When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
25 Piece Fine Bone China from Longton, UK post WWII - 5x5 Set.
Includes Dinner Plate, Salad Plate, Side Plate, Tea Cup and Saucer.
Please see images, one tea cup has small chip/crack on lip, and one tea has a chip on the side lip. Those are the only 2 issues with the entire set. Small chips are relatively easy to repair with specialized epoxy.
There are no cracks, crazing, stains, or marks with the exception of the above mentioned and photographed chips.The clear backstamp reads:
CLIFTON
Bone China
England means:
* Clifton refers to the Clifton Works in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent (the heart of England’s pottery industry).
* The maker was Mayer & Sherratt, who operated the Clifton Works from around 1906 to 1941. They produced fine bone china and often used the trade name Melba (or Melba Bone China) on their pieces.
* After wartime restrictions closed the factory in 1941, it reopened post-war (around 1946) as the Melba China Co. Ltd., continuing similar production. Many pieces from both periods carry “Clifton Bone China England” or variations with “Melba.”
* Your mark (simple “Clifton Bone China England” in blue script) is a standard one used on their decorative tea ware.
About your piece:
This matches the style of early-to-mid 20th-century English bone china (roughly 1920s–1950s). Key features visible across your photos:
* Translucent white bone china body (typical of English bone china, which contains real bone ash for strength and delicacy).
* Hand-decorated or transfer-printed floral motif: a golden urn/basket overflowing with pink and yellow roses, blue flowers, and greenery.
* Ornate blue scrollwork and gold gilding on the rims, handles, and saucers.
* Scalloped (wavy) edges with gold trim.
* Elegant curved handle with gold accents.
This floral-urn pattern with blue-and-gold borders is a classic decorative design from the Clifton/Melba lines. It doesn’t appear to have a widely documented specific name (many were just numbered internally, like #XXXX patterns), but similar floral-bouquet-with-urn motifs are common in their tea services from that era.
Age and value
* Likely dates to the 1920s–1950s (pre- or post-war production under Mayer & Sherratt or the later Melba company).
* These were popular, affordable-yet-elegant tea sets for British households.
Please feel free to ask questions or request more pictures and I will reply ASAP.
Thank you for looking!
