Rickard.—In Swansea, too, is also a small potwork belonging to Mr. Rickard or Ricketts, who produces only the commonest kinds of black and Rockingham ware tea-pots, jugs, &c., and hardware jugs of mixed local clay and Dorset clay (principally for the home markets), ornamental flower-pots, garden vases, &c.
Landore Pottery.—About 1848 Mr. John Forbes Calland, of Swansea district, built a pottery, conveniently situated, on the Swansea Canal, and near the river Tawe at Landore, about a mile from Swansea. This was worked for a few years by Mr. Calland, who produced printed and common earthenware from white clays, in dinner, tea, and toilet ware, for the home trade under the style and mark of
J. K. CALLAND & CO.,
LANDORE POTTERY.
and
CALLAND
SWANSEA.
Not being commercially successful, Mr. Calland discontinued the manufacture about 1856, when the whole of the copper-plates then in use were transferred to the South Wales Pottery at Llanelly. The Landore Pottery has since been converted into a smelting-works, and is now used for smelting copper ores.
Llanelly.
South Wales Pottery.—These works, belonging to Messrs. Holland & Guest, are now the only blue and white earthenware manufactory in the principality. They were established in 1839 by William Chambers Jun., Esq., of Llanelly House, Llanelly, who carried on the manufacture of earthenware for home and foreign markets, with different managers, up to the end of 1854. The general classes of goods manufactured were for the home trade, and included white or cream colour, edged, dipt, painted, and printed wares. Other descriptions of goods, viz., coloured bodies, figured, enamelled, and parian, were tried and worked for a time, but soon discontinued. It was also intended, a few years after starting the pottery, to commence the making of china, and a kiln was built specially for that purpose, but the idea was then abandoned, and porcelain has never been made at these works. For some two or three years, about 1850, a large quantity of white granite, printed, and flown printed ware, was made for the United States market, the crates being sent per vessel from Llanelly to Liverpool for transshipment. During the first few years after the commencement of these works the principal trade was by coasting vessels carrying coals to ports in England and Ireland, and by carts and waggons inland. When the South Wales Railway (now Great Western, South Wales section) was opened to Swansea, crates of earthenware for forwarding were frequently sent there by road, twelve miles, till the continuation of the railway past Llanelly was opened.
At the end of 1854 the business of the South Wales Pottery was transferred to Messrs. Coombs and Holland, who were then connected in the management, and they carried on the works till May, 1858, when there was a dissolution of partnership, and Mr. W. T. Holland continued the business alone till November, 1869, when he was joined in partnership by Mr. D. Guest, under the firm of Holland & Guest. The trade after 1854 was chiefly local or South Wales, with the West of England districts and South of Ireland for seven or eight years, when there was a partial discontinuance of travelling, and introduction of orders for foreign markets, as for South America, Brazil, Chili, East Indies, France, and the Mediterranean, so that the working became about half for foreign markets. The goods produced consist of a variety of table, tea, and toilet services, and other ordinary articles in printed and flown printed earthenware of average quality, and the usual classes of white, cream-coloured, sponged and painted wares.