Arthur Wood Iridescent Cube Teapot

An iridescent, patented cube teapot from 1920s England. Made by Arthur Wood pottery. Second-hand.

Maker: Arthur Wood Pottery

Availability: Out of stock.

Stock ID: 959

Arthur Wood Cube Teapot

This is an early example of the patented cube teapot, made during the 1920s by Arthur Wood pottery of Stoke and Trent, England. It is the original, small version finished in a high-gloss, iridescent glaze over a cream base and hand-painted, gold-coloured highlights. It holds enough for two cups of tea.

The design was perfected by its inventor Robert Crawford Johnson and registered by him in 1917. The cube is in fact the largest-selling, patented tea pot to date. It incorporated a non-drip spout, cutaway handle and locking lid into a compact cube which had obvious advantages in professional catering. The teapot was famously used by the Cunard Line in their ships and by the Lyons Corner House tea rooms.

The Cube was eventually made by several manufacturers under licence with a wide variety of colours, glazes and decorations, including Arthur Wood, Gibson & Sons, E Brain & Co (Foley Bone China), Wedgwood & Co, George Clews, TG Green, Myott, Grimwades, Jackson and Godling.

The cube form was also copied to other items such as water jugs , milk jugs, sugar bowls, etc. Versions were also made in metal, notably T Wilkinson & Sons, who made silver plated examples with handles in ebony and cane. The Cube teapot is a complete area of collecting all on its own.

Arthur Wood maker's mark

It was made in the 1920's by the Arthur Wood pottery of Stoke & Trent, Staffordshire. Arthur Wood was the first producer of the cube teapot, followed by other manufacturers over time. The first trade advert for the cube was by Arthur Wood in 1920, in the pottery gazette. The maker's mark is possibly from the second half of the 1920s and reads: