The works were brought to a close in the year 1803 or 1804, and the materials and finished goods were sold by auction. The causes which led to their discontinuance were many, but principally the losses sustained by the company, and the successful competition of the Staffordshire manufacturers. One great loss was caused by the failure of their London agents; another and more serious one by the destruction of a very large quantity of Lowestoft china in Holland, with which country an extensive trade was carried on, as thus stated:—“When Napoleon crossed the river during a hard frost and captured Holland, amongst the British property destroyed was a quantity of Lowestoft china at Rotterdam, in value several thousand pounds.” The trade with Rotterdam was very large, and the ware was sent weekly in hogsheads by way of Yarmouth. These two losses, coming closely together, crippled the company; and the cost of manufacture, through having no coal nor any other requisite material in the neighbourhood, preventing them from producing ware so cheaply as could be done in Staffordshire and at Derby and Worcester, the works were closed, after the proprietors had realised considerable sums; and the town thus lost a branch of manufacture which was an honour to it, and which has given it a name in the annals of the Ceramic Art of this country.
And here, before proceeding further, let me again utter a word or two of caution to collectors, against placing too implicit a reliance upon what has been written concerning Lowestoft china, and against taking for granted that all which is nowadays called Lowestoft china is really the production of that manufactory. If all that is ascribed to Lowestoft was ever made there, the works must have been about the most extensive, and—if all the varieties of wares that are now said to have been there produced were made, as is asserted, simultaneously—the most extraordinary on record. The great bulk of the specimens now unblushingly ascribed to Lowestoft I believe never were in that town, much less were ever made there. Mr. Owen, in his excellent work on Bristol china, says truly:—
“The fashion has become general to attribute all such (Oriental) china to Lowestoft, in spite of the evidence afforded by its make, texture, and glaze. It is painful to see, in public and private collections, examples of Oriental ware so labelled, simply because, though hard porcelain, they bear English armorial coats and initials. Mrs. Wilton, of Twigworth Villa, Gloucester, has a set of Oriental china mugs—with the initials of her grandfather and grandmother—which were made for her ancestor in China, and brought thence by himself. According to the new fashion, these relics would be attributed to Lowestoft. Many porcelain punch-bowls are to be found in seaport towns with names and portraits of ships and very early dates; these bowls are often attributed to the works at Liverpool and Lowestoft. The officers of the East India Co.’s ships were accustomed to take out English delft bowls, and get them reproduced in common porcelain in China for their merchant friends; and many a relic now prized as of home manufacture was procured in this manner.”
And again:—
“If one hundredth portion only of the Oriental porcelain which, on the slight evidence of having a certain red trellis-work in the borders, or coarsely-painted roses, or English armorial bearings, is erroneously attributed to Lowestoft, had really been made there, that factory must have been the most prolific and wonderful in the kingdom. A higher critical appreciation of the peculiarities of Oriental ware would prevent such an error.”
The mill for grinding the materials for the manufactory “was in a ravine by the Warren House on Gunton Denes, where a fine stream of water constantly flows. This was dammed up, and when it had arrived at a certain height, was set to flow over a very large wheel (the largest of the kind at that time in the kingdom), for the purpose of grinding the materials for the china.” This water wheel is, I am informed, still in existence. The factory was situated in the town, and the premises are now occupied as a brewery. The street is still called Factory Lane. It is worthy of note that no mark was used upon Lowestoft china. Marryat mentions a mark of three parallel straight blue lines; but this is evidently an error, as no such examples appear to be known.
Stowmarket.
The Tile Works at this place are of old establishment, and have always been noted for the production of celebrated “white bricks,” spoken of in the seventeenth century. They are worked by Mr. C. O. Fison, who, in addition, manufactures an improved malt-kiln tile, both square-cluster and round-cluster, for which honourable mention was made at the 1862 Exhibition. They are largely exported to various foreign countries, as well as being extensively used in this kingdom.
Ipswich.
Ransome’s Patent Stone.—The first manufacture of this important material was commenced at Ipswich in 1844; the inventor being Mr. Frederick Ransome, of the firm of Ransomes and Sims of this town. The works were removed in 1866 to East Greenwich, which see (page 162) for a farther account.