At Nicholas Mosse, we are humbled and delighted to know that our pottery plays a supporting role in many of your fondest family moments.
A quiet mug of tea or coffee in the middle of a hectic day, the gift of a ceramic lamp or jug to someone you know building their collection, family meals with the table resplendent with our handmade dinner plates. We recognise that our heritage is also yours.
To mark the start of a new year, we thought we’d provide 17 fabulous facts about Nicholas Mosse that you may not know. Perhaps the next time your hands are curled around your favourite mug, you can share some of these with friends and family:
- The first piece of pottery Nick ever created was a small jug for his mother when he was nine. Painted white and decorated with small yellow flowers, the jug (complete with matching sugar bowl) now has pride of place within our café at Bennetsbridge in Kilkenny, the home of Nicholas Mosse Pottery.
- Nick learnt his trade in England and Japan before coming back to Ireland to champion the style of spongeware pottery in 1976.
- Our pottery studio, shop and café all reside within a converted flour mill that dates from the 1800’s and proudly sits on the banks of the Nore River, just 10 minutes from Kilkenny, Ireland.
- Most people’s love affair with our pottery starts with a single mug. They build their collection over years, combining different collections with various Lawn pieces in order to mix and match collections.
- Over 100,000 visitors pass through the doors of our Irish studio shop and café each year, making Nicholas Mosse Pottery a destination spot along Ireland’s Ancient East
- Our handmade pottery is currently sold in 8 countries; Ireland, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, France, Japan and Australia.
- You can buy our pottery online or in any of the 8 countries above, but you have to come to our Irish Country Shop in Bennettsbridge, Kilkenny to avail of the treasures that might await you in our ‘seconds’ area. It is the only one in the world.
- All our pottery is hand-decorated, so no two pieces are ever exactly the same.
- We have not one, not two, but twelve different bowl types… so whether it’s peaches or potatoes, pies or pasta, we can make it look great.
- Susan Mosse, who married Nicholas Mosse in 1976, is the artist behind the pattern on each and every collection.
- Our studio is situated just 10 minutes drive from the medieval town of Kilkenny, which is famed for its culture, craft and shopping.
- Our head decorator, Michael Holden has worked with us for nearly 38 years and has created astounding hand painted ceramics for both Pope and President alike.
- Each piece of our pottery goes through a rigorous 20-step process before it earns a place on our shop floor. It’s not just throw, cook, glaze and paint for us!
- Nicholas Mosse Pottery was one of the first companies in Ireland to harness the power of the Nore River to supply the electricity needed to run its business independently.
- Yellow is a colour that doesn’t feature very heavily in any collection because it looks insipid next to the soft ochre colour of the clay.
- Between the pottery studio, the packing area, stock room, shop and café, Nicholas Mosse is proud to employ over 80 people annually;
- And finally, a new pattern is unveiled every January following months of design and deliberation. Last year they added the White colour to their Lawn range along with new shapes. What do you think this years will be? (for teasers of what is to come, make sure you are following us on Facebook)