Webchat with Emma Bridgewater, Monday 29 February, 1-2pm. Post a question for chance to win SIGNED copy of her latest book Pattern

[RachelMumsnet]

We’re inviting you to put your questions to Emma Bridgewater during our webchat on Monday 29 February from 1-2pm.

Emma’s distinctive, much-loved pottery brand started after a failed attempt to buy the perfect cup and saucers for her mother 30 years ago. Since then it has found its way onto the dresser shelves and kitchen tables of homes all over Britain and beyond. Today, Emma Bridgewater Ltd is still owned and run by Emma and her husband Matthew, who continue to contribute designs. Emma Bridgewater pottery is manufactured in Britain, with over 200 people now employed in her factory in Staffordshire.

Her latest book, Pattern is a wonderful patchwork of stories behind the brand. Her inspiration is often deeply personal - a plate of her mother’s, a favourite children’s book, and as she tells the stories of each pattern’s creation, she reveals the intricate processes of research and collaboration behind the familiar designs.

Come and put your questions Emma on Monday at 1pm or post your questions in advance to this thread. Everyone who posts on the thread will be entered into a draw to win one of two signed copies of Pattern.

Hi, I did post earlier asking if you would consider a literary range? There's the classics I love but also lots of new poets and authors. I can envisage a great range!

@MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig

I love Emma Bridgewater pottery and have been collecting for a while. I know Emma sometimes frequents Norfolk and would actually like to know if she fancies setting up one of her shops here?

Oh and thanks so much for bringing back sampler this year! Am planning a visit to the factory at the end of June and am saving up!

All the best people like Norfolk, it's really special isn't it? Sadly I don't think we have got any plans to open a shop there, in fact, more and more of the action in sales is coming from the Internet. Which I guess has the advantage if making it available to everyone. I'm so happy you are planning to come and see us in the factory - so many other nice things to do around there, Derbyshire Peaks, Alton Towers, Chatsworth - you won't regret it!

PS

I love Sampler too!

@diggerdigsdogs

I'm fascinated by the habits of really successful people.

Do you have any habits that you think have helped you with your career or personal life?

Hi,

Not sure if this is a habit, but I am really obsessive. I can't walk out of a film before the end and I have to finish every book I start. I expect this might have a connection with why the business is still going. I always was a mad china collector - I think this collecting habit is quite useful in the business as well. I can't drive past a junk shop, antique market or a street market.

An avid collector, I have much admiration for you and your pottery. What other potters or styles, U.K. or otherwise, do you admire or collect?

@Tate15

Your company is one of the largest pottery manufacturers based entirely in the UK, with all of its products made in its factory in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, England, where it is one of the largest employers.

You must be immensely proud to be a successful 'Made in Britain' company in today's business market where so many firms have taken their manufacturing abroad.

Do you think this will always be the case or will changes in the economic climate, such as the possibility of leaving the EU, impact on your decision to keep manufacturing in the UK?

I've spoken loads about this before and I'm really passionate about keeping manufacturing in Britain. It just doesn't make sense to ship heavy products from the Far East back to Britain. I have no idea (so far it doesn't seem as if they have much of a clue in Westminster either, which is a worry!) what the effect might be if we leave the Common Market but we do do a lot of business in Holland, some in France, some in Germany - I hate the thought of that becoming harder.

@Clawdy

I love your pottery,especially the Christmas Town range,set to be family favourites each December! My question is, do you use all your own pottery at home, or do you some times feel like a change!

Hi,

I love a change and I've got stacks of pottery made by other craft potters and factories, but due to the fact that almost all of the shoots take place at home, loads and loads of stuff always ends up in our kitchen, which is useful because it means I know what patterns are like to use and I can keep tabs on the quality standards.

Are you interested in other design? I've recently moved into a new house and am looking for furniture / furnishings - any suggestions of good designers and or good websites?

@JeanneDeMontbaston

Oh, I feel a little mean asking this, but I will:

Do you honestly not mean to change the typos/ errors on your mugs? I emailed you about it, and you said you'd pass comments on to the design team.

I really don't care that your stuff has apostrophes all over the shop and so on, but it does make your merchandise look like cheap fakes - because mostly, when something costs as much as your stuff does, typos and errors are a sign of a knockoff.

