Lorna Bailey

Lorna Bailey (born 1978) is an English potter and businesswoman.

Life and work

Lorna Bailey was brought up in the Wolstanton area of Newcastle-under-Lyme, England, close to the Potteries area of Stoke-on-Trent.

After school, Bailey attended Stoke-on-Trent College. She obtained a B.Tec National Diploma (Ceramics) and then joined her father's new business, LJB Ceramics, at the Old Ellgreave Pottery, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, which produced Toby Jugs and other decorated pottery, where she initially worked as a painter. At the same time, Bailey began designing a series of cottage and trees and abstract patterns based on the pottery of Clarice Cliff. These were produced by the Old Ellgreave Pottery in underglaze colours. In December 1995, when Bailey was 17, her House and Path and Sunburst patterns were put into full production. These were painted by Bailey and a small team of painters onto a range of shapes, including vases, jugs, teapots, sugar shakers, cruets, candlesticks, and wall pockets. They were then sold primarily to trade buyers. In addition to being marked with a factory stamp, Bailey signed almost all of her pieces.