The Blue Willow Pattern

One of the best-loved and most keenly collected china patterns of all time, the ornate Blue Willow or Willow pattern was introduced into England's potteries in the late 1700s as a copy of a Chinese illustration of an ancient Chinese legend from the days of the mandarins.

The blue-and-white pattern was made popular by Thomas Minton but was never exclusive to one company and has long been a staple pattern for many chinaware makers.

Over time, some variations crept into the pattern, just as a good story will change a bit from one storyteller to the next - which makes Blue Willow a fascinating choice for china collectors!

Today you'll find the Blue Willow pattern appearing on many different houseware and decorative products, but my fascination with the pattern began in childhood, when my grandmother's Blue Willow platter was brought triumphantly to the center of the dinner table for every holiday feast, so my heart lies with the dinnerware.

It's still possible to find lovely antique pieces for sale or at auctions, but for daily use you'll find the modern Blue Willow tableware by the likes of Royal Stafford, Churchill, or Johnson Brothers is a practical choice and faithful to the beloved 18th century china pattern.

If you can have only one piece of the Blue Willow pattern china, you might want to consider a serving platter. It's not only one of the most useful, practical and versatile serving pieces you can have on hand for a big family feast, the traditional blue and white in a larger scale has a way of looking like a work of art whether it's on display or in use at the table.

This video tells the story of the Blue Willow pattern, a tale of star-crossed lovers in the mysterious Orient, long ago, who fled across the bridge to escape an angry father, died tragically, and were turned into a pair of beautiful birds. Their love story is memorialized in this traditional china pattern.

Original music here is by Jim Pryts, who also reads the poem, author unknown. Like many of us, Jim has fond memories of eating dinner from his mother's Blue Willow china and daydreaming over the story that forever unfolds on the dishes and plates.

Whether you choose a Blue Willow pattern from the Churchill potteries or from Johnson Brothers - or perhaps you'll decide mix and match a collection of antique Blue Willow pieces from different makers, as you build your collection - a creamer is one piece where you can cheerfully have multiples in different styles. We've used a creamer to serve pickles and relishes, sometimes, when there weren't enough small condiment dishes to fill out a buffet table.

Established in 1795, Churchill China of England with its sister company Sampson Bridgwood began producing the Blue Willow dinnerware in 1818 in the heart of the English "potteries."

Perhaps best known today for its award-winning Old Britain Castles pattern of the 1950s, Johnson Brothers was founded in the 1880s in England, and today operates as part of the renowned Wedgewood Group although production was moved to China in 2003.

If you're looking for a small item to begin or add to a Blue Willow china collection, salt and pepper shakers are an affordable choice - and a must-have item for any collector of salt and pepper shakers, too. Choose your preferred style of shakers to go with the Johnson Bros. version of the Blue Willow pattern dinner service - the conventional smooth cellar shape or the charming figures of the romantic lovers from the legend. Keep your eye open for shakers in small pagoda shapes, not unlike like the Oriental buildings that are pictured on the china, too - they're getting hard to find as they're so much in demand by collectors.