Worcester—The Royal Porcelain Works.
There are three things for which the “faithful city” of Worcester, so celebrated in history for its loyalty, is at the present day especially famous. These are its porcelain, its gloves, and its sauce. For who has not drunk out of or seen “Worcester china,” worn “Dent’s gloves,” or tasted “Lea and Perrin’s Worcestershire sauce”? These three are things which are identified with its name wherever Worcester is heard of, and, in the minds of some people, take precedence of its glorious cathedral, its tomb of King John, or its exquisitely beautiful shrine of Prince Arthur. With the first of these only I have now to do, and its history is one of great interest, as connected with that of the general porcelain manufacture of the kingdom.
At a time when foreign china was much sought after, when Fulham, Chelsea, Bow, and Derby were gradually working their way into favour, and gaining ground on their foreign rivals in the estimation of people of taste, Worcester was quietly experimentalising in the same direction, and gradually paving the way for the establishment of those works which have since become so great a benefit to it, and so great an honour to the country. Exactly in the middle of the last century these experiments were carried on, and the works were soon afterwards established, and rapidly grew into note. So rapidly, indeed, did the ware made at this manufactory come into repute, that in the year following the opening of the works it was noticed in the Gentleman’s Magazine, and in 1763 was alluded to in the “Annual Register.”
Fig. 451.—Portrait of Dr. Wall.
The “faithful city” was indebted for the establishment of its pottery to the exertions and scientific researches of Dr. John Wall, a physician of that city. The learned doctor was born at Powick, a village in Worcestershire, in the year 1708. His father was a tradesman in Worcester, of which city he served the office of mayor in 1703; he was descended from a good family in Herefordshire. Dr. Wall’s father dying while he was young, he was educated at the King’s School, Worcester, and in 1726 became a scholar at Worcester College, Oxford. Nine years later, at the age of twenty-seven, he became a fellow of Merton College. Having studied at Oxford and at St. Thomas’s Hospital, he in 1739 took his degree, and commenced practice in Worcester. He married Catherine Sandys, cousin to the first Lord Sandys. Dr. Wall, besides being a clever practitioner and an excellent chemist, was also an artist of great ability; he painted historical pictures with great judgment, and his conceptions were sometimes marked with considerable originality and grandeur. One of his principal pictures is that of the founder, &c., in the hall of Merton College, Oxford—a painting[72] he presented to that college in 1765. Of his other works, his “Brutus condemning his Sons,” “The Head of Pompey brought to Cæsar” (now at Hagley), “Regulus returning to Carthage,” “Queen Eleanor sucking the Poison from the Arm of Edward I.,” “Elijah fed by the Ravens,” “Moses striking the Rock,” “The School of Physic,” “The Shunamite’s Child restored,” and “The Head of St. John the Baptist,” are among the best. He also etched some remarkably clever plates, and designed the stained-glass window in the bishop’s private chapel at Hartlebury, the “Presentation of Christ in the Temple,” a window at Oriel College, and others. Dr. Wall was also the author of several medical works, and was eminently instrumental in bringing the Malvern waters into public notice. He was also one of the most zealous supporters of the Worcestershire Infirmary.
Dr. Wall, besides his other accomplishments, was, as has already been intimated, an excellent practical chemist; his laboratory was at No. 33, Broad Street. He turned his attention more particularly to experimentalising on materials which might be used for the manufacture of porcelain; and in 1751, about a year after the establishment of the works at Derby, and while those at Chelsea and Bow were being carried on, he brought his experiments to a successful issue; the result being the discovery of a body of surpassing excellence.
It has been said, and there is indeed a traditional belief in the fact, that the mainspring of Dr. Wall’s experiments was a political one, and that he was induced to turn his attention to the subject in the hope of introducing into Worcester a new branch of manufacture, by which “the low party of the county” might be enabled, by the votes it would command, “to stand a competition for members of parliament with the ministerial or popular party.”[73] I cannot, however, for a moment, and, despite all that has been brought forward on the matter, believe that this was the motive power by which Dr. Wall, a man of high intellect and attainments, and of noble character, was impelled to the prosecution of his inquiries; but that for the good of science and of commerce alone, and with a knowledge that a branch of manufacture of the kind, if once well established, must be lucrative to its possessors and advantageous to the city, he was induced to work hard and zealously in his laboratory until he had mastered the difficulties which surrounded him, and had produced a material that should successfully rival the foreign examples which he took for his model. However, be this as it may, in the year 1751 success had so far attended his labours that he formed a company for the manufacture of porcelain in Worcester, and thus laid the foundation of that manufacture which has been carried on with uninterrupted success for a century and quarter.
The “Worcester Porcelain Company,” founded, then, in 1751 by Dr. Wall, consisted of several gentlemen who joined him in his undertaking, and thus formed a “joint-stock company” for the manufacture of the chinaware on the principle he had discovered. The names of these proprietors from 1751 to 1772 were Dr. Wall, Richard Holdship, Rev. Benjamin Blayney, Samuel Bradley, Rev. Samuel Pritchett, Wm. Oliver, David Henry (in place of Richard Holdship), Wm. Davis, John Salway, Germain Lavie, Rev. Thomas Vernon, Mary Blayney, Richard Cook, Henry Cook, and John Thorneloe. The company thus formed commenced its operations in a fine old mansion, formerly the residence of the Warmstrey family, in Warmstrey Slip and Palace Row, nearly adjoining the bishop’s palace; the grounds at the back, at that time beautifully laid out, running down to the banks of the Severn, and commanding a delightful view of the valley, and of the Malvern and Abberley hills beyond.
“The mansion of the Warmstrey family,” says a local writer, in 1837, “is conjectured to have been occupied as far back as the reign of Henry VII. and Henry VIII., by Sir William Windsor, second Lord Windsor, an ancestor of the late Earl of Plymouth. On the first floor of the house is a parlour, wainscoted round with oak, and over the fire-place is a very curious specimen of armorial ensigns, carved in wood, and bearing the marks of great age. They are the arms of Sir William Windsor, second Lord Windsor, the distinguished nobleman just alluded to, and such as are borne by the Earls of Plymouth. The arms are quartered as follows:—
“1. Windsor—gules a saltire ar. between twelve cross crosslets, or. 2. Blount—barry nebulæ of six, or and sable. 3. Eckingham—azure, fretty, argent. 4. Beauchamp of Hatch, co. of Somerset—vairy, argent and azure; Crest; a buck’s head gardent, couped at the neck, ar.
“The arms have supporters, and underneath them is this motto or inscription—‘Stemmata quid faciunt?’
