UK Dinnerware Designer Billy Lloyd Receives QEST Scholarship Award

Photographed by John Stone. Congratulations are definitely in order….here’s the official photograph of UK designer and friend, Billy Lloyd, receiving his recent QEST Scholarship from Alec McQuin, the President of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. 

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) makes awards ranging between £1,000 and £18,000 to craftsmen and women of all ages to help them further their careers. Since 1991 the Trust has awarded £2.4 million to 339 craftspeople aged between 17 and 50 plus for study, training and work experience.

QEST, the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, was established in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Association and the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The Trustees look for well thought out projects, which will contribute to the pool of talent in the UK and reflect the excellence of British Craftsmanship as symbolised by the Royal Warrant of Appointment.

Billy Lloyd gained a BA (Hons) Ceramics from Camberwell College of Art and Design and completed a year apprenticeship with Lisa Hammond at Maze Hill Pottery before embarking upon a four-year apprenticeship with QEST scholar and renowned potter, Julian Stair. Billy has been successfully designing and making bespoke ceramic tableware and interior accessories for a wide range of clients since he established his own studio in 2011.

The QEST funding will enable Billy to attend a one-to-one master course with Ceramic Designer, Ed Bentley at his workshop, Manifold Craft Barn in Staffordshire, home of The Potteries. This intensive collaboration will ensure that he can move into the next phase of his making career and become proficient in plaster model and mould making, thus developing his skills as a designer and maker of durable tableware suitable for batch production from his own studio.

Billy Lloyd’s work in dinnerware has found its way to restaurants like Coya Restaurant in London and Bubbledogs’ Kitchen Table, also in London, retailers such as The Newcraftsmen, and many more locations. Lloyd’s style is very simple, but pleasant and practical. Lloyd now has his own studio in London where his brilliance is brought to life. 

Congratulations, Billy….well done. We’re looking forward to your next inspirations. 

You can find out more about designer Billy Lloyd by going here:
 http://www.tabletopjournal.com/journal-page/billy-lloyd-designing-in-london-appealing-to-the-world