Aller Vale was an art pottery near Newton Abbot in south Devon, closely associated with John Phillips, who developed it into a significant maker of decorative earthenware in the late nineteenth century. It is one of the best known of the Torquay potteries, a group of Devon workshops using the local red clay.
Aller Vale is especially associated with motto ware, pieces decorated in coloured slip with scrolling patterns and inscribed with proverbs, rhymes or dialect sayings, the lettering scratched through the slip to reveal the red body beneath. These were sold widely as souvenirs to visitors to the West Country. The pottery also made vases, jugs and other ornamental wares with slip-painted flowers, scrolls and Art Nouveau-influenced designs, and it enjoyed royal and fashionable patronage. In 1901 Aller Vale merged with the nearby Watcombe Pottery to form the Royal Aller Vale and Watcombe Pottery Company. Collectors look for clear impressed marks, unusual patterns or inscriptions, good colour and crisp decoration. Chips and crazing are common because of the soft earthenware body, and pieces in good condition with appealing mottoes are the most desirable.