“The late Earl of Plymouth, when inspecting the process of the porcelain works a few years back, with his sister, the late Marchioness of Downshire, and his father-in-law, Earl Amhurst, recognised these memorials of his ancestors, and viewed them for some time with much interest.
“In 1533, reign of Henry VIII., this Sir William Windsor, second Lord Windsor, was made one of the Knights of the Bath, against the coronation of Anne Boleyn, which was performed with great solemnity at Westminster. And at the decease of the king, he was one of the twelve peers, chief mourners, who, on August 8th, 1553, attended the funeral. His lordship was buried at Bredenham, in Buckinghamshire (where the family then had estates), very splendidly, according to his quality, says Strype.
“After a lapse of ages, the family of the Plowdens occupied the mansion for some time; and ultimately this ancient edifice, about eighty-six years since, was devoted to its present purposes, and now exhibits an animating scene of art and industry, rivalling most successfully some of the finest productions of the Royal Porcelain Works of the Continent.
“A few of the old rooms are preserved in their original state, and have been much admired by some learned antiquaries, and others who delight in viewing the relics of past ages. The house forms a sort of quadrangle, with a court in the centre, and was formerly the residence of the ‘Warmstreys,’ several of whom were connected, as registrars and others, with the Cathedral Church of Worcester. The library of the house is a lofty and spacious room, wainscoted with oak, carved in various parts with different devices, and the arms of the family of ‘Warmstrey,’ viz., a cross molyn between crescents and decrescents, and impaled and quartered with the arms of other families. The fire-place is of very ample dimensions, with handsome pillars on each side, and the chimney-piece is decorated with a scroll extremely well cut. Surmounting it, the royal arms of England appear most curiously carved; and around the room may still be seen the antique book-shelves, edged with a scolloped border of green cloth, remaining quite firm in its texture. Adjoining the library, is a small study, fitted up with book-shelves in the same style.”
The family was one of considerable note, and monuments to Mrs. Cecil Warmstrey, widow of the registrar of the diocese, 1649; to the said registrar; and to Dr. Thomas Warmstrey, dean of Worcester, their son, 1661, who was a famous divine, and was one of the persons appointed by the city to treat as to terms of its surrender to the army of the parliament in 1646—are to be seen in the cathedral. The building still remains, and is now occupied by Messrs. Dent and Co. for the manufacture of gloves. The old part of the building has been entirely denuded of its ornament, and stripped of every vestige of its former grandeur; the gardens have been covered with engine-houses, scouring and dyeing rooms, and other buildings necessary to the works now carried on, and which find employment for many hundreds of people.
Warmstrey House was sold in 1707 by its then owners, the Rev. Chewning Blackmore and Abigail his wife, for the sum of £340, to William Evett, glover. On the 16th of May, 1751, the premises were leased by William Evett, glover, to Richard Holdship the younger, glover, for the term of twenty-one years, with right of renewal for a further term of twenty-one years on payment of a fine of £20, the annual rent being £30.
This Richard Holdship was one of the partners in the porcelain company, and it was, it appears, for the purposes of this company that he became lessee of the premises. The company at this time, on its first formation, appears to have consisted of Dr. John Wall, Mr. Richard Holdship, the Rev. Benjamin Blayney, and Mr. Samuel Bradley, a goldsmith, who kept the house in High Street for retailing the ware. To these were subsequently added the others named above. In 1772–4 the partners were Dr. Wall, the two William Davises, father and son, Rev. T. Vernon, Robert Hancock the engraver, and Richard Cook of London. In 1774 Hancock left the concern, and from 1776 to 1783 the two Davises and Vernon were the only proprietors.
The company at first turned its attention principally to the production of imitations of the Chinese porcelain, both in form and colour. Thus the blue and white patterns—then so general in Chinese porcelain, and the characteristic of the Nankin ware—were for a time, it appears, exclusively followed at Worcester. Some of the brilliant colours of the Japanese ceramists were, however, soon attempted, and with complete success; and by the conventional arrangement of these colours in new patterns the Worcester potters were gradually led on to more elaborate productions.
Fig. 452.
The works must have been commenced on a tolerably large scale, and have rapidly risen in importance, for in 1752—only a year after the formation of the company—the premises were very business-like in their arrangement and extensive in their proportions, and were sufficiently important to be engraved in the Gentleman’s Magazine of that year. Of that view the accompanying engraving is a reduced fac-simile, and it will show at once how soon the works had risen to a state of importance. The following explanatory references from the Magazine will make it better understood:—“Explanation. 1. St. Andrew’s. 2. Warmstrey Slip. 3. Biscuit kilns. 4. Glazing kilns. 5. Great kiln for segurs. 6. Pressing and modelling gallery. 7. Rooms for throwing, turning, and stove-drying the ware on the first floor, a, of the chamber floors. 8. The garden. 9. The yard for coals. 10. Mr. Evett’s house and garden, landlord of the premises. b. The eight windows in two large chambers, in which the ware is placed on stallions, on the east and north, where are the painters’ rooms. All the beginning of the process is carried on under the quadrangular building, ground floor, marked A; in its N.W. angle is the great rowl and ring; in the N.E. the horses turn the same, and the levigators near to the rowl. The next (on the ground floor) is the slip and treading-rooms; behind No. 4 is the glazing-room; behind 5 is the secret-room on the ground-floor.”
Accompanying this engraving, which bears the initials “J. D. delin.” (probably John Davis, one of the partners) and “J. C. sculp.” (probably J. Cave), is the following interesting note:—“N.B. A sale of this manufacture will begin at the Worcester music-meeting on Sept. 20, with great variety of ware, and, ’tis said, at a moderate price.”
This was probably the first time the Worcester goods were brought into the public market. The goods were first vended by Mr. Samuel Bradley, one of the partners, at a shop opposite the Guildhall in High Street, and afterwards in larger premises near the Cross.
The characteristic of the early ware was a peculiarly soft greenness of hue in the body, and by this, as well as the general style of ornamentation, and by the marks, Worcester specimens may without difficulty be recognised. The first mark used I believe to have been a simple letter W., but the marks are so various in the early period of the manufacture that it is most difficult, indeed impossible, to arrange them chronologically. Like the D on the Derby porcelain, which might be either the initial of the founder of the works, Duesbury, or that of the town, Derby, the Worcester ware had a W., which might be the initial of its founder, Wall, or of the city, Worcester, itself. The different varieties of the letter W which have come under my notice are the following, and these may certainly all of them be ascribed to an early period. Another distinctive mark of about the same time is the crescent, which is sometimes drawn in outline, sometimes filled in in lines, and sometimes of full blue colour. This mark is supposed to be taken, and perhaps with some probability, from the arms of the Warmstreys, which decorated the rooms used by the workmen. It is worthy of note here, that one of the marks of the Caughley or Coalport porcelain was also a crescent. As these works are said to have been established by Worcester workmen, the use of this mark may be attributed to them, and it may have had the double signification of a crescent and a C for Caughley.
