Byley Meeting October 25th 2025- Please see Dates for your Diary for full details.
If you would like a sales table at this friendly meeting, please email Liz Frood on tpcsmembership@gmail.com Thank you!
The Society is very grateful to Julie McKenna who made a very generous donation to the Society of the pots that belonged to her late husnand, Derek. The pots sold at Society meetings over the course of the year, with the remaining items being sold at the AGM. The proceeds have gone to Society funds.
October 2025
Very rare Watcombe tankard- with a Bridge theme and personalised. On-line auction sale at £139.00
AGM 2025 – Despite the road closures the AGM was well attended and enjoyed by all. As ever some great pots were to be found on the very well stocked sales tables.
The auction was also a great success with very few lots remaining unsold. For details of prices realised please see Grand Auction 2025 page.
We do hope as many of you as possible are able to attend the Northern Area Meeting at Byley Village Hall on Saturday 25th October – see Dates for Your Diary for full details.
There is a 2 day sale on October 16 & 17 at Rendells of Ashburton in Devon and a large collection of Torquay Pottery owned by former members of the Society is included. Here are a few photos. More on the Facebook page
September 2025
Blanche Vulliamy Torquay Pottery Grotesque Goblin Vase h15cm Circa 1905- sold for £450.00- On line Auction
The Society launched a new publication at its AGM meeting, September 2025.’The Aller Vale Art Pottery’ gives a history of the pottery from the catalogue of the past Society 1986 exhibition, and features images of all the Aller Vale exhibits from that exhibition, as at the time only a few were pictured in the original catalogue. Compiled by Peter Whight, the catalogue also includes all the Aller Vale terracotta pieces donated to the Exeter Museum by the Pottery’s founder, John Phillips.
The booklet costs £8.00 + postage and packing – we have sold a number at our meeting – but at the moment only 50 were printed…
Please contact Liz Frood, our products manager, tpcsproducts@gmail.com
Also available a new publication by Oliver Towers. “Blanche Vulliamy and Torquay” A bringing together in one place of a seies of articles, with updates, first published in the “Scandy” magazine. Published by Oliver Towers. Oliver kindly dontaed some copies to the society and these are also available from the products manager at £8.00.
THE THORNHILL BEQUEST
The Torquay Pottery Collectors Society is extremely grateful to former member, the late Brian Thornhill, who lived Nr. Gosport and bequeathed his collection of Torquay pots to the Society. This was a hugely generous gesture, and the pots were sold by Rendells Auctioneers in Ashburton, Near Newton Abbot in South Devon. This was after TPCS committee member Nick Roberts had visited Brian’s wife and photographed every item , prior to delivering all the pots to the saleroom, during a subsequent visit to the West Country.
In all some 40 lots went under the gavel, and a total of £1077.00 was raised. After the dreaded auction expenses, a net total of £852.24 has been banked by the Society, which is a most welcome windfall.
Top price was £120.00 paid for this unusual jug, made by the Tor Vale Pottery (1910-1913) with a stylised cat designed by John Barker.
Our grateful thanks go to Brian Thornhill’s family.