Troika : A Brief History : Part 3
In 1980, the staff found themselves on a three-day week but by late 1983, the bank called in their loans and Illsley had to sell his home. Illsley’s main concern was for his staff and he managed to place them in positions with other potteries. Troika was finally closed in December 1983 by Illsley, the assets being virtually worthless.
Leslie Illsley renewed his interest in painting after the pottery closed. However, in the late 1980s he was diagnosed with cancer and died on 20th March 1989. Benny Sirota ran a gallery in Wells, Somerset up to quite recently.
Today, he owns an art supply store somewhere in the West Country. If he would like to contact Deco-dreams, we’d love to hear from him!
In the 1990s, there was apparently an effort to restart the pottery, headed by Roland Bence, a former decorator. However, the rights to the name are owned by Illsley’s widow, Judith, who declined the offer.
