Churchill Blue Willow Dinner Plate, Lion Backstamp, Fine English Tableware Made in Staffordshire England
This is a Churchill Blue Willow dinner plate: English earthenware printed in cobalt to navy blue on white with the classic Willow pattern. Its scene has a weeping willow over a bridge with three figures, a pagoda and fruit tree, a zigzag fence, a boatman, an island and two birds, framed by a lattice, key fret and scroll border. On the back is a black circular Churchill mark with a reclining lion on a plinth, Made in Staffordshire England, inside FINE ENGLISH TABLEWARE, MICROWAVE, DISHWASHER SAFE, which dates it to the late 20th century or later. Listings size the dinner plate at about 10.25 inches.
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England's Willow pattern
The Willow pattern is an English invention of the late 1700s, a Chinese-style scene that has stayed in continuous production for more than 220 years. Churchill still makes its Blue Willow line in earthenware, and pieces with the modern lion backstamp carry microwave and dishwasher safe wording. Its scene is tied to a romantic legend of two lovers turned into the pair of birds at the top of the plate.
Blue and white Willow dinner plate with the Churchill lion mark
The Churchill Blue Willow dinner plate is a round, flat-rimmed English earthenware plate printed in the classic Willow pattern in a single color: blue, a strong cobalt to navy blue, on a white to soft cream-white glazed ground. Printed by transfer (transferware), the pattern has fine engraved line and dot shading. It has a wide flat rim, a shallow well and a smooth, unscalloped edge.
Center scene: the full Willow story picture. A large weeping willow leans over a humpback footbridge with three small figures crossing it; a two-story pagoda or teahouse stands at right beside a tree hung with round fruit; a zigzag fence runs across the foreground; a boat with a cabin and a single boatman floats at left; an island with small buildings sits at upper left; and two birds fly toward each other at the top. Around the well runs a dark inner border of geometric diaper patterns, interlocking circles and fretwork blocks. The rim carries the wide Willow border: a band of tiny ringed dots at the very edge, diamond lattice, Chinese key fret panels, scrolling leaves, small flowers, round coin-like medallions and larger cloud-shaped scroll cartouches.
Back: plain white glaze with a raised foot ring and a second shallow ring inside. Center of the back, printed in black: a circular mark with a reclining lion on a plinth, Churchill in bold serif type below it, then Made in / Staffordshire / England in smaller serif type, all inside a ring of capitals reading FINE ENGLISH TABLEWARE, MICROWAVE and DISHWASHER SAFE separated by dots.
On this copy: not measured; listings for the same plate give about 10.25 inches. The print is bright with no fading. A few small white specks in the print near the fence and pagoda look like transfer skips or tiny glaze nicks. No chips or cracks were seen on the rim, and the back has light wear on the foot ring.
- Maker: Churchill, Staffordshire, England
- Pattern: Blue Willow (Willow pattern transferware)
- Shape: Round dinner plate, wide flat rim, plain edge
- Material: Glazed earthenware
- Colors: Blue, a strong cobalt to navy, on white to cream-white
- Center: Willow tree, bridge with three figures, pagoda, fruit tree, fence, boat, island, two birds
- Border: Lattice, key fret panels, scrolls, flowers, coin medallions, cloud cartouches
- Backstamp: Black lion on a plinth, Churchill, Made in Staffordshire England, Fine English Tableware, Microwave, Dishwasher Safe
- Listed size: About 10.25 in. per listings
- This copy: Not measured; bright print, a few small white specks in the print, no chips or cracks seen
Back: FINE ENGLISH TABLEWARE Churchill Made in Staffordshire England MICROWAVE • DISHWASHER SAFE
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Comparable listings, ranked by delivered price
Live listings on ebay.com, checked October 2026. Asking prices, not sold prices.
| Listing | Price | Shipping | Delivered | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Churchill England Willow Blue Dinner Plate 10.25in eBay | $14.98 | $7.72 | $22.70 | Listed | View ↗ |
| Churchill Blue Willow Set of 3 eBay | $24.99 | $10.82 | $35.81 | Listed | View ↗ |
| Churchill Blue Willow Dinner Plates Set of 2 eBay | $28.79 | $9.06 | $37.85 | Listed | View ↗ |
| Churchill Blue Willow Set of 4 eBay | $32.98 | $12.99 | $45.97 | Listed | View ↗ |
About the Churchill Blue Willow Dinner Plate
What does the lion mark on the back of my Blue Willow plate mean?
The reclining lion with Churchill under it is the backstamp of Churchill, a Staffordshire, England pottery. The ring of words, Fine English Tableware, Microwave, Dishwasher Safe, marks it as a modern piece.
How old is a Churchill Blue Willow plate?
Plates with the microwave and dishwasher safe backstamp are late 20th century or newer. The mark carries no date, and Churchill still makes the pattern.
How do I tell Churchill Blue Willow from other Willow plates?
Turn it over. Many potteries made Willow; the Churchill lion backstamp and the words Made in Staffordshire England identify this one. Other English, American and Japanese makers of Willow used their own marks.
Is Churchill Blue Willow worth anything?
Single Churchill Blue Willow dinner plates have been listed on eBay at about $8 to $15 each before shipping.