The end of July saw us visit the Antiques for Everyone Fair at the Birmingham NEC. Always an interesting fair to walk around, July's fair was even better than usual thanks to a large exhibition of Carlton Ware by Carlton Ware experts Dr Czes and Yvonne Kosniowski. The Kosniowskis are well-known amongst Carlton Ware collectors and are the people behind the very useful CarltonWare.com website.
Founded in 1890, Carlton Ware was a brand name devised by the Wiltshaw & Robinson pottery for its ceramic wares. Although its output spanned nearly 100 years, the decorative wares the company produced between WWI and WWII are most sought-after by today's collectors.
Often lustre-glazed and usually intricately decorated with coloured enamels and gilding, these high quality oriental and Art Deco-themed designs remain in strong demand today. Visitors to the Kosniowskis' exhibition were treated to the largest display I have ever seen of these pieces, housed in a total of eighteen glass display cabinets!
Highlights of the exhibition included some excellent examples of early 20th century Chinoiserie patterns as well as slightly later 1930s Art Deco pieces in patterns such as Babylon.

There was also a whole shelf of wares decorated with the Chinaland pattern - including what looked like the large ginger jar featured on the cover of the Kosniowskis' book 'A Pocket Guide to Carlton Ware'. This book, incidentally, is a comprehensive guide to Carlton Ware pattern and shape numbers and is indispensable for anyone interested in buying or collecting Carlton Ware.
Other highlights of the fair for us included the AD Antiques stand, which had their trademark wide range of high quality British art pottery. Royal Lancastrian, Wedgwood Fairyland lustre (by Daisy Makeig-Jones) and early Moorcroft were all well represented, and there was a sprinkling of other early 20th century art pottery, too.
The Antiques for Everyone fair is a vetted fair - all stock must be of a certain age and is inspected before the fair begins. This means that the quality of goods for sale is always a cut above most other mainstream antique and collectors' fairs, making it an interesting place to spend a few hours, even if you aren't buying.
Stock isn't just restricted to ceramics - everything from furniture to glass to jewellery is on offer, so why not make a date in your diary for the next fair, which runs from the 30th October - 2nd November?
Best Wishes,
Perfect Pieces
Newsletters
Here you'll find a list of our past newsletters. They feature information on different potteries, some of our featured stock and information on antique fairs and general news from the antique and collectors world!
Happy reading!
- Happy Christmas from Perfect Pieces!
- Christmas Offers & New Stock!
- Late Summer Offers & New Stock Updates...
- A Visit To York & More Special Offers!
- Summer Is Here! Summer Antique Fairs, Special Offers & More!
- Summer Is Approaching - Antique Fairs, New Stock & A Special Offer!
- Springtime & Bunnies - Antique Fairs & New Stock!
- Special Offers, Antique Fairs & New Stock!
- Spring Antique Fairs & Rabbits Galore!
- Happy New Year!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Unique & Collectable Christmas Gift Ideas!
- Will The Sunshine Hold For September?! Antique Fairs & PenDelfin Rabbits
- Summer Continues...Retired PenDelfin & Troika Pottery Galore
- Summer Sunshine At A Norfolk Antique Fair
- Summer Sunshine & Cornish Treats!
- PenDelfin Rabbits Galore!
- Troika Pottery, PenDelfin Rabbits & Puzzling Pottery Marks!
- Are We Going To Have Snow This Easter?!
- Happy Valentine's Day!
- Welcome To 2013!
- Happy Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Countdown To Christmas!
- Troika Pottery - A Popular Cornish Collectable!
- Denby Pottery
- Antique Fairs, New Stock & More Rain!
- Antique Fairs, Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, New Stock & Lots Of Rain!
- Summertime News & More Pottery Marks!
- Happy Easter from Perfect Pieces!
- Spring Fairs & Mothering Sunday - It's March!
- February News - Antique Fairs, New Stock & PenDelfin Rabbits!
- Happy New Year - Welcome To 2012!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Make This Year A Collectable Christmas With Perfect Pieces!
- Happy Halloween - Halloween Treats From Perfect Pieces!
- Perfect Pieces On The TV!
- Summer Holiday Reads - Antique & Collectable Book Reviews!
- Antiques Worldwide This Summer!
- Sunshine & Gales Calls For Blustery Antique Fairs!
- Royal Weddings & Easter Eggs!
- Steaming Around York
- Bruges: Chocolates & Curiosities
- Welcome to 2011. Doesn’t time seem to fly?!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces
- Burra Bears - A Unique Piece Of Shetland
- Lord Nelson Memorabilia And Collectables
- Steaming Into Autumn
- Antiques In The Summertime
- Pottering Around Antique Centres
- Father's Day Gift Ideas 2010
- A Flying Visit To Limoges
- Spring Is Here - Time To Get Out More!
- West Country Potteries
- February, Fairs & Valentine's Day
- Only Two Weeks Until Christmas...
- Collectables Don’t Have To Be Clutter
- Seeing Double? Not Necessarily...
- Errington Reay: A Real, Live, British Pottery
- Books, Books & More Books...
- Identifying Pottery Marks - Where to Start?
- Learning About Antiques & Collectables
- Happy New Year and welcome to 2009!
- Perfect Pieces Christmas Sale & Shipping Dates
- Thanks, Jean: A Look Back At 51 Years of PenDelfin
- A Visit to Newark International Antiques Fair
- Antique & Collectors Fairs: Are They Worth Visiting?
- Carlton Ware at the NEC
- A Potted History: Charlotte Rhead
- Troika Pottery: Stronger Today than 25 Years Ago?
- Springtime from a Tyneside pottery
- Poole Pottery: Phoenix from the Ashes?
- Daytime TV, Retro Glass & Bamboo...
- Merry Christmas from Perfect Pieces!
- The Enduring Appeal of the Supernatural - Still Popular Today?
- Understanding Pottery Marks
- Three Techniques: Many Styles - A look at three important decorating techniques
- Children's Wares For Grown-Up Collectors
- A Tale From The Lakes
- The Cornish Effect
- From Buyouts To Bunnies...
- From Switzerland to Stoke: Crown Devon's European Import
- Pottery Marks Guide and Pottery Valuation & Appraisal Service
- A Lustre Alternative - Matt Glazed Wares, Art Deco Style
- Truda Carter - Poole Pottery's Greatest Art Deco Designer?
- Odd Ones Out - Three unusual pieces from Wedgwood, Pendelfin and Troika
- Antique Pottery Price Guide Goes Live, and a look at three contrasting 1930s pieces.
- Focus on Carlton Ware - One Shape, Many Patterns
- Wedgwood: The legacy of Keith Murray
- Wonderful Wedgwood Lustre, and a couple of true British Collectables
- A rare Crown Devon Musical, some 1930s Maling lustre, and an early Poole Jug
- A look at the enduring appeal of Poole Pottery's 1950s Freeform Range