Emma Bossons

Emma Bossons was born in Congleton, Cheshire in 1976. Her early years were spent close to her birthplace, on a dairy farm in the picturesque Cheshire countryside. The farm was a great place for a young Emma to play and learn. Today she can still remember the wonder that she felt when seeing the farmyard animals for the first time. Here, running free, she was able to be express herself. This freedom of expression is something that she still treasures today, as through her designs she can define herself, her ideals, beliefs and hopes.

Even in her early school years, Emma showed a strong interest in art. Her parents had taught her to never be afraid to try, no matter whether she failed or not. As a result of her art classes, Emma developed a strong interest in watercolour painting. What she had not already been taught at school, she taught herself in her own time. Whilst working in a local restaurant, Emma sold her watercolours as a sideline to fund her true calling. It was at the same time that, encouraged and supported by her family, she began exhibiting her artwork in exhibitions around the country, such as the British Society of Painters Exhibition in Yorkshire. She was subsequently made a Friend of the Society.

Emma naturally progressed from watercolours to painting ceramics at Masons Ironstone in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. While she knew that this was neither the job nor the company for her forever, she felt it was a step in the right direction towards her final goal - though, as yet, she was unsure what her final goal was to be.

On a well-earned day off, together with her mum, Emma visited the Moorcroft factory shop. “I was literally bowled over by what I saw when I first stepped into Moorcroft. I was going there to help my mum choose a gift, and I left with both a perfect present and the overwhelming desire to work at the factory one day. As soon as I saw the depth of colour and quality of work, I decided to write my application.”

Emma’s initial interview was conducted in the Moorcroft Museum. “I remember staring at the pots in the cabinets and feeling very humble.” Though nervous, Emma knew that this was what she had been waiting for. This was what she wanted to be a part of, a small company, a close knit family and a firm that promoted and encouraged young talent and potential. “I left after my first day thinking I really want to work here and nowhere else”.

Emma’s arrival at Moorcroft in 1996 was at a time when Hugh Edwards was looking to expand the availability of quality Moorcroft designs. After the success of her first Open Weekend staff design, Emma was invited to create a design in the Moorcroft idiom. That design was later to become known as Victoriana, a piece of artwork that richly deserved the accolades piled on it. Victoriana was the Collectors’ Club piece for 1998. It was a runaway success with members of the Club, and Emma had her first real insight into how greatly admired and sought after her designs were becoming. Since then, Emma has become a leading member of the Moorcroft Design Studio and can now be credited with a number of collectors’ best loved pieces, including the beautiful Queen's Choice range.