Poole Carter Stabler & Adams Vase Pattern FK Designed by Truda Carter Poole Carter Stabler and Adams Pottery Mark Poole Carter Stabler & Adams Twin Handled Vase YO Pattern, Eileen Prangnell

November Newsletter

From its beginnings as an architectural ceramics firm, making high quality tiles from distinctive local clays, Poole Pottery grew into one of Britain's most successful and popular potteries. Today, more than a 100 years of pottery has left a rich and varied legacy for collectors to discover and enjoy.

In this newsletter we've focused on the work of one of Poole Pottery's most successful and enduring designers, a lady whose instinct for Art Deco style and the public taste helped bring considerable success to Poole's Carter, Stabler & Adams subsidiary in the 1920s and 30s.

Truda Adams, later Carter, arrived at Poole in 1921 with her husband John Adams, a well-known Stoke-on-Trent potter who had recently returned from a spell teaching in South Africa. Adams was invited to join the nascent Carter and Stabler partnership by Harold Stabler, a friend of Charles Carter, who was then managing his family's firm.

Carter & Co had achieved considerable success with their range of Handcraft Pottery, but Charles Carter was aware that it was vital to maintain creative leadership in the market if his company was to continue its success. The result of this drive was the formation of a subsidiary company, Carter, Stabler & Adams, dedicated to building on the early success of Carter's decorative earthenware ranges.

Carter, Stabler & Adams

The newly-formed CSA partnership soon bore fruit, and both Harold Stabler and John Adams were responsible for many highly successful pieces, often with a sculptural bias. John Adams was also responsible for developing many of the new glazes that were used in the 20s and 30s.

Poole Pottery Leaping Springbok Bookends c1930
These Springbok bookends were perhaps a legacy of Adam's time in South Africa.

As the 1920s progressed, Truda Carter (now married to Cyril Carter) became one of the most influential designers at the Poole Pottery. She was responsible for a great many of the floral and Art Deco-styled patterns that adorned Poole's decorative earthenware ranges, and her designs were extremely well-received by both the press and the public of the time.

Poole Pottery Vase Truda Carter CO Pattern, Clarice Heath (Drew) 1929-1940, Shape 203 Poole Carter Stabler & Adams Twin Handled Vase YO Truda Carter Pattern, Eileen Prangnell Poole Pottery Traditional LE Pattern Vase Truda Carter Design Poole Truda Carter GPA Design Biscuit Barrel Shape 230 Poole Nursery Ware Nursery Toys Pattern Mug Truda Carter Carter Stabler Adams Poole Vase Pattern PN Designed by Truda Carter, Paintress Ruth Pavely, Shape 594
Examples of Truda Carter designs.

Truda Carter's designs seemed to link the very different worlds of studio and mass-production pottery - a trait maintained in much of Poole Pottery's output over the past 7 decades; the later Atlantis, Delphis and Aegean ranges all shared this characteristic, as perhaps did the simple and uncluttered design of much of Poole's earthenware tableware.

Poole Pottery Delphis Charger Poole Delphis Bowl Shape 38
Examples from the Poole Pottery Delphis range.

Truda Carter's design role at Poole Pottery continued until her retirement in 1950, and her legacy is surely one of the most distinguished in Poole's long history.

Valuations and Appraisals

In the years that we have been running this website, we have received a great many requests for information, appraisals and valuations. The volume of these requests has steadily increased over the years, and we have now taken the step of introducing an appraisal and valuation service. The fee for this service is £4.95, and in return for this we will provide a document containing information about the item concerned, some relevant background about the pottery in which it was made, and an approximate valuation.

Our intention is to provide this service for all of the potteries we sell, and although this is not an insurance valuation service, based on the mail we receive, we believe it will be a useful offering for many people. See our Valuations Page if you would like more details.

That's all for this month, but as ever, if you have any questions or comments about the site, the newsletter or anything else, please drop us a line.

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!