Susan Parkinson Fish Bottle Stopper

A Parkinson Pottery bottle stopper adorned with a Modernist fish, designed by Susan Parkinson, circa 1956.

Cashmore & Smith-Vincent [1] record that the pottery was requested of bottle stoppers by the America market. Specifically, buyers in the US wanted something typically British.

First Susan created a bird topped stopper, followed by this fish. Whilst today, both these designs with their sgraffito technique epitomise post-war British studio ceramics, at the time neither could be said to be particularly British…
Correspondingly, Susan then designed the policeman’s head bottle stopper, complete with distinctive custodian helmet.

Out of all the stoppers produced by the pottery, we feel the fish is most humorous. Pulling a cork festooned with a fish from a bottle makes you feel like a resident of a higgledy-piggledy coastal village enjoying smuggled booze.

Fittingly, the fishes wide eye sees all, but from its expression we know it will say nothing…

[1] Cashmore, Carol and Vincent-Smith, Tim. 'Susan Parkinson and the Richard Parkinson Pottery' (Carol Cashmore, 2004).