I love the designs. I've got the lovely owl mug, and I want to buy others from the bird range, but could you let me know if you're planning a range without the errors in, so I can buy them for other people without them thinking I've bought them a cheapie knockoff?

Fair dos about the typos - this is a bit of a burning issue. I can't stand apostrophes in the wrong place, and I really sympathise with your annoyance. Trouble is I'm married to a very opinionated dyslexic who hates to take correction, even from me, haha. Seriously, we do try to correct them and I don't feel complacent and equally, I don't feel panicked. I don't think it looks cheap, I kind of think it makes it look real, because that is how Matthew sees the world. There's another serious point, which is that punctuation rules vary when you're writing in caps, which most of the 'TOAST' writing is.

Have you seen the Year in the Country calendar? This is Matthew, my husband, right off the lead - record year so far, 89 typos! It's a challenge.

@ciele

Hi, I did post earlier asking if you would consider a literary range? There's the classics I love but also lots of new poets and authors. I can envisage a great range!

Hi,

What a nice idea! There are some limitations to how much you can get on a mug. But as you obviously do, I love poetry and reads lots of it. I like this idea. As it happens we are doing a mug to commemorate 400 years since Shakespeare's death, and I do have plans to commemorate other authors, watch this space, but don't hold your breath!

I am also married to an opionated dyslexic, I completely understand the 'world through their eyes' notion.

Also, can I sneak in another question? What's it like running a business with your husband?

Opinionated*
I won't volunteer myself to proof read for you EB

I did wonder! I am dyslexic myself. I will treasure the typos, in that case. It's really lovely to know that's the reason for them being there, actually.

I'll spread the word that they're dyslexic originals.

Thanks very much for such a kind response to a cheeky question (and it was so much nicer than the reply I did eventually get from your PR person, which just confused me as I couldn't tell whether or not they were fakes that I'd got!).

@Redgroundhog

An avid collector, I have much admiration for you and your pottery. What other potters or styles, U.K. or otherwise, do you admire or collect?

Hi,

I think Susan Williams-Ellis, founder of Portmeirion pottery, is probably my biggest pottery heroine. And I can't not mention Susie Cooper and Clarice Cliff, but I'm less at home with their designs, honestly. I've spent months of my life in the V&A's ceramic collection and in the potteries museum - quick advertisement here, this is an astonishing, world-class collection. I urge you to go and see it if you are interested in British ceramics. (it's also got an interesting collection of paintings, including Lowrys, some historic interiors that my small nieces and nephews found exciting and burgled!)

I bought my first Emma Bridgewater mug here in South Africa in the early nineties. An English lady had opened a shop and brought in three baby mugs. I recognised the distinctive style right away, having seen it in Country Living magazine, and bought it for R36. I still have the mug, it is hand stencilled: "for a friend". Since then my English penfriend has sent me EB crockery by post every year as presents and I have a lovely collection. Only one tragedy in transit, the "Mashed Potatoes" bowl became smashed potatoes. I glued it together and used it to keep things in! when I visited London in 2001 I was determined to find the EB shop and walked the whole length of Fulham Road - I found the shop and then took nearly an hour to choose what to buy! I enjoy my morning black coffee in a baby EB mug every day, my favourite one is Sweet peas. I love the baby mugs, I have about eight. Am so proud of Emma - keeping production local and not turning to China.

@GloGirl

I'd love to know about how difficult it is to balance being well known and readily available, but unique enough to be special.

I think Bridgewater pottery walks that line very well.

Hi,

This isn't something I've calculated - I think it's just how the brand has developed over 30 years, given price constraints imposed by making in the UK. But I think you really put your finger on it, this is exactly where I hope the brand is, so thank you.

I noticed Matthew's spelling mistakes. My husband is exactly the same - opinionated and dyslexic. He would love to spell yacht as "yot"

@torthecatlady

When did you first realise that you were successful?

Hi,

I had to know that there was a demand early on, otherwise I would;t have pursued the idea. And I was incredibly lucky and excited to find that there was really, an instant positive reaction. Albeit tempered by horror at the reluctance to pay what was then twice the price of any other earthenware mug. (Have you noticed they are all - or lots of makers - now just hanging in, price-wise, just behind us?!)

@sara11272

Being a Stokie by birth, I'm delighted that your factory has provided employment and a much-needed boost to the local area.

