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THE BEAUTY OF BELLEEK
We visit Belleek, home to Ireland’s most beautiful ceramics, this autumn their basket weave pieces are weaving a spell for a new generation.
The village of Belleek in Fermanagh is built on the River Erne, a place with storybook appeal. There is something very grand and beautiful about their neo-Georgian stone building, which sits at the heart of the village and has reflected the river and watched over the community for over 160 years. Inside, an army of potters and painters have turned clay into beautiful ceramics that have graced dining tables and dressers, at home and abroad for many years. So popular they even have an international Belleek collectors society. Today, the brand stands for heritage, craftsmanship and beauty and are witnessing a renaissance of interest in their pieces for the new age of the tablescaping. We find out more about their history and their new collection of basket weave pieces.
"C ombining contemporary design and unique style, Belleek reflects the atmosphere of the modern home.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The story goes that in the 1840s a certain John Caldwelll Bloomfield was looking to find ways to provide employment for the local population after the Famine. He discovered the land was rich in clay, flint and shale, three of the most important ingredients needed to make excellent pottery and the rest, as they say, is history. In the beginning, the brand gained notoriety for its Parian pieces—porcelain crafted to resemble marble. Fast forward to 1865 when the company recruited a pioneering potter William Henshall who came to Belleek from Stoke-On-Trent (the centre of the trade in the UK), and with him a number of other skilled pottery artists, raising design and production skills in the factory with their very first artistic director Robert Williams Armstrong. Over the next fifty years, William Henshall developed Belleek’s famous basket weave style, which began with making simple flat rodded baskets, and later more decorative ones, which we are familiar with today - beautifully shaped baskets finished with flourishes of flowers and stems.
CREATING A BELLEEK FLOWER
While Hensall brought the basket details to Belleek, the artists themselves brought mastery to the details, the flower being a much loved motif. It takes every pottery artist about three years to master every aspect of basketmaking, the base, rolls, edges and handles. Flower-making is the most difficult part as every flower must be made perfectly and the making of as many as thirty different flower types, even the detail of some flowers can be tricky, for instance one type of rose requires up to twenty separate petals. Today, the Head of the Department John Doogan and the Head of Design, Claire Rowe direct a whole new generation of crafts people to continue the tradition producing new pieces that pay tribute to Belleek’s past yet excite a whole new customer.
IN THE ARTIST’S HAND
Being located in such a scenic part of Ireland, it will come as no surprise that Belleek’s design team are inspired by the beauty and nature of the North West. Claire Rowe has created designs inspired by local places from Mountcharles in Co. Donegal to the beauty of local Irish gardens in Co. Fermanagh, finishing basket weave pieces with delightful details from Irish roses, to buddleias and butterflies. These tiny details are what makes a Belleek basket unique and all are hand-painted and finished to perfection.
"E very flower must be made perfectly and the making of as many as thirty different flower types must be mastered, for instance one type of rose requires up to twenty separate petals.
CELEBRATE WITH A CENTREPIECE
Dressing your table for a dinner party or special occasion, in much the same way you might put together an outfit for a night out has become de rigueur once again and with it there is a renewed interest in basket weave centrepieces and decorative Belleek china. This autumn why not gift their Pansy Oval Basket, decorated with pretty pansies, a symbol of thoughtfulness. Or mark the seasons at your table with Belleek’s seasonal plates representing, Spring, Summer, Thanksgiving, (Autumn) and Holly (Winter). These are woven intricately with a plaited four strand centre and are decorations that pay tribute to whatever season you may be celebrating, making them a beautiful gift or centrepiece for all those who love to set a tablescape.
Discover the best of Belleek’s basket weave collection as well as modern classics online and in-store now.