Dorothy began work in the ‘Litho’ room at Royal Worcester in 1937 at the age of 14. ‘Lithography’ was the process of transferring patterns from a print onto china using a chemical reaction. At first Dorothy hated it and didn’t stay long, moving to Williamson’s Tin Factory. However she returned to Royal Worcester in 1944 and remained for another 40 years. When she came back the department was in disarray with a back log of failed work. She was put in charge and slowly sorted things out. Over the next decades Dorothy and her sister Betty were instrumental in managing the china and porcelain lithography departments, and supporting the ‘Litho’ girls, often school leavers or ladies working from home. A precious memory for Dorothy is going to Buckingham Palace to present a dessert service to the Queen in 1977.  She retired in 1983.

EXTRACT Dorothy visiting Buckingham Palace in 1977. Duration 1.41

Copyright Museum of Royal Worcester

You can listen to Dorothy’s full interview by clicking on the YouTube video below. You can also download a PDF with a detailed summary of Dorothy’s interview via the download button below.