Elaine Williamson (1940–2021) was born in Cheshire. She was educated at Manchester College of Art and then completed post-graduate study at Stoke-on-Trent, the centre of the English ceramic industry. Her career started as a designer at Crown Staffordshire. Subsequently she executed designs for the Wedgwood Group, notably Coalport.
In 1977 she was appointed Design Manager at Poole Pottery, where she introduced many new shapes and patterns, including a range of Bone China, a new departure for the company. Many of her patterns have been market leaders both in Europe and the USA, most famously including the Springtime, Fleur, Wild Garden, Iona and Concert ranges. She was awarded fellowship of the Chartered Society of Designers.
The designs in our collection draw on a number of influences, including Chinoiserie, neoclassical motifs and Delftware, as well as archetypal English floral patterns inspired by nature and the seasons.