Figs. 453 to 460.
As the Worcester aim was to copy, and emulate in design and material, the ceramic productions of China and Japan,—indeed, there were scarcely any others to copy from at this early period,—so it appears to have been the study of the artists to copy, or to simulate, the marks used on the productions of these foreign manufactories; and thus a great variety of marks are to be met with principally, or, I may say, entirely, drawn in blue. Some of the most characteristic and general of these I here append.
Figs. 461 to 481.
A considerable variety of other marks are to be met with, but I apprehend they are most probably but the distinctive marks of the artists employed. It must be borne in mind that in other factories the “hands” were numbered, and, as was the case at Derby, were required to attach each one his number below the general mark of the establishment. At Worcester I am not aware that such a regulation existed; and thus, probably, each artist had his “mark” instead. A few examples of these I here give:—
Figs. 482 to 511.
After a time the Dresden and Sèvres productions were studied and successfully followed at Worcester, the salmon-coloured ground and bleu de roi being excellently managed. Tea and dessert services, vases, &c., were produced in these styles, some of which are remarkable for the elegance of their painting and ornamentation. On many examples of this period the Dresden mark was used, as shown in the accompanying woodcut.
Fig. 512.
In March, 1756, “The proprietors of the Worcester China Manufacture, for the better accommodation of merchants and traders, have opened a warehouse at London House, Aldersgate Street, London, where they may be supplied every day, between the hours of nine in the morning and three in the afternoon, with a sortment of goods, wholesale, on the most reasonable terms. Orders are likewise taken and executed with dispatch for home and foreign trade.”
Fig. 513.
A remarkable bowl, apparently from a mould cast from a silver original, is of the date of the commencement of these works. It is in possession of Mrs. Barr, and bears beneath it the date
Mr. Binns also possesses specimens which may be attributed to about the same period.
In 1756, the truly important invention of printing on china, i.e. transferring printed impressions from engraved copper-plates on to the china body, is said to have been made in Worcester. At all events, it is an undoubted fact that, in 1757, the art in Worcester had arrived at a wondrous state of perfection; and it is but fair, therefore, to say that the belief in its being practised in the previous year is well founded. To have arrived at the state of perfection which is exhibited in the example to which I am alluding (a mug bearing the head of the King of Prussia, and dated 1757), must at least have been the work of months, if not of years. The invention of transfer printing is claimed, and very plausibly, for Liverpool, and is said to have been made by Mr. John Sadler, who drew up papers, and procured affidavits, for obtaining a patent, in August, 1756; on the 27th of July in that year he and his partner, Guy Green, were sworn to have printed more than twelve hundred earthenware tiles in six hours. Whether the Worcester idea was taken from Liverpool, or whether both were taken from Battersea, or whether, as is not unfrequently the case, the invention originated in two minds about the same time, without one being at all connected with the other, it is not for me now to determine. It is enough for my present purpose to say that highly finished printed goods were made at Worcester in 1757, and the dated example now in existence clearly establishes the fact that it was a work of some forethought and care. On this mug the following poem appeared in the Gentleman’s Magazine for December, 1757:—
Fig. 514.
POEM
ON SEEING AN ARM’D BUST OF THE KING OF PRUSSIA CURIOUSLY IMPRINTED ON A PORCELAIN CUP OF THE WORCESTER MANUFACTURE, WITH THE EMBLEMS OF HIS VICTORIES. INSCRIBED TO MR. JOSIAH HOLDSHIP.
Here, taught by thee, we view with raptured eyes,
Graceful and bold, the Prussian hero rise—
The royal chief, the Cæsar of the age,
Whose acts the wonder of the world engage.
The martial spirit animates his mien,
His heart intrepid, and his look serene.
There Fame, regardless else who reigns or bleeds,
With all her breath resounds his mighty deeds.
Here from whole nations in the field o’erthrown,
He points to trophies which are all his own;
While Victory gives to valour so renown’d
The blooming wreath which her own temples bound.
See where his virtues still his life expose,
And smile defiance to surrounding foes.
The intriguing Saxon see him there[74] surprise;
Here from his arms the Imperial Eagle[75] flies;
Tho’ fortune frowns,[76] unknowing how to yield,
He drives, by proxy,[77] Russia from the field.
Now, farther prest, behold him still advance,
And pour destruction on the troops[78] of France;
Before his glitt’ring arms the Swedes retire,
And mourn pale Envy’s unfulfilled desire.
Yet lo! once more by frowning fortune crost,
He sees a battle, Breslau, Bevern lost:
Yet soon, that loss retrieved, the hero gains
Immortal glory on Silesian plains.
His active spirit still disdains repose,
Resolv’d to combat with stern wintry snows;
And through the regions of her cold domain,
To stretch the triumphs of the long campaign.
What praise, ingenious Holdship, is thy due,
Who first on porcelain the fair portrait drew;
Who first alone to full perfection brought
The curious art, by rival numbers sought.
Hence shall thy skill inflame heroic souls,
Who mighty battles see round mightier bowls;
While Albion’s sons shall see their features, name,
And actions copied on the cup of fame.
Hence beauty, which repairs the waste of war,
Beauty may triumph on a china jar:
And this, perhaps, with stronger faith to trust,
Than the stain’d canvas or the marble bust.
For here, who once in youthful charms appears
May bloom uninjured for a thousand years;
May time—till now opposed in vain—defie,
And live still fair, till Nature’s self shall die.
Here may the toasts of every age be seen,
From Britain’s Gunning back to Sparta’s Queen:
And every hero history’s page can bring
From Macedonia’s down to Prussia’s king.
Perhaps the art may track the circling world.
Where’er thy Britain has her sails unfurl’d;
While wond’ring China shall with envy see,
And stoop to borrow her own arts from thee.
Cynthio.
Worcester, 20th Dec., 1757.
A different version of this poem was reprinted in the Worcester Journal of January, 1758, with the addition of a couple of lines. It is there headed:—“On seeing an armed bust of the King of Prussia curiously imprinted on a Porcelain Cup of the Worcester Manufacture, with Fame resounding her Trump and an emblematical representation of his victories: Addressed to Mr. Josiah Holdship;” and an “extempore on the compliment of imprinting the King of Prussia’s Bust being ascribed to Mr. Josiah Holdship.” The extempore being the following important lines:—
“Handcock, my friend, don’t grieve, tho’ Holdship has the praise,
’Tis yours to execute—’tis his to wear the bays.”