What else do you think should be done to reverse the decline of manufacturing towns like this? Hoe can others emulate what you've achieved? Is it just having faith in a product and - as another poster said, being committed to production in the UK?

Hi,

To be honest, I am astonished that in 30 years we haven't had quite large numbers of people trying to do the same thing as us. Frankly, if we can do it, anyone can do it. We've made every mistake in the book. But we've learnt from those mistakes.

I think manufacturing industries were possibly, in the 60s, 70s, 80s, not very tightly managed in terms of stock control and understanding of changes in customers' habits. All that's bound to lead to trouble, isn't it? But with strong modern management, I see no reason why we shouldn't expand our manufacturing indefinitely.

Let's not forget, we are still number 6 in manufacturing in the world. It's tempting to talk about manufacturing in the past tense, which is not the case.

@PolkaHeart

As you can tell from my username, I am a MASSIVE EB fan! Nothing excites me more than the red boxes arriving - the postie knows me as the EB addict

My question is: You have a very successful British brand, and have fans world wide. What is your favourite British brand, and why?

Hi,

Ooh hard one! In terms of historic ceramic brands, Wedgwood, particularly in the early-mid 20th century - unbeatable!

I can't imagine bath time without Floris bath oil, preferably Stephanotis.

Jaffa cakes?!

@Pericombobulations

I'm another fan. Please do more cats and horses.

I would like to know your favourite pattern?

Hi,

We'd love to do more cats and horses, but Matthew's so bad at drawing them!

Seriously, we will do this, it just keeps on being bumped off by other things that seem more pressing at the time.

My favourite pattern is TOAST in black probably, because it goes with everything. I'm also always a bit in love with the most recent Spongeware pattern, currently Wallflower, which I really love. I had my tea in a Wallflower mug this morning.

@Morningbear

Also, can I sneak in another question? What's it like running a business with your husband?

Hi,

Completely brilliant and completely hellish! But I've only not worked with him for a couple of years, so I don't really know what it would be like to be pursuing separate careers. Despite my sharp comments, we have a lovely time designing together. And on a good day, that really can feel like the nicest possible arrangement. On the other hand, our children had to listen to years' worth of chatter about the business, in the car, in the kitchen, all the time. It can be really obsessive and it's hard to get away from work, if you're married and both involved in the same business.

@EverybodyHatesATourist

It must be immensely satisfying to have built such an iconic business from a relatively young age but I know from reading one of your interviews that (unsurprisingly) it has also been incredibly stressful. Do you ever regret not selling out to a larger company once the brand become established?

Firstly, back to my previous answer, I don't think it would be possible to have kept going if I hadn't been married to Matthew and gone through the pressures of growing the business closely with him - to the point of being able to hand over the management to him at a certain point. I'd be a liar to deny that I've thought lustfully, about selling the business, from time to time. But never for long. I think private business ownership is very dynamic and special. But thank you for your nice comment! It is satisfying and it's also a process that draws us inexorably forward - we're always thinking about what comes next, the things we haven't done yet and new ideas for designs and projects. So there's not much time for sitting back and surveying the journey so far. Which is probably why I have enjoyed writing this book, Pattern, and Toast And Marmalade and Other Stories, so much

@neversleepagain

Do you love your job and feel excited to go into work each day?

My morning cup of tea in my hearts mug puts a smile on my face every morning, without fail :)

Hi

I certainly do! I'm always thinking about new designs and projects.

@MisForMumNotMaid

I have a growing collection mainly mugs. We've also lots of melamine plates, bowls and mugs that look as good as new after five years of daily use, justifying the cost (autistic/ dyspraxic son, and daughter under diagnosis).

The one thing I find extraordinary with buying online from Emma Bridgewater is just how slow dispatch can be. It doesn't put me off for personal orders but it means I wouldn't buy gifts near the date needed, I'd go via another online onseller like JohnLewis.

So my question is ... have you plans to look at your dispatch process and how orders could be expedited faster to deal with impatient people like me?

Hi,

Firstly, big apology if you've suffered late deliveries! I hope this was recent and I believe it's now fixed. We struggled to recover after the Christmas break and sales are running at a high rate - I'm not complaining!

We hope to have a brand new warehouse up and running very soon.