Denby Pottery: Photos show historic moment as final pieces are made at renowned Derbyshire pottery firm

Roger, who has worked at Denby for 54 years, wheeled the final pieces across to the kiln for firing, accompanied by a round of applause from the firm’s employees.

It was a historic moment as the financially-stranded ceramics company officially ended production after over two centuries, following the appointment of administrators on March 31.

The very last piece, glazed in the iconic Imperial Blue, was signed by Richard Eaton, who designed the range more than 35 years ago.

In a Facebook post shared after production ended, the company said: “Centuries of making pottery at Denby may be coming to a close, but the love and soul poured into each piece will live on.

"Denby would not have been able to continue for this long without generations of dedicated, skilled people, from the kilns to customers’ homes and all the pairs of hands in between, thank you to every member of staff, past and present, for playing your part in taking care of this piece of history.

"In the memories of our skilled craftspeople, in the feel-good moments our loyal collectors enjoy with their Denby, both here and around the world, and in the hearts of the whole community who have stood together and tried their hardest to #SaveDenby in our hour of need.

"Of course, there will definitely be Denby in many peoples’ homes for years to come, it was always made to last after all.”

Denby Pottery, launched in 1809, and is renowned for producing “some of the world’s finest ceramics” over the last two centuries.

The company, which employs over 500 people, previously faced financial difficulties in 2009, before it was bought by Hilco Capital in 2010.

The firm first spoke about it’s financial struggles at the beginning of March, but after failing to find investors to rescue the historic company, Insolvency practitioners FRP Advisory were appointed as administrators for Denby on March 31.

BBC has reported that so far more than 130 workers have been made redundant, amid unsuccessful search for a rescue deal.

Last week, Sky News reported that Home Bargains were in talks to struck a deal to save Denby, but a spokesperson for FRP Advisory said the company wasn’t able to provide any comment at this stage.

A spokesperson for Denby added in a statement on Facebook: “The future is always uncertain and whilst it’s hard to comprehend what things may look like in the next weeks and months, we are so hugely proud of everything this Derbyshire pottery has achieved, it's not and has never just been about the pots.”