Horace Elsmore, an Englishman who learned the skill of mould making in Staffordshire with Wedgwood, came to Bo'ness in 1947. He started working in Bridgeness Pottery where he became the chief mould maker. He was also a designer and three of his hand drawn designs are shown below.
The designs shown (and similar wares from this period) were predominantly decorated with stencils and cellulose paint sprayed under pressure from a blower; a technique known as aerographing. A few of these styles had a glaze finish but the vast majority did not. This aerographing technique eliminated the need for the wares to undergo a second firing. Because these wares had not been glazed, they were not water proof and were purely decorative.
Horace enjoyed gardening and in September 1950 his garden at 30 Grahamsdyke Terrace won first prize and he was presented with a cup that had been gifted by Mr Allanwood Neilson who lived in nearby Caeredin.
After the closure of Bridgeness Pottery, Horace worked in the bakery department of the S.C.W.S. in Grangepans.
He then became the attendance officer for the local schools and also taught the art of pottery in these same schools.
He finally returned to the pottery industry around 1970 when he went to Barbara Davidson’s Larbert Pottery.
On his retirement, Horace returned to his native Staffordshire.
Horace's drawings are dated 1952/53, coinciding with the lifting of government restrictions on producing coloured and decorated wares that had been in force during the war years.
An agateware bowl signed on base: H Elsmore Bo'ness
A mug signed on base: H.E. Bo'ness 1963
Horace's tools