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The Early Years
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Susan Williams- Ellis, founder of the Portmeirion Group, sadly passed away in November 2007.
Always at the forefront of contemporary design, Susan Williams Ellis was known for her originality both in design and manufacturing techniques which led to her enviable reputation for ceramic shape design and the creation of trend setting patterns that had popular, worldwide appeal - designs that are now seen as iconic statements of 1960's and 1970's ceramic design.
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Born on 6th June 1918 , daughter of the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, the creator of Portmeirion Village in North Wales, Susan's artistic talents were fostered within an artistic environment of family and friends, and recognised early in her life when she was at school at Dartington College, under the tutelage of Bernard Leach and his son David. Later in her Fine Art training at Chelsea Polytechnic, where her tutors included Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland, Susan's innate feeling for three dimensional shape and form flourished and the opportunity to use those skills came along via an invitation to create some gift items for the shop in Portmeirion Village.
In 1960 Susan and her husband Euan Cooper-Willis purchased A. E. Gray Ltd, a small pottery decorating company based in Stoke-on-Trent (For more information about A E Grays Pottery please visit
www.grayspottery.co.uk). This was followed by the purchase of a second pottery business, Kirkhams' Limited, in 1961. Subsequently these businesses were combined and the design and manufacture of pottery products bearing the "Portmeirion" name began. Access to manufacturing facilities meant that Susan was able to start designing shapes rather than surface pattern alone, which in the 1960's was considered quite unusual for a designer. The foundations of the company were laid, and the company continues to manufacture Susan's designs in Stoke-on-Trent to this day.
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 Susan's early Portmeirion designs include Malachite (1960) and Moss Agate (1961). Neither were produced in large quantities but received high critical acclaim. Her next designs featured unusually bright, floral images (Portmeirion Rose and Tiger Lily), which were then followed by the iconic Totem design in 1963.
With layered glazes of various hues, Totem brought Portmeirion well and truly to the forefront of fashionable design in this memorable era of evolving and revolutionary British design style. Its bold, abstract pattern of embossed spirals and stars, coupled with striking cylindrical drum-like shapes of the coffee pots, cups and saucers, cream jugs and sugar bowls, resulted in a unique collection that was beautiful, tactile and practical.
With an established reputation of innovative design, Susan, along with her husband, eminent economist Euan Cooper-Willis, developed the Portmeirion Potteries business to become a highly successful company, with designs such as Magic City and Magic Garden illustrating Susan's design philosophy of "good design is good business".
The 1970's saw the birth of what is considered by many to be the signature range of Portmeirion, Botanic Garden. Launched in 1972, Botanic Garden was uniquely different - inspired by a serendipitous find of antique botanical books, and with a variety of individual floral decorations, it encapsulated the new mood for casual dining, dispensing with the old formalities and bringing a new design philosophy to the market place. It became an instant success, despite a reticence expressed by store buyers to such a radical concept. Celebrating its 35th Anniversary in 2007, Botanic Garden has become a classic of British design and hailed as the world's most popular casual tableware and giftware design. Recognising the expertise of the area, the range continues to be made in Stoke-on-Trent and has amassed a worldwide following and an ardent fan base.
The history and philosophy of the Portmeirion Pottery ranges stems from Susan Williams-Ellis's ability to design and model shapes that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Susan always expected her pottery designs to fit comfortably with everyday life - today a requirement of every contemporary consumer. Since the origins of the company, Susan created all the shapes by turning the originals by hand, from which the moulds were produced. Such involvement and devotion to the quality of the design and production of the product was rare, and when combined with Susan's individual style and creativity, became unique.
In 2005 Susan received an honorary fellowship from University of Arts, London. At the time Susan said of her inspirations and her company "I decided to pursue pottery, rather than painting, mainly because I wanted to create affordable and beautiful things. Being in Stoke has been a wonderful part of my life. The people of Stoke are really the nicest people one could ever meet, and their hard work has established Portmeirion and enabled us to sell our pots around the world. I have been very fortunate."
Keele University also awarded her an Honorary Degree of Master of the University for an Outstanding Contribution to the Ceramics Industry Internationally.
With nearly fifty years of creativity, Susan Williams Ellis's contribution to British design style, Portmeirion Potteries and the British ceramics industry was immeasurable, and places her firmly in the company of a small group of great and celebrated 20th Century ceramic designers. Her philosophy will continue to permeate Portmeirion's design values and to determine the success of the company that she created in the challenges of the 21st century.
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