In 1952 Stella Chambers started as a Burnisher at Royal Worcester after leaving school at the age of 15. Burnishers used sand and agate to polish the porcelain and make the gold work shiny. Stella started on cups and tableware but soon moved onto Ornamental Burnishing, initially working through a backlog of rich ornamental work that had piled up over time. She particularly remembers doing the military and royal models, especially Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. She took 11 years off to bring up her children, then returned to the Burnishing Department for a further 23 years.

EXTRACT Stella on her first day in the Burnishers.  Duration 0.44

Copyright Museum of Royal Worcester

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