From this it would seem that the credit of the invention (for more information see the chapters on the Liverpool potteries and the Coalport china works) was even then a vexed question in Worcester; some ascribing it to Holdship, and others to Hancock; and, no doubt, each of those individuals claiming it for himself. Robert Hancock was an engraver of some eminence in Worcester, and “was chief engraver[79] to the Worcester Porcelain Company on its first establishment;” and it is also said he was in partnership with Dr. Wall. He died in 1817, aged eighty-seven. Valentine Green, the historian of Worcester, and a famous mezzo-tint engraver, was a pupil of Robert Hancock’s (by whom many of the plates in his “History of Worcester” are engraved), as was also James Ross, the line engraver. Valentine Green died in London in 1813, and was buried in the churchyard of St. Mary’s, Paddington, where his gravestone now stands. Hancock, it is believed, had, previously to printing on porcelain at Worcester, produced some printed plaques at Battersea, specimens of which, with his name attached, are in existence.[80]
Richard Holdship, it will have been seen, was one of the original proprietors of the Worcester works, and became, in 1751, the lessee of the premises (Warmstry House) in which the manufacturing operations were commenced. In 1759 he, conjointly with his brother Josiah Holdship, purchased the property for £600, having previously purchased some houses to the south of the works, on whose site he erected a large and commodious mansion. He, however, became bankrupt in 1761, having sold his shares in the porcelain works to Mr. David Henry, of London, for the immense sum of five shillings.
Shortly after that, Holdship appears to have left Worcester, and, as evidenced by the original deed in my own possession, in 1764 bound himself by bond and various articles of agreement, to Messrs. Duesbury and Heath, of Derby, for the making and printing china or porcelain ware. In these “articles of agreement” he is described as “Richard Holdship, of the city of Worcester, china maker,” and in it he agrees for “the sum of one hundred pounds of lawful British money,” to be paid down, and for an annuity of thirty pounds a year, to be paid to him during life, to deliver to Messrs. Duesbury and Heath, “in writing under his hand, the process now pursued by him the said Richard Holdship, in the making of china or porcelain ware, agreeable to the proofs already made (by him) at the china manufactory of the said John Heath and William Duesbury, in Derby;” also, “during his life to supply and furnish” them “with a sufficient quantity of soapy rock used in the making of china or porcelain ware, at such a price as any other china manufacturers do, shall, or may at any time hereafter give for that commodity;” and “also that he, the said Richard Holdship, shall and will during his life print, or cause to be printed, all the china or porcelain ware which the said John Heath and William Duesbury, their heirs, &c., shall from time to time have occasion to be printed, of equal skill and workmanship, and upon as reasonable terms as the said (Heath and Duesbury) can have the same done for by any other person or persons whomsoever, or agreeable to the prices now given in.” He also binds himself not to disclose or make known his process to any other persons during the continuance of these articles, nor to bequeath, sell, or communicate them to any persons, so as to take place after his death, unless the articles are cancelled during his lifetime. The agreement was to continue in force so long as Duesbury and Heath determined to carry on the business according to his process; and whenever they should decline doing so, then Holdship was to be at liberty to sell or communicate his process to any one else. At Derby, Holdship also printed stoneware. As I have stated in my account of the Derby china works, the printed ware did not appear to meet Mr. Duesbury’s views, or to be so advantageous as the higher class of goods painted by hand, for which he was famed, and thus there were constant complaints and recriminations passing between Holdship and his employers. From some of the documents I glean that his process was “for printing enamell and blew;” that he had an assistant named William Underwood; that he valued his press at £10 10s.; offered his “utensils and copper engraved plates at half prime cost;” that his “enamell collours, weight 151 lbs.,” he valued at £35, including his process for making the same; and that he proposes to “yield his process for printing enamell and blew, for which he hath been offered several hundred pounds.” How long the agreement continued I cannot say, but at all events, Holdship was still employed at Derby at the end of 1769.
Of much of the work of Robert Hancock, fortunately, there can be no possible doubt, for his name appears in full on some examples, and his initials—at least, initials believed to be his—on others. These will be seen in the accompanying engraving:—
Figs. 515 to 517.
Two of these, it will be seen, are somewhat curious, having the Chelsea anchor attached to the name of Worcester. It is a problem worth solving whether this monogram of RH conjoined was that of Robert Hancock, and, if so, whether he had previously been connected with the Chelsea works; or whether the anchor was adopted as a mark by Richard Holdship in allusion to his name, hold ship, which, it must be admitted, would be a clever and very appropriate colophon. The engraving, looked at as engraving alone, upon some of the pieces of this period, is truly beautiful and sharp; but when considered as transfer on to china paste, is very wonderful.
In Mr. Binns’s possession is a watch-back of Battersea enamel, transfer printed, bearing the initials “R. H. f.” The subject was a popular one for china and enamels, and was frequently reproduced.
Fig. 518.
Richard Hancock, it is supposed, was employed at Battersea before coming to Worcester, where he must have been settled before the date (1757) of the poem just quoted. He was an excellent engraver, as the watch-back (Fig. [518]) will testify. Examples of his engravings, transferred on to Chinese porcelain, are also preserved, and are considered to be his trial pieces from transferring on to this material.
The copper plate itself from which these foreign china specimens as well as many of the choicest known examples of Worcester china have been printed, I had myself the good fortune to discover a few years ago at Coalport. It bears the engraver’s name—R. Hancock fecit.
Vol. I.
Plate II.
HANCOCK’S ORIGINAL ENGRAVINGS, FROM CAUGHLEY AND COALPORT.
(The central group bears his name. “R. Hancock, fecit.” See pp. [234], [270].)
I know, for the first time such a thing has been done, give as an illustration (on Plate II.) impressions actually printed from this very plate engraved by Hancock a century ago.[81] On the same plate, it will be noticed, is another engraving by Hancock, of a group of children playing at “Blind Man’s Buff,” which collectors will recognise as occasionally occurring on rare examples. On Plates III. and IV. I also give, for the first time, impressions from other copper plates, to which I shall make allusion later on. Among Hancock’s pupils were Valentine Green, the historian of Worcester; James Ross, who earned a considerable local reputation; and, it is believed, Thomas Turner, afterwards of the Caughley china works. In 1769 Hancock purchased from the mortgagees of Richard Holdship the buildings he had erected, and became a partner in the china works; in which he held a sixth share. The partnership, however, did not last long, and in 1774 he was “paid out,” as appears by the following entry:—“Whereas certain controversies, differences, and disputes had arisen between the parties touching the said Robert Hancock’s share of the said stock, it was agreed by indenture, dated October 31, 1774, in order to prevent all such disputes, to purchase from him his share in said stock for the sum of £900, being exactly one-sixth.” Hancock, it is said, left the works in the same year, 1774. The group (Fig. [517]) exhibits a selection of the early transfer-printing examples of Hancock’s work and that of his clever contemporaries.
