Silver Birch

One of my favourite china patterns!

This china pattern has special meaning for me as two of my favourite aunts each had a set of these beautiful dishes and I can remember admiring them on display in their china cabinets.   I was fortunate enough to find a set of them several years ago in an antique shop that was going out of business and ended up buying the whole set.  Since then I have also received several pieces as gifts from my sister and niece.

This beautiful china was produced by Royal Albert Bone China in England.   I have read that the woodland scene was based on an actual place in Canada.   Apparently "Royal Albert's" agent liked the scene so much that he sent photographs and pieces of birch bark and porcupine quills back to England where the pattern was then developed.   The border on the china represents the bark of the Silver Birch tree and porcupine quills.   Many years ago people would have sewn the birch bark strips together with needles made of porcupine quills and then used the larger pieces of birch bark for other purposes.    

It's an interesting story for a china pattern.