Norman Cope (1925 - 1943)

Early Career and the Burslem School of Art

On leaving school, Norman got a job as an Apprentice Designer at Spode Pottery, but was soon dissatisfied with the monotony of painting flowers on plates. From 1938, he was a pupil at The Burslem School of Art, progressing from the Junior Art Department in 1940. It was here that he began his friendship with John Hancock (Shelton) and Arthur Berry.

Edinburgh College of Art and Tragic Loss

In October 1943, Norman was accepted into The Edinburgh College of Art after being awarded an Andrew Grant Bequest Scholarship of £60 (5 years). During his brief time there, Berry and Hancock visited him at his lodgings in Bread Street. Norman was totally focused on his work and had embraced his image as an artist, dressing in a dark suit and tie with a long black coat and centre-parted hair. The three friends were reunited at the fateful Burslem School of Art Christmas Ball. During the course of the evening, Norman fell backwards down the stairs and died the following morning from a fractured skull. He was only 18.

Preservation of His Legacy

His brother, Stanley, travelled to Edinburgh to collect Norman's possessions, including all his works and letters. These were kept locked in a small room at the family home in Wells Street (now Welby Street), Fenton, by his mother who in her grief could not bear to look at them. After her death in 1970, the collection was looked after by the family, with some pieces donated to the museum in Hanley.

Exhibitions and Recognition

In 2012, Barewall hosted an exhibition called The Burslem Boys, where Norman Cope, Arthur Berry, and John Shelton's works were brought together for the first time since Norman's early death in 1943. A solo exhibition followed in 2014 at Barewall. Only 40 original paintings existed in the estate, including works like Self Portrait 1943 and Adam and Eve 1943, and almost all were sold to raise money for a headstone for Norman and his sister at a cemetery in Fenton, Stoke on Trent. Norman Cope was affectionately called 'Copey' by Arthur Berry in his acclaimed autobiography 'A Three And Sevenpence Halfpenny Man'. His Portrait of a Fellow Student N.Cope 1943, depicting Arthur Berry, was included in the Lowry and Berry: Observers of Urban Life exhibition at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, which Barewall co-curated with the City Museum (July 2015 to January 2016).