Fig. 519.—Worcester Transfer Printing.
A few years before the Chelsea works passed into the hands of Duesbury of Derby, it appears that some of the workmen migrated to Worcester, and this circumstance gave a fresh impetus to the manufacture of porcelain in that city, and enabled the proprietors of the works to produce many exquisite articles after the Dresden and Sèvres schools of art. Some examples of this Chelsea style are shown grouped on Fig. [520]. In 1776 Dr. Wall died, and was buried at the Abbey Church, Bath, in which city he had resided for some time for the benefit of his impaired and declining health. Soon after this time the works began to decline; the goods produced were far inferior to those made in former years, and their whole style, body, and finish showed an evident falling off in the management of the works. It is surely not too much to attribute this decadence in a great degree to the loss of the master mind of Dr. Wall.
Fig. 520.—Worcester China in the Chelsea style.
After many changes in proprietorship,[82] the Worcester works, in 1783, were purchased by Mr. T. Flight, a merchant of Bread Street, London, and of Hackney (who was agent to the Worcester Porcelain Company), for his sons, Joseph and John, for the sum of £3,000, including premises, models, plant, and stock, and here he established them. These two brothers were jewellers, and carried on both concerns at the same time. Under their management the works rapidly more than regained their former eminence, and became very successful. The mark used by Messrs. Flight was as follows—
simply the name in writing letters. Another mark of this period was the name, in italic capitals, impressed on the ware, sometimes with the crescent painted in blue. In 1786 Joseph Flight, one of the partners, “jeweller and china manufacturer,” advertised that he had taken Mr. Bradley’s shop, 33, High Street. Shortly afterwards he removed to larger premises, No. 45, where he received the king and queen.
Figs. 522 and 523.
Figs. 524 to 526.
In 1788 an event of great importance to the works occurred. In that year the king, George III., with Queen Charlotte and the princesses, visited Worcester, and having gone through the porcelain works, and been much pleased with the beauty of the articles manufactured, his majesty desired that the word “royal” might be prefixed to the name, and recommended the proprietors to open a show-room in London. This suggestion was at once acted upon, and a warehouse opened in Coventry Street, which secured a large and very fashionable patronage for the ware. After the king’s visit the distinctive mark of a crown was added to the marks, which at this time were the following. The subsequent changes in the proprietorship, consequent on deaths, were “Messrs. Flight and Barr”—Mr. Martin Barr having joined the concern in 1793—“Barr, Flight, and Barr,” and “Flight, Barr, and Barr” (Joseph Flight, Martin Barr, and Martin Barr, jun., and afterwards George Barr in place of the elder Martin). From 1829 till 1840 the firm was simply “Barr and Barr,” the parties being Martin and George Barr. Some of the marks I here give. Others, which were printed marks, it is scarcely worth while to engrave; they are as follows:—“Flight, Barr, and Barr”—B, the initial of Barr, scratched in the ware; “Barr, Flight, and Barr, Royal Porcelain Works, Worcester; London House, No. 1, Coventry Street,” in five lines, and surmounted by two crowns; “B.F.B.,” imprint on the ware: “Barr, Flight, and Barr, Royal Porcelain Works, Worcester; London House, Flight and Barr, Coventry Street” (within an oval), “Manufacturers to their Majesties, Prince of Wales, and Royal Family; established 1751” (surrounding the oval); the whole surmounted by a crown and the Prince of Wales’s feathers: “Flight, Barr, and Barr, Proprietors of the Royal Porcelain Works, Worcester, established 1761,” in five lines; above are the royal arms, and beneath are the Prince of Wales’s feathers, the whole within a circle; surrounding the circle is, “Manufacturers to their Majesties and the Prince Regent; London Warehouse, No. 1, Coventry Street.”
In 1786, Robert Chamberlain, who was the first apprentice to the old Worcester Porcelain Company, and who had continued with the different proprietors up to that period, commenced business for himself in premises at Diglis—the same which are now carried on by the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company. Chamberlain was a painter, and on the first establishment of his business bought his porcelain from the Caughley works (Coalbrookdale) and painted it at Worcester. In a very short time, however, he made his own, and his works soon grew into public favour and eminence. His son was an excellent artist, and a portrait of the Princess Charlotte, which he painted, is said to have given the highest satisfaction to Prince Leopold and others. The mark adopted by Chamberlain was simply his name in writing, thus, “Chamberlain’s,” or
completes the sentence.] Afterwards the following marks were used:—
Chamberlain’s,
Worcester,
& 63, Piccadilly,
London.
Chamberlain’s
Regent China,
Worcester,
& 155,
New Bond Street,
London.
Chamberlain’s,
Worcester,
& 155,
New Bond Street,
London.
Royal Porcelain Manufactory.
CHAMBERLAINS.
Chamberlain & Co., Worcester.
CHAMBERLAIN & CO.,
WORCESTER,
155, NEW BOND STREET,
& NO. 1,
COVENTRY ST.,
LONDON.
Figs. 527 to 536.
As a companion picture to the fac-simile of Dr. Wall’s works I give views of those of Chamberlain’s (Fig. [537]), and, later, of Flight and Barr’s, the latter copied from an engraving transferred to porcelain. From these the extensive character of the place will be seen. It has, however, been much increased since the amalgamation of the two establishments, and within the last few years has been almost entirely rebuilt by the present proprietors.
Fig. 537.—Chamberlain’s Worcester Porcelain Works.
The business was afterwards carried on successively by “Chamberlain and Sons” and “Chamberlain and Co.” During the continuance of the two works it is believed that by far the greater part of the entire production of porcelain in the kingdom was made at Worcester; and certainly the books and the samples of various sets still remaining in the show-rooms bear evidence both of the high patronage and the extent of orders received, and of the beauty of workmanship which the proprietary had attained in their ware. The successive changes in the proprietary were as follows:—1786–1798, Robert Chamberlain, senior, Humphrey Chamberlain, and Richard Nash (sleeping partner); 1798–1804, Humphrey Chamberlain and Robert Chamberlain, junior; 1804–1811, the same, with G. E. Boulton as sleeping partner; 1811–1827, the same, without Boulton; 1828–1840, Walter Chamberlain and John Lilly. The marks then used, from 1840 to 1850, being Chamberlain & Co., Worcester, in writing italics, and CHAMBERLAIN’S in capital letters.
