Leslie HarradineLeslie Harradine was one of Royal Doulton's most prolific figurine modelers from 1920 until the mid 1950s. He first joined the Doulton Lambeth studio as an apprentice in 1902 working under George Tinworth while studying at the Camberwell School of Arts. From there he went on to work in the Royal Doulton design department.

Despite his interest and skill in figure modeling, Leslie was required to design vases for the Lambeth Art Studios for most of his time--something he was not happy doing. Charles Noke offered Leslie a job as a figure designer at the Burslem works but he refused. He did, however agree to send Noke some samples of his models on a freelance basis. As a result, in 1920 the first of his Royal Doulton figures, 'Contentment' HN395, was released.

Harradine loved children and produced a series of "Child Studies" which were very popular with the buying public and stayed in production for many years as did his "Nursery Rhyme" series. Harradine continued to provide a regular supply of figures to Royal Doulton for almost forty years.

Margaret "Peggy" Davies Peggy Davies was born in Burslem only a stone's throw from the Royal Doulton Burslem works. She eventually became one of Doulton's foremost and most highly regarded figure modellers. Her creativity was a major feature of Royal Doulton sculptures for many years where she modelled more than 250 different figures.

Peggy's career with Royal Doulton began in 1939, when she took a position with Royal Doulton as assistant to Cecil Noke, son of the renowned Charles Noke, and simultaneously set up a small workshop at home. The Second World War interrupted her employment with Doulton when a bomb partly destroyed her home. She decided to join the war effort and became a nurse. After the war, she returned to her first love and set up a new workshop at home. From there she worked freelance under contract to Royal Doulton and produced a long stream of new figure models for the Doulton HN series.

The versatility of Peggy Davies has amazed collectors ever since her Doulton career began. Her figurines portray all periods of fashion from medieval to modern times. Among her best loved figurines are Southern Belle, Christmas Morn, Ninette and Victoria.

Adrian Hughes Adrian started working for Royal Doulton in 1980. He compares his creative process to reading, which moves the reader to imagine and visualize the scenes presented by the words. He prefers working with modeler's clay, rather than more modern materials such as wax, as it allows him to be more fluid in his approach. He is an ambitious modeler, inspired by the adventurous approach to figurative design currently encouraged by Royal Doulton and constantly striving for improvement to produce the finest ceramics possible. Adrian's recent works includes An Afternoon Stroll HN4957 and Glad Tidings Christmas Tableau HN5130.

Valerie Annand Valerie has developed a very particular style of Royal Doulton figures. Her ladies are a fantasy of frills and movement, attributes well-loved by many collectors. Unlike her formally trained colleagues, Glasgow-born Valerie is a self taught artist who came to figure modeling by way of designing greeting cards. Her flowing designs are found in both the standard collection and in various limited edition series such as The British Sporting Heritage, the 1996 Figure of the Year, Belle (HN3703) and Rose Garden (HN4559).

Alan Maslankowski Alan Maslankowski came to Royal Doulton as a trainee modeler in 1968. His first piece, The Owl, was launched as part of the flambé collection in 1970 and was re-issued in a small limited edition in early 2007. At age 15, recognizing his future potential, Royal Doulton sent him to art school for 5 years. Even during this period, Alan produced several animal models that were accepted for production. After leaving art school, Alan worked for a time at the John Beswick Studio. He then left to pursue a freelance career, but did not entirely sever his connections with Royal Doulton. In 1990, Alan returned to Doulton as a resident artist revealing the breadth and depth of his incredible skill by creating over 250 different sculptures. His work has ranged from historical pieces, child subjects, animals, the "Art is Life" collection and more stylized figures in the "Images" collections. His figures include The Wizard (HN2877), Napoleon at Waterloo (HN3429) and a number of child studies. Alan is particularly well known for his large Prestige sculptures such as The Charge of the Light Brigade (HN4486), Henry V at Agincourt (HN3947), St George (HN4371), Alexander the Great (HN4481) and Pony Express (HN4842/HN4896). Sadly, Royal Doulton lost a great talent when Alan died of a heart attack in September 2006.

Douglas V. Tootle Douglas Tootle joined Royal Doulton as a modeler in the late 1960s after completing his training at the Burslem School of Art. His first figures to be added to the HN collection were launched in 1973. Among these was the dramatic and different Masque (HN2554). Douglas left Royal Doulton in 1974 to pursue a freelance career. In the 1980s, however, Doulton issued a collection of figures modeled by Douglas but inspired by Leslie Harradine's figures of the 1930s. Douglas has also contributed figures for the "Images" and "Reflections" ranges, but his most spectacular models are the large scale Columbine (HN2738) and Harlequin (HN2737) figures, which were introduced in 1982 with an alternative colorway being issued in 1993.

Robert Tabbenor As a child Robert Tabbenor was always interested in painting and drawing and loved to play with modeling clay. Despite growing up in Stoke-on-Trent, he had no experience in the pottery industry before joining Royal Doulton. Still, the idea of sculpture fascinated him and he craved a career in art. Under the guidance of Eric Griffiths, his talent flourished and in 1982 his first figure, All Aboard (HN2940) was introduced. He later modeled several character figures as Royal Doulton International Collectors Club exclusives, as well as child studies and several figures from the "Images" collection. Robert has also worked on experimental projects at the factory and is currently Studio Head.

