Our collection contains a large number of moulds. These were either in the Crown Lynn factory when it closed, or else dug out of the ground near the factory by Richard Quinn.

The moulds were made by mould makers, and were created from models made by modellers….

How does the casting process work? How Crown Lynn modelled, moulded and cast wares is described below.

Before a piece can become a reality, an idea needs to be taken from a drawing and made into a plaster of Paris model. The idea can come from a designer, from an overseas design, or from the modeller himself. Tam Mitchell, shown below, was adept at turning Dave Jenkin’s rough sketches into models.

The modelling process:

Model (positive)

The modeller would take a block of plaster and carefully carve it into the shape of the finished object. It would be made slightly bigger to allow for shrinkage of the clay.

Block mould (negative)

This was the first mould that would be used to make some trial pieces, but also to produce the case.

Case (positive)

The case was the mould used to make production moulds from.

Production moulds (negative)

These moulds were used in the slip casting process where liquid clay, known as ‘slip’, was poured into the hollow mould. The clay would then form a skin inside the mould and any excess clay is poured out to leave a hollow form. These had a limited life, so new ones had to be repeatedly made.

Finished product (positive)

These photos show moulds being used in the factory and are from our collection.