| Home of Belleek Pottery & Belleek
marks
 On
the banks of the River Erne, on the border between Fermanagh and
Donegal, lies Belleek, home of Ireland's oldest pottery.
For more than 137 years this little village has been famous for
its distinctive parian china. Today Belleek holds a special place
in the hearts of china collectors the world over.
The area hosts a cosmopolitan tourist population every year and
many return to the village year after year.
When you purchase a piece of Belleek china you become the owner
of a truly original piece of Irish craftsmanship, made using materials
and techniques handed down from generation to generation. No two
pieces are ever the same.
There were three founders, William Armstrong, (technical founder)
John
Caldwell (provided the land required) Bloomfield and David McBirney
(provided the capital required).
Belleek's reputation has been built on product excellence and only
Belleek
of the very highest quality is ever put on sale. Back in 1857 the
pottery's
founder John Caldwell Bloomfield declared that any piece with even
the slightest flaw should be destroyed. This rule still applies
today.
First Period Black Mark 1863-1890
The colour of the mark during this period was predominantly black
but other colours were used, amongst them red, blue, orange, green,
brown, and pink. Some pieces of Belleek also carry the British Patent Office
registation mark which gives the date of regsistration, not the date the
piece was manufactured. During this period Belleek also used impressed mark,
with the words "BELLEEK,CO. FERMANAGH"
or "BELLEEK", or a small impressed mark of a harp or
harp and crown. The latter are more usually found on Earthenware
pieces. |