William K. Harper William Harper worked as a designer with a number of other ceramic companies before joining Royal Doulton as a freelance modeler in 1973. At Royal Doulton, character studies became his forté. A number of his figures followed on smoothly from the styles and themes set by Mary Nicholl, but are indisputably in William's own style. He is also responsible for the London series and portrait figures of Charlie Chaplin (HN2771) and Groucho Marx (HN2777). A friendly, charming man, William often attends Doulton Fairs and collectors meetings where he delights in talking to collectors about his figures and the stories behind them.

Charles Noke Born in Worcester, Charles Noke was the son of a well respected antique dealer. From an early age he showed a great interest in the contents of his father's shop, particularly his private collection of vases and figures. R. W. Binns, Art Director of the newly reformed Worcester Royal Porcelain Company, admired Charles' appreciation of antique ceramic art and invited him to spend time wandering around the factory. Charles ended most of his visits to the factory at the modeling room of James Hadley who allowed Charles to take home some modeling clay to practice. Charles' samples showed great promise and eventually led to an apprenticeship at Hadley & Binns.

After serving his apprenticeship for sixteen years, Charles accepted an offer from Royal Doulton in 1889 and moved to the potteries. His first pieces for Doulton appeared at the Chicago World Fair and won him great acclaim. He was eventually responsible for launching Royal Doulton's famous HN collection of Figurines and he continued to produce several innovative designs in ornamental ceramics that are still highly prized today including Kingsware, Loving Cups and Character Jugs. The subject matter ranges from historical characters and events to popular characters in literature and theater, popular pastimes and sports. Along with Fred Moore, Noke was also instrumental in developing the gorgeous Flambé wares.

Mary Nicholl Mary Nicholl's artistic talents came to light at an early age, her first commission coming when she was only 12 years old. Her father was a well-known painter who encouraged Mary's talent and supervised her artistic education. After showing some of Mary's terracotta figures to a friend of his at Royal Doulton, a meeting was arranged between her and C.J. Noke. Noke considered Mary's figures unsuitable for reproduction in bone china or earthenware, but was impressed with her modeling talents. Mary spent some time at Burslem to study the techniques and style required for Royal Doulton figures. While there, she was able to adapt her style and another successful and fruitful collaboration began.

Although Mary Nicholl passed away in 1974, her creations live on in collections all over the world. She is perhaps best known for her seafaring characters, which still bring a salty tang of her Devonshire home wherever in the world they might be.

Nada Pedley Nada Pedley was born in Slovenia in a small village near the Austrian border. Figurine modeling started as a hobby but soon became her primary interest. She studied art in evening classes in Germany and England before joining the Royal Doulton family. Her first Doulton figure was Bunny's Bedtime (HN3370), which was offered exclusively to members of the Royal Doulton International Collectors Club in 1991. Since then she has contributed many child studies and pretty lady figures for the collection in her own distinctive style. Her work includes classically styled ladies in Victorian dress and young girls occupied with simple rural pursuits, such as feeding and playing with animals. Nada's infectious personality and her joy in life are always reflected in her work.

Pauline Parsons A sculpture graduate from the Manchester School of Art, Pauline Parsons first approached Royal Doulton in 1977 with a desire to model character pieces for the HN collection. Her first figure issued was The Lawyer (HN3041). However, she eventually turned her attention to pretty lady figures, contributing several to the "Vanity Fair" range. Perhaps her most famous figure is Sleepy Darling (HN2953), the first figure to be commissioned solely for members of the Royal Doulton International Collectors Club. More recently, her historical style limited edition figures such as "The Queens of the Realm" and "The Tudor Princesses" have found favor with collectors.

Peter Gee When Peter Gee first applied for a job as caster at the Royal Crown Derby factory, some clay models he brought with him caused a considerable amount of interest. That interest earned him an apprenticeship at Royal Doulton where Peter's first figure, Rachel (HN2919), was introduced in 1981. Since then, Peter has demonstrated his versatility by modeling a wide range of figures ranging from The Balloon Boy (HN2934) to the Reynolds Ladies and Gainsborough Ladies by way of Isadora (HN2938) and probably the most popular of the Figures of the Year, Amy (HN3316).

Neil Faulkner Neil's career at Royal Doulton spans 30 years and he's specialised in royal commemorative designs, collector's plates and series such as Brambly Hedge and Winnie The Pooh. His skillful talent can be seen in such pieces as Emma - 2011 Figure of Year (HN5426) and the elegant and beautiful Samantha (HN5260), made of bone china and meticulously detailed. Neil was also responsible for the artwork commemorating HRH Elizabeth the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. His family has inspired his designs. His daughter Alexandra was the model for the Silent Night plate and his wife and children appeared on Bedtime Story. He adapts his painting technique according to the design and exhibits his paintings at galleries in London.