Victoria Works.—Established and built by Mr. John Tomkinson in 1858, and carried on by him and Mr. G. W. Turner under the style of “Turner & Tomkinson” until 1873, when Mr. Tomkinson retired. The business is now carried on by Mr. Turner and his sons, under the style of “G. W. Turner & Sons.” The goods produced are the ordinary printed and enamelled earthenware in dinner, toilet and other services, &c., for the home and colonial markets. The mark used is simply the initials of the firm.
Swan Bank Works.—This is one of the oldest manufactories in Tunstall. In the beginning of the present century it belonged to and was worked by Mr. Ralph Hall, and is still the property of his descendants, his sole executor being Mr. Frederick J. Bowers, by whom (as successor to his father, Mr. George F. Bowers) the Brownhills Pottery was carried on until that concern was formed into a company (see page [288]). Mr. Ralph Hall was succeeded in the manufactory by Messrs. Podmore Walker & Co., by whom it was carried on until about 1862, when it passed into the hands of Messrs. Beech & Hancock, by whom it was much improved, and from them to its present occupier, James Beech.
The productions of the firm are the ordinary classes of earthenware and stoneware for the home trade. In these wares dinner, tea, toilet, and all the usual services are largely produced in every variety of style and of various degrees of ornamentation, both in “sponged,” printed, painted, enamelled, gilt and lustred styles. Stoneware jugs and other articles are also largely made and are of excellent quality, as are also black ware and other jardinières flower vases, &c.
Church Bank Works.—The Church Bank Works were built in 1842 by Mr. Robert Beswick (of Chell, the present owner), by whom they were carried on till 1860, and afterwards successively by the firms of Beech & Hancock, Eardley & Hammersley, and Ralph Hammersley alone. In 1870 the manufactory passed into the hands of its present occupiers, Messrs. Thomas Booth & Son. The firm commenced business in 1864 at the Knowles Works, Burslem, under the style of Evans & Booth, which in 1868 was altered to Thomas Booth & Co. In 1872 the style was changed to its present form of Thomas Booth & Son. The productions are earthenware of medium quality in which all the usual services and other domestic articles are produced for the home and colonial markets.
Well Street Pottery, called also the Old Works.—These works—of old foundation—are carried on by Mr. Stephen Clive under the style of Stephen Clive & Co., whose productions are the ordinary middle classes of earthenware goods for the home and foreign markets. The firm was formerly Clive & Lloyd, and after Mr. Lloyd retired became Stephen Clive & Co. “About 1802 Mr. William Brookes, engraver, then of Tunstall, afterwards of Burslem, suggested to Mr. J. Clive a new method of ornamenting by blue-printing. The border of the plate was engraved from a beautiful strip of border for paper-hangings of rooms, and many of the manufacturers approved of the alteration. The New Hall Company instantly adopted it for some of their tea-services.”
Black Bank and High Street Works.—These works are carried on by Mr. Ralph Hammersley; the latter for the production of ordinary earthenware, and the former for common jet, red, and Rockingham ware articles.