city that has celebrated and protected its production of pottery for centuries. Burleigh resides in Burslem, ‘the Mother Town’ as it's affectionately known. Today the city remains a tourist destination, where the skyline was once dominated by bottle kilns, today only a few remain. One of those being at our home in Middleport Pottery.
Stoke-on-Trent offers a multisensory experience where you can be immersed in our culture and heritage, gaining insight into the history and tradition of time-honoured crafts but how much of what you can buy within ‘the Potteries’ (and beyond) is authentically still made here?
Each and every piece of Burleigh has been MADE HERE in ‘The Mother Town’, since 1851. Every piece of Burleigh has been MADE HERE at our home, Middleport Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent, since 1889. When we say MADE HERE, we mean from start to finish; our craftspeople turning raw malleable clay into to the glossy vibrant ware you see here. When we say MADE HERE, we mean crafted using skills passed down through generations of potters who worked here. Every single piece.
We're extremely proud of our craftsmanship, provenance and authenticity here at Burleigh. Each of our historic references towards our heritage can be supported through evidence within our carefully curated archives and cited by our company historian, Jemma Baskeyfield.
The Burleigh Backstamp
Aside from our ceramics oozing with provenance, our marketing collateral and general brand identity does too. Our Made in England and general Burleigh font is taken from our beehive backstamp. Inspiration was drawn from the Beehive backstamp which was initially used in the 1860’s. Ever since, the beehive has been a mainstay of the Burleigh brand, incorporated into many different backstamps across Burleigh products over the decades and forming part of the inspiration for our ‘Pollen’ pattern, which launched in 2021. Still as much of a symbol of industrial perfection today as it was in our early days, we proudly display the beehive and its bees, throughout the business. It was from here that inspiration was drawn for our Made in England references, of which we continue to be proud of.
Craftwashing In Ceramics
How much of what we know is true for Burgess & Leigh (Burleigh), is true for other local suppliers and other ceramic manufacturers? Do you know the authenticity of your tableware or of your favourite teacup? Did you purchase something claiming to be ‘designed in England’ and now feel mislead of its true origin? Craftwashing is real and craftwashing tarnishes the work that we have done and continue to do Burleigh, to protect our craft and Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage.
Burleigh Pottery Made In England
Burleigh is where the best of British ceramic design and craft manufacturing is protected and celebrated.
Burleigh has a rich and intricate history, beginning and remaining in the home of English pottery; we’ve been proudly making earthenware since 1851, based at Middleport Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent since 1889.
Burleigh is ALL MADE HERE. Browse all Burleighware patterns.