Tuesday Cuppa Tea, FREE BATES tshirt Drawing, Burleigh, Middleport Pottery

Happy New Year and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea! Many blogs have been on break, and it will be good to catch up  with everyone. I am a bit late due to the Downton Abbey season 3 opener last night in the usual blog writing window. I was afraid, considering how much I have loved the other 2 seasons, it might be disappointing. Not so. A wonderful 1st installment!

In honor of that, I am having a giveaway....

This is just for fun!!! Are you a fan of the star crossed lovers Bates & Anna? Well a friend knew I was and sent me some tea shirts proclaiming the cry: FREE BATES!  So...I am giving away 3 of the t shirts. We only have L and M left. So...if you want to sport your own Downton FRE BATES t shirt...please leave a comment...we will draw next Monday and announce the winners on Tuesday. Cheers!

Please comment below. If you don't have a blog, please leave an email below. Also...I am not google +, although I amy have to join, so I can't communicate with all of you, so please leave an email address, or check back to see if you are a winner.  The comments field are below, along with the linky for your tea related posts and a list of some of the blogs I am joining.

BUT...on to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!

Today I have Burleigh, England's Asiatic pheasant. Burleigh, by Burgess and Leigh has made this famous pattern since the mid Victorian era, although this set dates to the 1970s. Several potteries made it since it first appeared in 1750. The pattern comes in several different colors. Fow more into on the teacup trio at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos.

This is a photo I took 2 years ago at Fortnum & Mason's tea rooms in London of the pattern as it is still made in the UK today. Burleigh has manufactured it's wares at Middleport Pottery, in Sataffordshire for a century, but in 2011 the pottery was saved from destruction by Prince Charles, who's Prince's Regeneration Trust stepped in to save it. Middleport was the last existing Victorian working pottery. I was thrilled! Work began on a restoration last year in 2012.

In the middle photo you can see the so-called bottle kiln still standing. Bottle kilns at one time dotted the Stoke-on-Trent area, but few remain standing. Middleport will house a working visitor center, hands-on exhibits and musem. Fabulous!

To read more about Burleigh, the process and what they sell, click on this link:

Burleigh Middleport Pottery

For more info on the Prince's Regeneration Trust and their plans for Middleport Pottery, click on this link:

Prince's Regeneration Trust 

I also found a great video of Stephen Moore visiting the mould (or mold to Yanks) store room at Burleigh that I loved. What history:




Middleport Pottery's Mould Collection with Steven Moore from The Prince's Regeneration Trust on Vimeo.

So have a great day visiting the other blogs. The linky is below.

Common Ground ~ http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com

Monday Marketplace

Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday

Trisha~  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/ 
Tea Party Tuesday

Sandi  ~  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Teatime Tuesday

Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness

Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ 

Tea On Tuesday
Miss Kathy ~http://thewritersreverie.blogspot.com/

Tuesday Tea       

Michelle ~ http://www.finchrest.com/

Tea On Tuesday

Betty ~ http://teacoziecottage.blogspot.ca/

Tea Tuesday

Phyllis ~ http://www.relevanttealeaf.blogspot.com/

Tea On Tuesday

Shawn ~ http://poetryinapotoftea.blogspot.com/

Poetry In A Pot Of Tea

Bernideen’s ~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/

Friends Sharing Tea Wednesday

 Ivy And Elephants ~http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

What’s It Wednesday                                           

Sandi  ~  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Home On Wednesday

 A Tea Lover     ~http://the-teaist.blogspot.com/

Tea Talk Wednesday