Clarice Cliff Feature Articles

This was the first recorded Blackbird shaped pie funnel in England.  It was designed by Clarice Cliff who always enjoyed “a little fun with her work” - on this occasion by producing the pie funnel referred to in the universally known nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence”.  Clarice’s original Blackbird  pie funnel carries the registration number '809138' which appears near the blackbirds claws. It was Clarice’s only pie vent design and was registered as '809138' during the latter part of 1935.

The design was first registered and licensed by A J Wilkinson Ltd.  Teams of younger and newer paintresses applied the underglaze yellow and black on the Blackbirds, and these were sold in boxes of 144.  Her humour also extended to the advertising of these pie funnels as two blackbirds were shown pecking out of a pie with the funnel in the middle.  Many thousands of these were made and hand-painted by newcomers who had joined the factory in 1934, among them the late Doris Johnson and Bizarre girl Edna Cheetham, our only surviving Bizarre girl alongside other girls such as Mollie Browne and May Booth.  Edna once remarked that she painted so many she was sick of the sight of them!  They were such a consistent ‘good earner’ as they were shipped out all over the world and the licence for these was constantly updated.  Copies started appearing in 1951.

When Clarice sold the pottery after her husband’s death on 13th December 1963, the design was taken over by Midwinter until 1968 after which it was out of licence. Stamps include 'Wilkinson', 'Newport Pottery', 'Made in England' and 'Midwinter England'.

Since that time there have been many copyists of this simple but fun, practical item.  I even found one marked “Portugal” inside and promptly sent it off to Len for “a bit of fun!”  and as recently as the end of last year, a new reproduction came on the scene and is available from Lakeland at a price of £2.99 plus postage!  It was recently featured in a Daily Mail magazine along with UK designer Emma Bridgewater’s chicken pie!

Doreen Mann