Welcome to the Friends of Blue web site.

The club, founded in 1973, exists to study under-glaze blue decoration on pottery using a transfer print, a technique developed in Britain during the last two decades of the eighteenth century, when patterns deriving from contemporary Chinese porcelain designs began to appear. Many of these early designs were very similar to what we know today as Willow Pattern. As time went on, however, and techniques improved and tastes changed, every kind of design imaginable was used, from stately homes to bowls of flowers, from historical scenes to ships at sea.

Today, these products of British potters are far better appreciated than ever before and are sought after by collectors, not only in the UK, but also abroad, particularly in North America, to where large quantities of the wares were exported during the first quarter of the nineteenth century.

For as little as £15.00 p.a. (£19.00 overseas) you can become a Member of the Friends of Blue, receiving four illustrated newsletters (Bulletins) per year, and gaining access, by arrangement with the Keeper of Records, to the Club's Records built up over more than thirty years by the efforts and information of Members. The Annual General Meeting and Day Conference is held on the last Sunday in June. Local Meetings of small groups of Members are also encouraged. These are offered and hosted by individual Members in their own homes with the help of Committee Members. Special previews of auction sales and free catalogues are also offered. Why not download an Application Form now and visit other pages on our web site to find out more about us. 

We are this year celebrating 40 years since the club was founded. Members will be able to view our earliest bulletins in the Members only section.

Enclosed with the most recent  Bulletin, members will receive a Booking form giving full information about our AGM at our new venue at Cumnor, Oxford, the address is - The Old School, High Street, Cumnor, Oxford, OX2 9PE.   Our speaker this year will be our own member, Welsh expert Jonathan Gray and his subject is 'Swansea Pottery, a chronology including the Cambrian Warehouse sale of 1806/1808'. Jonathan comments that there are no pieces dated 1806/07 and in his pictures files he doesn't have much after 1830 so the talk will not cover much subsequent to that date.

It will be nice to see as many members as possible.   As we will ourselves be organising the required catering please do complete the Booking Form and return it to our Secretary as requested in order that we can provide an appropriate level of catering.   The reverse of the booking form will show a map to assist in getting us all to the right location which we may well use in alternate years in future, alternating with Swadlincote.



Car parking is available but owing to the limited space it is recommended that you arrive by 10.30 am if possible. As it is our anniversary year, please make an effort to attend and meet up with old friends.

 

Please send any comments on our new web site to the webmaster, Gerard Ledger at grledger@@fob.org.uk  Delete one of the @ s before sending.  

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