In 1800, a third china manufactory was established in Worcester by Mr. Thomas Grainger, nephew of Humphrey Chamberlain, who had for many years taken an active and principal part in Chamberlain’s works. This establishment, of which a few words anon, is still continued by the son of its founder and partners under the firm of “G. Grainger and Co.”
Fig. 538.
Figs. 539 to 545.—Productions of Messrs. Chamberlain, 1851.
The two principal manufactories, those of “Flight, Barr, and Barr,” and “Chamberlain and Co.,” continued until 1840, when they amalgamated, and the two firms formed one joint-stock company. The plant and stock were removed from Warmstry House to Messrs. Chamberlain’s premises, and the works were there carried on under the style of “Chamberlain and Co.” The mark used by Chamberlain and Co. was as follows:—
From 1840 to 1847 the managing directors were Walter Chamberlain, John Lilly, and Martin and George Barr, and Fleming St. John; from 1848 to 1850 the proprietors were Walter Chamberlain and John Lilly; in 1850, Walter Chamberlain and Edward Lilly. In 1850 Mr. W. H. Kerr joined the concern, which was for a short time carried on under the style of “Chamberlain, Lilly, and Kerr;” but on the 1st of January, 1852, another change took place in the proprietary. On this occasion Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Lilly retired, and Mr. R. W. Binns entered into partnership with Mr. Kerr, and the firm was carried on under the style of “Kerr and Binns,” and “W. H. Kerr and Co.” In 1852 the works were considerably increased, in fact they may almost be said to have been then rebuilt, by Mr. Kerr, whose great desire was to make them the best constructed, and most roomy and convenient, of any porcelain works in the kingdom. In 1862 Mr. Kerr retired from the concern, and it is now carried on by a company of shareholders, Mr. R. W. Binns, F.S.A., who is one of them, holding the proud position of “Art Director,” a post for which no man is better qualified than he is. The total number of hands employed at the present time is between five and six hundred.
Fig. 546.
Figs. 547 and 548.—Ewer and Stand, painted by Bott.
The productions of the Worcester works have been brought to a wondrous state of perfection, both as to body, glaze, form, and decoration. Certainly neither in ancient nor in modern specimens of ceramic art have such exquisitely beautiful works been produced as some of the enamels which, under the fostering hand of Mr. Binns, have of late years been made here. The body, unlike the works of Limoges or the Sèvres imitations, is pure porcelain, not a coating of porcelain over sheets of metal; and the effect is produced by the partial transparency of the white laid on the blue ground, instead of by heightening. The tone produced in these enamels is peculiarly soft and delicate, and the colours are pure and intense; they will bear—and bear well—a close and critical comparison with those of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.[83] Examples consisting of an ewer and stand, a vase, a pastile-burner, a plate, a tazza, and other articles, are given on Figs. [547 to 553]. The late Mr. Bott, an artist of the very highest eminence, was brought up by Mr. Binns specially for the production of these enamels, and his early death has been a great loss to Art. Through his death examples have become very scarce, and realise high prices. At the present time a pair of vases—still in the hands of the Worcester Company—are valued at 1,500 guineas, and an ewer and basin at 350 guineas, and the probability is that they will still increase rapidly in value. To Mr. Binns is entirely due the introduction and carrying out of the Worcester enamels in the style of Limoges; the ivory porcelain, a soft-glaze body of an ivory tint; the Raphaelesque porcelain; jewelled porcelain, of a totally different and far higher character than that of Sèvres; and Japanese decoration on porcelain and pottery. Besides these, to his taste, skill, and judgment are due the great varieties of styles and improvements in form and decoration which now characterize these works.
In parian, the Worcester works produce a large variety of figures, busts, groups, and ornamental articles of every kind, and of a remarkably clean and pure body.
The ivory porcelain—an improvement upon parian, and capable of greater development—is one of the specialities of these works. Besides being used for busts, figures, and ornamental pieces, in its simple state, when it has all the softness, beauty, and natural tint of ivory itself, it forms the basis of many of the ornamental decorations, especially the Raphaelesque ware, which is the colouring of the surface in relief in the style of the old Capo di Monte ware and the Buen Retiro porcelain. This style was first introduced by Mr. Binns for the Exhibition of 1862, and has retained its popularity to the present hour.
Fig. 549.
Figs. 550 to 552.—Enamel; the subject taken from the Raphael Tazza.
Fig. 553.—Group of Worcester Porcelain Enamel.
Figs. 554 and 555.
The jewelled porcelain, for which Worcester now is famous, is totally different from that made at Sèvres or Tournay, whether ancient or modern. The French jewels are all made by enamellers, and each colour is fused on a small plate of metal which forms the setting, and may be stuck on the vase or plate with gum if it is not required to pass it through the fire. These jewels may be bought by the dozen or hundred in any variety: but the work decorated with them is essentially French, and tinselly. The English jewelling, though perhaps not so brilliant, is of far higher and purer character, and is far more legitimate as a decoration for pottery. Each of these jewels is formed of colour melted on to the china, and occasionally raised higher and higher by repeated firings, and thus it becomes, and is, a part of the material itself. The most elaborate piece of work produced at Worcester in this style is a déjeûner set made for presentation to the Countess of Dudley on her marriage, from the city of Worcester. It is powdered all over with turquoise, but so arranged in geometric lines that only the different sizes of the jewels are noticed. In Japanese porcelain the Worcester works produce a vast variety of articles; amongst these are vases, spill-cases, jardinières, toilet ornaments, trays, and an infinite number of other elegancies. These Japanese productions are not servile imitations of native art; they are Japanese art and art-characteristics adapted and rendered subservient to the highest aims of pure design of our own country. Mr. Binns, to whom this introduction is owing, has caught the very spirit of Japanese art, and, with the happy facility he possesses of turning everything to good account, has so grafted it upon English productions that the one becomes an essential and component part of the other. Among the more pleasing and characteristic of the vases are a set on which the designs, in relief (admirably modelled by Mr. Hadley) upon tablets, represent the various processes of the potter’s art as followed in the East; and these pictures—for true pictures they are—are so minutely and exquisitely painted and gilded (by Callowhill), that it requires a good lens to bring out their many and very minute beauties. Of these I give some engravings. This introduction, which now forms a distinctive feature of the Worcester works, is a marked and decided advance in ceramic art; the effect of bronze and other metals being quite an achievement.
Figs. 556 to 559.—Worcester Japanese Ware.
Figs. 560 to 565.—Worcester Porcelain.
Fig. 566.
