Portmeirion Totem Coffee Set - Susan Williams-Ellis, England c.1960

Portmeirion Pottery takes its name from the extraordinary Italianate village on the coast of North Wales, built by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis over decades as a personal monument to colour, whimsy and architectural salvage. When his daughter Susan Williams-Ellis took over the creative direction of the pottery in the early 1960s, she brought the same spirit of bold, unapologetic design to British tableware — and Totem was the result.

Launched in 1963, Totem was unlike anything else on the British market. Where most tableware of the period played it safe, Susan Williams-Ellis looked to ancient symbolic motifs — geometric grids, starburst forms, folk medallions, compass roses — and rendered them in deep, tactile relief against a rich honey-brown glaze. Each piece in a set carries a different motif, meaning no two mugs are the same. It was distinctive, collectable by design, and it captured the imagination of a generation.

This is a generous and well-matched set: six mugs each carrying a different Totem relief motif, six saucers, a cream jug and an open sugar bowl — all in the characteristic warm ochre-brown glaze. All pieces bear the oval Portmeirion Totem / Susan Williams-Ellis / Stoke / Made in England backstamp. The set is in good vintage condition throughout — a proper, usable collection that displays beautifully grouped or individually.

Six mugs each with a different relief-moulded Totem motif — geometric grid, starburst, compass rose, folk cross and more. Six matching saucers. Cream jug with relief decoration. Open sugar bowl with relief motif. Warm honey-brown ochre glaze throughout. Oval Portmeirion Totem / Susan Williams-Ellis / Stoke / Made in England backstamp. Designed by Susan Williams-Ellis, produced from 1963. Made in Stoke-on-Trent, England.

Light wear consistent with age and use. No chips or cracks noted. Glaze in good order throughout.