Book on W.A. Ismay

I’ve preordered it -

Thanks for that Naomi. The blurb from the publishers.
           This beautiful and absorbing book explores the remarkable collection of ‘Professional Yorkshireman’ W.A. Ismay MBE (1910-2001), the UK’s most prolific collector of post-war British studio pottery.


“I really do not know any employment of money more productive of an enhancement of one’s daily life than that of buying good pots for daily use – they are so agreeable to handle that even washing-up becomes a pleasure rather than a chore!” - W.A. Ismay


W.A. Ismay amassed over 3,600 pieces by more than 500 potters between 1955 and 2001. Surrounded by his family of pots, he lived in a tiny terraced house in Wakefield, Yorkshire, and left his collection and its associated archive to the city of York upon his death. This eclectic collection contains objects created by many of the most significant potters working in the UK, such as Lucie Rie, Hans Coper, Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew, as well as examples of work by lesser-known makers. Once he discovered a potter, Ismay supported them throughout their career, carefully assembling groups of work that offer succinct visual overviews of development in style and skill.


What would become known as Ismay’s Yorkshire Tea Ceremony encapsulates all the aspects of collecting handmade pottery which were important to him. Seeing himself as a temporary custodian of his collection, rather than the owner, he was keen to allow access and share it. Ismay enjoyed inviting people into his home, encouraging them to pick up items and experience them haptically. This social side of collecting generated close friendships which are revealed through the anecdotes, gossip, obsessions, opinions and touching gestures of support documented within Ismay’s archive. The archive is a monumental and unique creation, which documents his extraordinary life and reveals intriguing glimpses into the development of his character, as well as the personal and societal changes that impacted his interests and activities.


New academic research into a little-studied collection and archive explores Ismay’s journey as a collector. This book offers fresh perspectives on a marginalized area of British modernism. Tracing the collection’s journey from private to public ownership illuminates issues surrounding the acquisition by a museum of a large personal collection and archive, revealing the transformative eff ect it has had on both curatorial practice and the ambition of regional public institutions. The W.A. Ismay Collection offers a well-documented example of the valuable contribution collectors can make to the British studio ceramics movement.


The publication of this research marks 20 years since the W.A. Ismay Collection moved from private to public ownership and to celebrate that anniversary, an exhibition of the collection will take place at York Art Gallery’s Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA)

Its a weird Old World of course. Say If Bill Ismay had decided to stuff his small terraced house with other items that might have been thought collectable. Old Magazines, Old Newspapers, tin cans, old cigarettes...or perhaps nearly anything that people thing of as worthless? Would he be lauded in a book twenty years after his death? Or would be have been the subject of one of those Trash TV progs 'Hoarding Nutcases' or such like?

Come now. 3600 pots even at the price they came at say £30 at the time is £100,000. Many cost a lot lot more so I woul say double that. Quite hard to spend 200k on newspapers. He spent a lot of money on pots

What if he had sold everything at auction and on eBay instead of donating it all. There wouldn’t have been a book then; he would have disappeared into obscurity

Bill was a librarian by professional and used those skills in collecting and cataloguing his collection from the onset. Originally, he was only going to collect Yorkshire Potters but expanded that idea very quickly. Unlike the "collecting" philpot was hinting at, Bill spent most of what he earned on his pottery. I remember Tony Hill, who used to accompanying him down from Wakefield to Harlequin Gallery Private Views telling me that they tried to persuade him to have central heating installed into his home. In fact, they even managed to get him a quote but when he saw the cost he thought the money would far more sensibly be spent on pots, as they would give him far more pleasure than being warm.

Therefore, I disagree that Bill was a hoarder, as from the beginning he set out to produce a history of studio pottery that he liked over 50 years. He rarely bought more that one pot at a PV but chose what he thought was the best.

I hope the author has gathered loads of anecdotes by those who knew him. That's what I like best, rather than dry descriptions of pots and potted bios of the potters.

The more eccentric the better in my book. People who collect pots are normally very strange indeed  

croker wrote:I  understand that Bill Ismay  was a very likeable character and i would have liked to have met him ,i have enjoyed his writings and  reviews on pots etc but to most  people including myself it seems like collecting gone mad, most of us who collect  keep it in perspective and realise we are not trying to create small museums  . I think you would have to admit that Bill Ismay does seem to be more than a little eccentric ,living as he did with no inside toilet , heating,  tv, car and only a phone in later years for incoming calls .

You might suggest that people keep their collecting in perspective and that is sound advice. However, Bill didn't just create a small museum but without his collection a significant international studio ceramics collection in York would not have been possible and he spent many years getting that to happen.

From what I have been told, Bill never sold anything he bought during his lifetime. He then spent several years towards the end of his life getting a museum in Yorkshire to take his collection in its entirety and keeping it all together and agreeing not to dispose of any of it. His original agreement was with the Yorkshire Museum in York and they were putting together a bid to get funding to build a special gallery extension to house the collection. However, during this period a decision was taken to combine all of the museums in York and make them one organisation, although on several sites and keeping their separate names. That held up the process for several years and so it was eventually done much later than originally planned and not in the origin building agreed. However, at the end of the day it turned out to be a much bigger development than Bill would have expected and had the addition of smaller but still important collections. I am referring to the Milner-White collection that the York City Art Gallery already had and the Anthony Shaw collection that joined the whole subsequently.

My memory is a little vague but I think Bill died at the point that the bringing together of the Museums was taking place.

Thanks for that input Studio. It explains a lot of the background. The book should be very interesting.
Collections often have different outcomes. The Milner White collection was split between York and Southampton Museums. While York gave it some prominence-with accompanying book- it tended to get hidden away in Southampton and not shown very well.

It's very true what you say about the Milner White collection, philpot, and I hope that you are correct about the book being interesting.

It's suggests that much of the information comes from Bill's own archive, which I am sure is extensive but my fear is that the research into producing this book started too late to add anything to the story because most of those people that could add anything have passed away or not in a position to remember.

I fear it'll just be a rehash of personal reminiscences that have already been published in the papers and journals when Ismay died

croker wrote:I will certainly buy a copy of the book  and i am hoping it will be a 'warts and all' version of Ismay's  life . It's normal to write the book first then put the play on stage  but i understand in this case the play came first  featuring actors playing Michael Cardew and Bill Ismay  the play being called 'clay fever', what next a feature film? but who will play Bill Ismay i wonder.

Toby Jones would be perfect for Bill.