Spode Gardens of Lyra
Welcome to the Gardens of Lyra
An exclusive collaboration with Spode.
Afternoon Tea has been a daily ritual at Fortnum & Mason for centuries. We have been tea importers and traders since 1707 and time has taught us that extraordinary tea is best appreciated with a fine china tea set.
In celebration of the enduring joy of taking tea, Fortnum’s has brought together one of the world’s best ceramicists, Spode, and internationally-renowned artist Paul Scott, to create the Gardens of Lyra tea collection. Made in the heart of The Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent, the home of British ceramics, Spode is the original fine bone china producer and has a magnificent 250 year history in ceramic making.
Afternoon Tea at home will be even more wonderful with the Gardens of Lyra.
Famed for its Blue Italian collection, Spode has grown to be renowned globally since Josiah Spode I first opened up shop in 1776. Josiah was recognized as the first potter to use the technique of transfer printing on to earthenware in 1784 – still seen throughout Spode’s famous Blue Italian collection that was first created in 1816 during Britain’s Industrial Revolution.
The Gardens of Lyra is our third exclusive collaboration with Spode. For the first time ever we turned their iconic Blue Italian deep green, and then black and cranberry. Maintaining its delicate beauty, together with Spode, we reimagined the Italian collection and in another first, each collection has been made from fine bone china, instead of earthenware.
Famed for his characteristic blue and white artworks in glazed ceramic, Cumbrian-based artist Paul Scott’s work has also earned him a global reputation. Working in collaboration, the mythical Gardens of Lyra was created. Inspired by images of tea plantations from around the world and their surrounding landscapes, and drawing inspiration from the famous Willow pattern and the chinoiserie nature of this iconic design, Scott has collaged and cloned transferware details from Spode’s extensive and intricate archive to create a collection exclusively for Fortnum’s, and it seemed only fitting to return back to Spode’s and Scott’s blue.
Scott’s original engravings carry feint scratches, marks or ‘blemishes’ in their surface, which when printed are realised in delicate lines and fading graphics, a kind of beauty only bestowed by repeated use and the passage of time.
Each item in the 11 piece collection is delicately scalloped, bringing a stylish playfulness to your table. Afternoon Tea at home will be even more wonderful with the Gardens of Lyra.
Each piece comes beautifully gift boxed.