The artisans of tableware

When we were looking for a British manufacturer to produce a bespoke set of fine bone china for our Bookable Afternoon Tea, one name stood out: Royal Crown Derby.

The company dates back to 1750 and you only need browse the display cabinets in the reception to the factory in Derby to get a powerful sense of their long and illustrious history. Amongst this impressive collection of items from their archive is the dinner service that was specially commissioned for the Titanic, tableware designed by Salvador Dali, and a selection of pieces made especially for Queen Victoria and George III.

We were lucky enough to be given a tour of the factory itself, which really brought home the complexity of producing fine bone china – as well as its surprising durability. As is common when you see artisans up close, the thing that most surprises you is the casual ease with which they do what they do: whether that’s gilding the rim of a plate with 22 carat gold, polishing a huge vase using a special burnishing wheel, or hand-painting the fine features onto a famous Derby Dwarf. They know instinctively how to best handle fine bone china – with enough care to avoid damage to the beautiful translucent ware, but with full knowledge that it is actually a very robust material.

Before leaving we visited the archive, which is where inspiration for the design on our Bookable Afternoon Tea tableware came from. Andrew Klimecki, Creative Director of Royal Crown Derby, found an archive pattern of tea leaves that dates back to 1919 – the year the first Bettys opened. Perfect serendipity.