William Moorcroft started working with the James Macintyre & Co. pottery studio in 1873 and began experimenting with his own pottery designs. His artistic abilities were quickly realized, and within a few short years, his designs were getting attention. His first design was the Aurelian Ware, part hand-panted and part transfer design with bright colorful glazes.
In the early 1900s, Moorcroft's attention to detail and design and his unique qualities, such as his hand-signed pieces, caused him to split from James Macintyre & Co. In 1912, Moorcroft Pottery was established in a factory located in England, where it is produced today. Liberty, a famous London store, helped finance the move and controlled Moorcroft until the early 1960s.
William Moorcroft received many acknowledgments for his pottery, such as a gold medal at the St. Louis International Exhibition in 1904 and being the potter to the queen in 1928. Liberty provided unique bright glazes to Moorcroft, and the pottery was very profitable. Moorcroft's pottery designs went through celebrated phases such as the Japanese period in the early 1910s and on to his popular Pomegranate Ware and Wisteria lines in the late 1910s. His Claremont design from this time in the 1920s is one of the most sought after by collectors today. His unique high-fire red pieces, achieved through a challenging process that Moorcroft mastered, was signature to the pieces he created during the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1945, William Moorcroft died, and his son Walter took over management and bought out the ownership of Liberty. Walter's designs were floral and similar to design as Tiffany, and demand for the pottery was high. Walter continued creating deep glazed pottery. In the 1960s sales began to decline, and Moorcroft Pottery was sold to an outside owner. The pottery was then created in mass production, lessening the quality and value of the designs.
In the late 1980s, Walter resigned as lead potter and designer from Moorcroft and a new face took over. Sally Dennis reinvented Moorcroft, rejuvenating the designs and craftsmanship and continuing the desire for Moorcroft pottery. It has been owned and managed by the Edwards family since 1993, and is now, again, considered a coveted name in pottery design. In 1993, Rachel Bishop joined as its fourth designer in 100 years.
Moorcroft pottery is mostly created using a casting method, meaning it is molded using plaster handmade molds. The molds are filled with slip, or liquid clay, and allowed to dry. While drying, the clay thickens and adheres to the plaster mold. A mold is left to dry for a couple of hours. Then the shape is formed, and the remaining slip is let out of the mold. When the remaining clay is fully dry, it is released from the mold, leaving the finished design.