Wemyss Ware

Wemyss Ware was a line of pottery first produced in 1882 by Czech decorator Karel Nekola and Fife pottery-owner Robert Heron.

From 1985 to the present day, it is used by the Griselda Hill Pottery in Ceres, Fife which owns the Wemyss Trade Mark.

[6][7] Karel Nekola, a native of Bohemia, was brought over to Kirkcaldy in about 1882 by Robert Heron to become head of the decorating shop there.

[11][12] Thomas Goode of London, an upmarket tableware retailer, had the exclusive right to sell Wemyss Ware in England.

[7][16] Karel Nekola's son Joseph, himself a designer, moved to Devon, where he carried on producing Wemyss Ware and training apprentices, including Esther Weeks (née Clark).

[19][20][21] When Joseph died in 1952, Esther became head decorator and continued to paint Wemyss Ware until the Bovey Pottery closed in 1957 after a protracted strike by the workforce.

[19][27] After moulding, the pottery was first fired at a low temperature to produce a porous biscuit body onto which paint could be applied.

[7] The pottery was then fired again at a low temperature in order to preserve the colour, making the product soft and fragile and contributing to the scarcity of original Wemyss.

A black ceramic cat sits next to a yellow ceramic cat.
Original Wemyss Ware cats
A painted plate, surrounded by cabbage roses, has a bearded man painting an umbrella stand with cabbage roses. At the bottom a caption reads "Karel Nekola 1857–1915".
Modern Wemyss Ware plate in the Kirkcaldy Museum, commemorating Karel Nekola
Two women are in a workshop full of moulds. The woman on the left, Griselda Hill, is standing, while the other woman sits with an unpainted pig in front of her.
Wemyss Ware workshop. Griselda Hill is on the left
A large pig with comical features sits among other items in a shop display.
Wemyss Ware pig from the Griselda Hill Pottery