This lovely lifetime dinnerware with authentic, restful scenes of rural England will bring a touch of incomparable beauty and elegance to your table for a carefree meal or any special occasion. (From a 1962 newspaper advertisement)

{HISTORY}

Made in England in 1962 by Wedgwood and Co, this beautiful dinner plate features the Country Blue pattern - a pastoral English scene complete with a bridge, a castle, and a rolling countryside setting. Long known for their high quality and captivating designs, the Wedgwood family had been manufacturing dishware for three centuries by the time this plate was made. 

In the 1960s, if you shopped at Sav-Way in Vermont, or National in Michigan, or Mayfair in California you would have spotted the Countryside dish pattern in your weekly shopping circular.  A popular grocery store promotion throughout the 1960s, the Countryside pattern was a collectible dinnerware set available piece by piece for a limited time. Offering shopper incentives for significantly reduced prices, as opposed to buying them through a dishware retailer, these were deals of the day that made owning a superior set of well-crafted dishware a possibility for all home cooks.  If the pattern caught your heart, and you participated each week, by the end of the promotion you could acquire a complete set with all the components including serving pieces, and accessories. 

That makes this plate not only a gorgeous example of Wedgwood's world-renowned quality and craftsmanship but also a great example of creative midcentury marketing for the food market crowd. A joy on both fronts!

Advertisement courtesy of the Fresno Bee, April 20th, 1966

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Countryside Pattern

- colors include navy blue and white

- Stamped on the back with maker's mark, pattern name and manufacturing date

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition. There are no chips or cracks. The glaze is very shiny and bright and there are no utensil marks.

{SIZE} 

Measures just a smidge under 10" inches in diameter and weighs 1.3 lbs

{STYLE IDEA}

Vintage blue and white dishware looks beautiful with these other mismatched blue and white pieces as well as these ironstone dinner plates and these whiteware pieces.