Nellie
(Nell) McCredie, (or Nen as she was called by her family) named after her
mother was born in Concord, Sydney on the 27th of May 1901, there
were siblings Robert, Allan, Ina and
George. Nell was one of the earliest
female architecture graduates from the University of Sydney. She studied under Leslie Wilkinson
(1882-1973), first Professor then Dean of Architecture at the University and
she graduated in 1923. She was a draughtsperson
for the Sydney Harbour Bridge project before moving to Queensland to work for
what was to become their Housing Commission between 1925-29.
Nell was the niece of
George McCredie, an early politician in NSW who built the property “Linnwood”
in Guildford, an innovative property for its time. Maybe this is where Nell got her love of architecture, because
George’s brother Arthur was also an architect.
Nell
returned to Sydney in 1932 and began making pottery with her brother Robert
Reginald (Bob) McCredie , (b Epping NSW 1916-d Pennent Hills, NSW 1995) named
after their father. Nell had studied
with L.J.Harvey who was a significant figure in the development of the
arts in Queensland. He was a remarkable
potter and wood carver, it was Harvey's teaching methods that placed him as a
central figure in the state's thriving arts scene. Lewis Jarvis Harvey (1871–1949) was the most important
practitioner and teacher in the Arts and Crafts Movement in Queensland; he was
a noted teacher, sculptor, woodcarver and potter and influenced generations of
craft students.
She
operated a pottery studio over a shop (now demolished) in George Street,
opposite Wynyard Railway Station, Sydney, New South Wales. Nell
also taught pottery at the YWCA.
Potters Emily Bryce Carter c.1932 and Dorothy May Hope (Domay)
c.1941 first learnt pottery at McCredie's studio. Nell’s work and that of her students was fired in the kiln at her
home at 17 Stanley Road, Epping.
In 1933 or 1934
her brother Bob (Robert) McCredie (1910-1985) joined her. Together they made
domestic ware for supply to gift shops and restaurants. Nell also made one-off
pieces, winning the Arts & Crafts Society's Elizabeth Soderberg Memorial
Award for pottery in 1947 and 1951.
After Nell died on the 2nd of November 1968, Bob continued to
operate the pottery until he retired in 1974.
It is hard to say whether these were made by Nell or her brother because
of the design.
Those of you who
have been following this blog will have seen the Tremar ramekins on an earlier
post. These ramekins look like they
could have been made at Tremar. This
pottery operated in Cornwall from 1962 and made earthenware that paid homage to
their Celtic past. As I have said in
other posts, design copyright was viewed somewhat flexibly by some Australian
potters. This looks like another
example.
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