In majolica the Worcester works produce many splendid varieties of articles, and many spirited and beautiful designs. Dessert services, floral table decorations, shell-pieces, spill-cases, and vases are among the articles produced. The body is finer and more compact than that frequently used by manufacturers, and the colouring is faultless and in the purest taste. It was a wise thought to graft this branch of ceramic art on to that of the finest porcelain at Worcester, and its rapid development shows how thoroughly it has been appreciated.
But it is not in ornamental goods only that these works take high rank. They produce every possible variety, from the simple gold and white to the most highly decorated tea, coffee, déjeûner, dinner, toilet, and other services. These are produced in very large quantities, and form a staple and constantly increasing branch of the manufacture; and in all these, however simple, the same purity of taste in patterns is displayed as in the rarer and more costly gems of art.
It is a common belief that high art and commercial success cannot go hand in hand,—that to make things sell you must sink art—or that, if you produce high art examples, you must give up all expectations of a remunerative trade. This theory I do not believe in. I hold it to be the mission of the manufacturer, in whatever branch he may be engaged, to produce such goods as shall tend to educate the public taste, and to lead it gradually upwards to a full appreciation of the beautiful. The manufacturer is quite as much a teacher as the writer or the artist, and he is frequently a much more effectual one. In pottery especially, where the wares of one kind or other are hourly in the hands of every person in the kingdom, it behoves the manufacturers to produce such perfect forms, and to introduce such ornamentation, even in the commonest and coarsest ware, as shall teach the eye, and induce a taste for whatever is beautiful and perfect and lovely in art. The mission of the manufacturer is to create a pure taste, not to perpetuate and pander to a vicious and barbarous one; and I believe, in the end, that those who do their best to elevate the minds of the people by this means will find that, commercially, their endeavours will be most satisfactory—assuredly they will be the most pleasant to their own minds. The Worcester people seem to understand this thoroughly, and to have wisely determined that nothing, even of the most simple design or common use, which is not pure in taste and elegant in form shall be issued from their works.
The marks of Messrs. Kerr and Binns were the following:—
But they had also another, a special mark, designed by Digby Wyatt, which is used solely for marking the goods made for her Majesty. In the mark (Fig. [568]) in the third quarter of the shield, left white in the engraving, the initials of Mr. Bott, the painter, are found on his beautiful enamels.
Fig. 569.
Fig. 570.—Breakfast Service made for the Duke of Cumberland in 1806.
Fig. 571.—Service made for King William IV. in 1831.
Fig. 572.—Service made for the Princess Charlotte on her marriage in 1816.
Fig. 573.—Service made on the occasion of the creation of the Duke of Clarence in 1789.
The Worcester works have, at one time or other, been favoured more than most English establishments with orders from royalty. Of these I give five examples of plates, to show the beauty and intricacy of their designs. Fig. [569] is a part of a service made for the Queen; Fig. [573], from the service made for Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence, in 1789; 572, for the Princess Charlotte on her marriage; 571 for his Majesty King William IV.; and 570, for the Duke of Cumberland in 1806.
Fig. 574.
A curious feature in connection with these works, and one which I am only aware has been followed by one other English china manufactory (that of Pinxton), was the issuing of porcelain tokens—that is, china money—for the convenience of the masters and workmen at the factory. They are, it will be seen, in the form of a promissory note. They bear the “promise” on the obverse, and on the reverse the letters W P C (Worcester Porcelain Company), and were issued for various amounts.
Fig. 575.
Examples of some of the more recent productions of the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company (as shown at the French Exhibition of 1868) are shown on our cuts, Figs. [560 to 565].
Royal China Works.—The porcelain works of Messrs. Grainger and Co. are situated in St. Martin’s Street, with show-rooms in the Foregate. They were established in 1800, as I have before stated, by Mr. Thomas Grainger, nephew to Mr. Chamberlain, to whom he served an apprenticeship as a painter; the latter part of his apprenticeship being devoted to taking a share in the general management of the works. When out of his time, Mr. Grainger started a manufactory on his own account, and took into partnership a Mr. Wood, a painter of considerable skill and eminence, whose productions on the early porcelain made by them are characterized by a peculiar mellowness of shade, and who excelled in “mezzo-tint drawing;” and the works were carried on for some time under the firm of “Grainger and Wood.”
Afterwards, Mr. Grainger took into partnership his brother-in-law, Mr. Lee, and the style of the firm was then changed to that of “Grainger and Lee.” The mark was as appended.
Fig. 577.
In 1810, about two years before Mr. Lee became a partner, the works were destroyed by fire. The manufactory was shortly rebuilt on a new site, on the opposite side of the street, and has been considerably enlarged. Mr. Lee having retired from the concern, the business was then carried on by Mr. Grainger until his decease in 1839, when his son, Mr. George Grainger, one of the present proprietors, succeeded him, and has carried on the works, under the style of “G. Grainger and Co.,” to the present day. Up to the year 1850, porcelain alone was made at this establishment, and its quality was remarkably good, both in body and in ornamentation. In that year, however, Mr. George Grainger invented a new body, which he named “semi-porcelain.” This new ware was first made public at the Great International Exhibition of 1851, and from its peculiar qualities of durability, hardness, and freedom from cracking with heat, attracted considerable attention. The surface of the semi-porcelain bears every characteristic of the finest china, and, of course, in colour, in painting, and in gilding can be made quite equal to it; but it has the additional advantage of being so completely vitrified that the inside, in case of being chipped or broken, remains of its original whiteness. It is peculiarly adapted for dinner-services through not flying or cracking with heat so readily as the ordinary china does, and because of its power of retaining heat for a much longer time. It is somewhat extensively exported both to France and to India. Mr. Grainger manufactures very largely of this material chemical vessels, batteries, insulators for telegraph wires, &c., and for these purposes its superiority is admitted by the highest scientific authorities. These insulators (in an unglazed state) after being soaked for many hours in acid, stood the test of a battery of two hundred Daniel’s cells—a very severe test—showing thus great strength and resisting power—a strength which would be much increased when glazed.
The mark of the present firm is as follows:—
Another has simply the words “Chemical Porcelain, Grainger and Co., Manufactory, Worcester.” Messrs. Grainger and Co. also produce some admirable vases, excellent parian figures and ornaments. Another variety of goods is the perforated parian ware, in which is made vases, &c., of remarkably pure design and careful execution. Some of the best specimens of lace drapery have been produced by this firm. At the Exhibition of 1862, the last at which the firm exhibited, a medal was awarded them for this “semi-” or “chemical porcelain,” which, undeniably, well deserved such a distinction.
Fig. 579.
