Our Archives

Burleigh’s archives hold patterns, engraved copper cylinders and historic moulds preserved across generations of making at Middleport Pottery. Each records a decision of line, proportion or repeat, and the knowledge required to translate a design from paper to clay.

They remain part of the present life of the pottery. Copper cylinders return patterns to print; moulds preserve the character of earlier forms; archival designs offer a continuing point of reference. Worn through use, they carry the close relationship between drawing, tool and hand.