Portmeirion Birds Of Britain Framed Test Tile, Field Fare, B138
Portmeirion

A Portmeirion Birds Of Britain Framed Test Reference Tile, Field Fare, Designed By Susan Williams-Ellis.

These rectangular tiles were used in the Portmeirion Factory to test many things in preparation for or even during the length of time that the particular range was in in production for. Colour, positioning, size, quality, all checked to perfection before full production ensued. Normally kept as archive material for past and future reference, this tile is a pure piece of history of Portmeirion Pottery. This is a slice of Susan Williams-Ellis’s pure genius, professionally framed to perfection in a shadow box, mirroring the brand colours of the company and enhancing the uniqueness of this amazing tile.

These are a true collectors item for any serious collector of Portmeirion Birds of Britain. This shadow box framed tile looks so stylish, a true work of art.

Approx Dimensions:- 

20.5 in (52 cm) x 18 in (46 cm) x 1.75 in ( 4 cm)

Birds of Britain

Susan Williams-Ellis originally conceived the idea for a Birds Of Britain range in 1974. The beautiful and highly decorative illustrations were taken from the book 'Natural History Of British Birds' by E. Donovan. The range launched in 1977, initially exclusively to John Lewis in the UK and Bitossi in Italy then to all other distributers in 1978. This design became most popular in the USA and Europe but for some reason not so much in the UK, which Susan could never understand. The Barn Owl was removed to please the Italian market, where they were considered an ill omen, and the Black Cock was removed as it's name was thought to discourage sales. These two designs have since become highly collectable as they are much rarer than others, as they were discontinued in 1985. The whole range was discontinued around 1997, although some special orders were still available up to 2002.