The toilet services of this firm are of considerable elegance in design, as will be seen on Figs. [581] and [582]. Fig. [580] exhibits a “honeycombed” coffee-service of very elegant design, the foliage being gracefully thrown.
Figs. 580 to 583.
A new invention of Messrs. Grainger is their “Opalite,” a highly vitrified and very fine body, in which they have produced, with remarkably good effect, embossed tiles for external decorations in shop fronts, &c. A design of a celadon ground with the blackberry, conventionally treated, in relief, in white, with the stems relieved with burnished gold, burned into the body, is remarkably beautiful and effective.
Mr. St. John’s Encaustic Tile Works.—After the removal of Messrs. Flight and Barr’s works to the present site of the Royal porcelain manufactory, on the amalgamation spoken of on a preceding page, Mr. Barr for a time continued making encaustic paving tiles on the old premises. In this he was joined by Mr. Fleming St. John, who was one of the managing directors of the Royal porcelain works, and some excellent patterns, and of good colour and material, were produced. The tile works were, however, in 1860, sold to Messrs. Maw, who continued to carry on the manufacture until 1852, when they removed to Broseley, where the manufacture is still continued (see “Broseley”). In 1853 the premises were purchased from Mr. Fleming St. John by Mr. Allcroft, one of the partners in the firm of Dent, Allcroft, and Co., and their business of glove-making was removed within the same year.
“Worcester Tileries,” Rainbow Hill.—These works were established in 1870 by Mr. H. C. Webb, their present proprietor. The tiles produced are in three series—1st, geometrical tiles in five colours, viz. black, red, buff, grey, and chocolate; 2nd, geometrical tiles in these colours with the addition of cream, fawn, blue, white, and green; 3rd, the whole of these, with encaustic or inlaid tiles added. The geometrical tiles are made of various sizes and of every necessary shape, and thus pavements of admirable and effective design and of endless variety are produced, which are equally suitable for small villas, cottages, schools, &c. The colours are clear and good, and the quality hard and durable. The mark used by Mr. Webb is the name HENRY C. WEBB, WORCESTER, in raised letters, in a small circle impressed in the clay.
St. George’s Pottery Works.—These works were established by their present proprietor, Mr. D. W. Barker, formerly of Frome in Somersetshire, in 1869, for the manufacture of rustic ware, terra-cotta, and patent bricks—the latter being the main production of the establishment. The works are situated on Gregory’s Bank, close to the canal, on the north side of Worcester, where they occupy a large area of ground. The kilns were erected from the designs of the patentees, Hoffman and Licht, of Berlin and Dantzic, and the machinery by the patentees, Bradley and Craven, of Wakefield. As these are said to be among the best constructed of modern brick and terra-cotta works, I quote the following particulars:—
“The kiln consists of a long railway-tunnel-shaped passage, forming a long annular channel or ring. This ring is divided into twelve compartments, which may be made to communicate or to be separated from each other by the raising or lowering of a partition or damper. To each compartment there is an entrance-doorway, which can be closed with temporary brickwork. Flues lead from the bed of each compartment to the central smoke-chamber, which communicates by a main flue with the chimney. The state and progress of the fire can be at any time easily seen through the apertures on the top, down which the fuel is passed; and as the draught is under perfect control, the heat can be at once raised or lowered as may be required. The low temperature at which the gases leave the kiln is indicated by the fact that a high chimney for getting up the draught is required. There is thus a perpetual current, so to say, of bricks, which is brought slowly to revolve against, and in the contrary direction to, a perpetually revolving draught. In the green stage of the bricks they thus come in contact with air at a comparatively low temperature, and then gradually advance towards higher temperatures until they are at last burnt. Each stack of bricks to be burnt is, therefore, most ingeniously made to combine successively—(1) the functions of a grate with bars; (2) of a Leimen’s regenerator, for heating the air to be burnt; (3) of a drying-room for themselves when green; and (4) of a cooling-room for themselves when burnt. It is impossible not to enjoy the examination of such an exemplification of the dominion of mind over matter. Each day one chamber is emptied of its burnt and cooled-down bricks, and another chamber is filled with green goods. Any repairs can also be at once done to any one of the chambers as it gets emptied in its turn. In every process of treating clay or marl, with a view to drying it in the open air or to burning it, it is absolutely necessary to carry out these operations gradually at the risk of cracking and splitting the goods. This kiln, from its very gradual action and absence of sudden changes of temperature, produces no “wasters” from these causes, and the bricks can also be burnt in a much more moist state than in ordinary kilns, as the heat is very gradually brought to bear upon them. The extraordinary and widespread success of the patent annular kilns, the beauty of the scientific principles they so ingeniously embody, and the many fresh applications of which they are capable, are well deserving a careful study. In all there are not less than five hundred of these kilns at work in different parts of the world—Europe, the United States, India, and Australia. In England and her colonies alone there are upwards of ninety in use, and the power of production, within merely England and Ireland, can be reckoned at nearly one million of bricks daily. Our Admiralty use five, the Indian Government already six. In the Patent Kiln there is an important source of saving in the fact that the moisture is driven into the chimney, and is never carried over the fuel, uselessly conveying away, as it would do, enormous amounts of latent heat. The chimney, which rises from the centre of the kiln, is of a circular form, about 160 feet in height, 21 feet 6 inches in diameter at the base, and 7 feet 6 inches at the top.”
The analysis of the clay, as reported by Dr. Arthur E. Davis, is as follows:—silica, 56·74; alumina, 31·66; oxide of iron, 6·96; lime, 3·43; magnesia, trace; alkaline salts, 0·53; loss in analysis, 0·68; total, 100·00.
The rustic terra-cotta ware produced at these works is of a very superior quality, and the designs are so true to nature as to be faultless in every respect. In this ware garden-seats, flower-pots, and flower-vases, mignonette and other boxes, spill-cases, and a variety of other articles have been made, and all are equally good in design. Among the rustic flower-pots and stands some are excellent representations of the gnarled root of a tree; the small branches of trees nailed to the sides of the vessel; and the bole of a tree beautifully modelled, and apparently hollowed out to receive the plant. In these cases the grain of the wood is well copied. Mr. Barker’s great forte in these designs seems to have been the accurate and truthful copying of nature in the barks and peculiarities of growth of various trees.
Mr. Barker manufactures the ceramic part of Beckitt’s patent photographic apparatus—an apparatus consisting of an earthenware cylinder and a series of troughs of the same material, in which the cylinder is made to revolve by means of a handle; the troughs being intended for the hyposulphate bath, the gold solution, and wash, respectively.
Ordinary flower-pots and other horticultural ware, of good quality and excellent material, are extensively made, and form a staple branch of the St. George’s trade.