A PLAQUE paying tribute to one of the best-known figures of the pottery industry has been unveiled.

Clarice Cliff has been recognised at the house in Tunstall where she lived for more than two decades and where she produced some of the first examples of her ground-breaking work.

Clarice, who in 1927 launched the distinctive Bizarre ware which now sells for thousands of pounds, moved with her family from the place of her birth in Meir Street to Edwards Street, now Fuller Street, in 1906.

She stayed there for 22 years, during which time she embarked on the career which made her name.

It was in the basement of the house, towards the end of her time there, that Clarice produced some of her earliest work.

And yesterday, members of the original Clarice Cliff Collectors' Club gathered at the address to unveil the result of months of planning and hard work.

In September, club committee member Peggy Wilson visited the area from her home in London and was surprised to see there was no recognition of the building's significance.

She said: "She was here when her Bizarre range was launched and became an instant success.

"Clarice Cliff lived here for 22 years and they were epoch-making times when all her main creations were evolved."

After consulting fellow committee members Adam Cunningham, from Southampton, and Terry Abbotts, of Kidsgrove, it was decided to approach the homeowners for permission to attach a plaque to their home.

The design could not be one of the familiar blue and white English Heritage designs, which are only used in London, so Terry, who spent 28 years working as a ceramic artist at Royal Doulton, set to work on his own design following an initial idea by Adam.

The result is an aluminium plaque, printed and produced by Stoke-based Colour Concepts, based upon Clarice's Orange Autumn design, which has been fixed to the corner terrace house.

The plaque bears the name of the house's famous occupant, when she lived there and the club's website address.

Terry said: "The house has been recognised in print many times but there has never been a plaque and when Peggy came to visit she wondered why. That is why we are here today."

Local historian and Sentinel contributor Fred Hughes said the recognition was long overdue and, although the Potteries recognised her work, no-one had got around to creating a permanent marker to Clarice.

He said: "Clarice Cliff is clearly one of the Potteries' foremost designers of pottery and this has been recognised quite recently in the value and collectability of some of her creations.

"Quite rightly, the collectors' club has decided that the house where she lived should be marked by a plaque."

After the unveiling of the plaque, and a short speech by Peggy, the party made their way to Burslem's Leopard pub, which Clarice is known to have visited with family and friends.