The last plates, bowls and mugs have been eased out of the kilns at Denby Pottery, bringing two centuries of production in Derbyshire to a close. The final pieces were finished on Thursday, the company confirmed in a Facebook post, thanking customers and former employees for their support.
Denby, founded in 1809, appointed administrators on 31 March after struggling with what it called “escalating” employment costs and “soaring” energy costs that had “squeezed the business financially”. A #SaveDenby campaign urging people to buy more products was launched, but administrators said they failed to find a buyer, leading to production ceasing.
“Denby Pottery fires its final pieces after 215 years, administrators find no buyer.”
In its farewell message, the company wrote: “Centuries of making pottery at Denby may be coming to a close, but the love and soul poured into each piece will live on.” It added: “Denby would not have been able to continue for this long without generations of dedicated, skilled people. From the kilns to customers’ homes and all the pairs of hands in between, thank you to every member of staff, past and present, for playing your part in taking care of this piece of history.”
The statement concluded: “The future is always uncertain and whilst it’s hard to comprehend what things may look like in the next weeks and months, we are so hugely proud of everything this Derbyshire pottery has achieved. It’s not and has never just been about the pots.”
While the UK production site has shut, Denby’s international subsidiaries in Korea, the US and China are not in administration and will continue to operate as normal.