Kirkland Tellwright with some of his Staffordshire collection.
In retirement, he lives with his wife on a small farm where they board mares and foals for the local stud farm, “so I'm not yet watching daytime TV,” he remarks. He also has an extensive collection of Staffordshire figures and is president of the Staffordshire Figure Association. Here he recounts how his collection started and grew to more than 700 items.
ATG: Why are Staffordshire figures worth collecting?
Kirkland Tellwright: A good Staffordshire figure is an object of beauty and one can admire both its intrinsic charm and the craftsmanship involved in its manufacture.
The subject matter provides an insight into the social and political landscape of its time. Topics include the humorous, such as Courting Under Difficulty which shows a young man up a ladder, at the bedroom window of a girl, both of them unaware of the approach of the girl’s father, who is armed with a pitchfork. Perhaps it is derived from a scene in some contemporary theatre production.
How has their popularity changed?
They were produced throughout Queen Victoria’s reign and remained on the collecting spectrum throughout the 20th century, until enjoying a considerable resurgence in the years either side of the millennium, before declining in popularity in recent years, victim of the fashion for uncluttered mantlepieces.
Every fashion comes and goes and, apart from the enjoyment of their intrinsic appeal, this is a great time to collect Staffordshire figures, as their price is a fraction of what it was 25 years ago.
How and when did you get the collecting bug?
Looking back to the enthusiasm with which I browsed the Hornby catalogue, I confess that I have an addictive trait that leaves me a potential hostage to fortune. Having capitalised on the opportunity to buy brown furniture at low prices in recent years, I stumbled into the knowledge that Staffordshire figures had suffered a similar fall from favour. An aunt was glad to clear her bookshelf of PD Gordon Pugh’s definitive guide to Staffordshire figures and the rest, as they say, is history.
What drew you to Staffordshire figures in particular?
Commonplace Staffordshire figures had existed on the mantlepieces of my grandparents’ home and they therefore had a strong nostalgic appeal to me.
My first piece was Trinity College, Cambridge, given to me by an aunt when my grandparents’ house was sold, the piece arriving with the message ‘Take me to Sydnall’ (our house at that time) on a a little flag lodged in one of the spill holders.
Trinity College, Cambridge, Kirkland’s first Staffordshire item, with the label added by his aunt still in place.
In addition, my father’s family worked in The Potteries and I have always felt wistful about my generation being the first to break that link with Stoke-on-Trent, so an involvement with Staffordshire figures offers a tenuous re-connection to that past.
Does your collection have a focus?
My mentors in The Staffordshire Figure Association tell me that my collection lacks focus, but I buy what I like and that’s focus enough for me.
Where do you find items to buy?
I buy the majority of pieces at online auction via the two main auction platforms, but I do buy and sell a bit with fellow collectors.
How would you describe your collecting habit?
At risk of clinical diagnosis.
Are you still adding to your collection?
Yes, I’m certainly adding to my collection and I hope to do so until my dying day. That said, I have brought a degree of refinement to my hobby and it was a relief to all when I quietly dropped the hope that I might one day have an example of every piece ever made.
Courting Under Difficulty.
Nowadays, I do try to focus on pieces which complement what I already have – unless I see something that I really like, in which case, I’ll probably have a bash at it.
What is the most you have ever spent on an item for your collection?
One quickly discovers that certain pieces continue to be very collectable, so the price of these few pieces is considerably more than that of pieces that are more widely available.
Military figures, mostly Crimean.
The rarest well-decorated Crimean War figures fetch over £1000, but there’s certainly no need to spend more than a fraction of that to acquire a delightful piece. The average cost of pieces in my collection would be around £70, so many cost much less than that.
Is there a notable discovery you have made that you are particularly proud of?
It’s always an occasion for inward rejoicing when one sources a pair to a figure, particularly if the pair is not recorded in any of the reference books. I bought a job lot of figures at auction last month and, on collecting them, I discovered that in addition to the obvious piece there was another chap in the background who pairs with a piece at home.
How extensive is your collection?
Certainly north of 700 figures, but I’m not counting, as that might lead to trouble on the home front.
How do you store and display your collection?
I am lucky to have a relatively tolerant wife, though she put her foot down firmly a few years ago, announcing that no more figures were to come into the house, as a result of which one is counted out for every new arrival invited in.
That led to my storing pieces in an old farm building and, with hindsight, it facilitated my buying on a larger scale.
This year’'s project has been the creation of a man cave in the barn, so that I now have about half of the collection either in the house or on display, but several hundred remain on pallet racking in the barn. I have promised the latter that I will install shelves to bring a little dignity to their existence.
Do you ever sell items from your collection?
I often see a piece that I want in an auction lot of six or so pieces, the rest of which I don’t want, so I have an invaluable friend who is an online trader and he has shifted hundreds of figures for me. I do also buy and sell a bit with fellow collectors in The Staffordshire Figure Association.
Do you also collect anything else?
No! I’d be shot, if I was caught.
What advice would you give a young collector?
Collecting is a good plan! You’ll have many worse plans in the course of your life, so get stuck into this one. Staffordshire figures make a good subject and it is a great time to get involved. Boring though it may sound, remember that practice makes one a better player. Research will pay dividends, so buy PD Gordon Pugh’s book and look at figures either in museums or private collections.
Irish politicians: Daniel O’Connell (twice), Thomas Sexton, Theobald Wolfe Tone, Lord Edward FitzGerald, Henry Joy McCracken.
Consider joining The Staffordshire Figure Association or, at least, have a good look at the website. First-year membership of The Staffordshire Figure Association is free, many members would be happy to show you their collection and, in any event, there are images of many good figures on the association’s website.
The best way to learn is by handling pieces, so buy some that you like at prices you can afford and, in the case of the inevitable mistakes, sell them and move on. You’ll learn through the process so what you lose in monetary terms, you gain in experience. You know you lose money on a football season ticket or a golf club membership, so don’t stew over losing money if you have to cut your losses on a piece.
What aspect of collecting gives you most pleasure?
My man cave is new to me, and I love sitting in it, my mind drifting around what the assembled pieces were made to represent and whether I will have the chance to collect those that are missing.
Combing through online catalogues offers the possibility of excitement at every page turned.
Visiting fellow collectors is always an adventure.
What does the Staffordshire Figure Association do and what does your role there involve?
In my early years, I collected by solo mission, but I bumped into an association member and was invited to see their collection. I had reservations about breaking cover as a collector, but I decided to take up the invitation reasoning that, if I didn’t enjoy the experience, I would be able to disappear back into the shadows.
In the event, it turned out to be one of those serendipitous moments in my life, providing access to good collections and wise counsel that has brought great benefit to my collecting. There’s nothing wrong with collecting on one’s own but one will be a better collector for embracing mentorship, helping to short-circuit the learning process.
Irish politicians: Daniel O’Connell (twice), Thomas Sexton, Theobald Wolfe Tone, Lord Edward FitzGerald, Henry Joy McCracken.
The Staffordshire Figure Association provides a forum for those interested in Staffordshire figures, we have a very good website, quarterly newsletters and we meet as an association once per year, with more informal meetings taking place between members.
Although I’m president, I am far from one of the association’s most knowledgeable members, indicating that we welcome the involvement of enthusiasts, whatever their level of knowledge. Our contact details are on the website and we don’t bite.
As the saying goes: “Don’t just think about it, get on and give it a go.”
