M1 Metcalfe Lion (Wembley Lion)

The M1 Wembley Lion was designed by Sir Percy Metcalfe for the Wembley 'British Empire Exhibition' of 1924 and 1925. An original Ashtead Potters sales sheet describes this model as 'Metcalfe Lion' though it is often referred to as 'Wembley Lion' among collectors of Ashtead pottery. This may be due to the reference in Edward Hallam's book.

The Metcalfe Lion is an impressive piece standing 14.5 inches (36.9cm) tall and designed in the Art Deco style. Marked M1, this was catalogued as the first of the 'M models' for Ashtead Potters and was produced in a number of glazes including 'd' Celadon as above and also 'm' Orange, as well as other plain glazes. The piece is also marked with a 'Crescent' which is the date code for 1927.

The original Metcalfe lion retailed at 60/- (60 shillings) in plain glaze and 120/- (120 shillings) in special orange which was extremely difficult to produce. A smaller, similar model was also produced M2 Lion of Industry. This is not just a scaled-down version but is of differing design.