The mark is for New Hall Pottery Co Ltd which traded in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, from 1899 to 1956. During the early years of the twentieth century, the firm was mainly known for the production of toilet sets and jugs, in 1908 producing and selling more than 50,000 toilet sets of the Waverley shape alone. After the First World War, demand for these pieces slackened and the firm turned towards producing dinner and hotel wares. Trading was difficult in the years before the Second World War but production was allowed to continue during it, mainly for supplying the armed forces, and was able to return to normal afterwards with an overseas trade nearly exceeding that of past years until the firm ceased trading in 1956.

A variety of marks were used of which the one seen here was the simplest version. Since it also appears on toilet sets, a similar date of production seems likely and perhaps these vases were a part of the attempt to diversify as the demand for the staple product of the business was beginning to decline. Certainly, while modest pieces in themselves, they do have something of an ‘Art Deco’ look and can be regarded as amusing decorative items today.