Red Rose Guild

Prominent members of the Guild included potter Bernard Leach,[5] silversmith Joyce Himsworth[6] and weaver Ethel Mairet.

[10] The Guild was “a central authoritative body, maintaining exacting standards for membership and providing both a vital sales outlet and a regular annual meeting place.” [11] They made a point of excluding any exhibits which appeared either ‘commercial’ or machine-made.

They campaigned for state protection and the guild's secretary, Harry Norris,[13] successfully argued for the exemption of “key craftworkers from war service in order to ensure the survival of craft skills.” This debate resulted in craftworkers being exempt from “punitive” post-war purchase tax.

The 1941 catalogue had an introduction by Nikolaus Pevsner, who “predicted a bright future for the crafts after the war.”[25] The first exhibition in Manchester after WWII was held in November 1946.

[26] From 1963 to 1974 the Guild had a permanent exhibition space featuring members’ products at the Crane Gallery (Northern Crafts Centre), South King Street, Manchester.

[32] The magazine featured the “last thoughts of Eric Gill” together with essays by H. J. Massingham, Percy Beales, Anthony Gardner and Michael Cardew.

[34] Early organisers of the Guild included founder, Margaret Pilkington OBE (1891–1974),[35] who remained on the board for forty years.

[37] In the early years of the Guild, Pilkington was supported by Kathleen Smartt, Dorothy Hutton,[38] and Margaret Fullerton Davies.