The Rise and Fall of Poole Pottery

Steve Annandale charts the history of what was, by the 1990s, Dorset's most significant tourist attraction

Having begun Poole Pottery in 1873, Jesse Carter would have been dumbfounded when, nearly 150 years later, a single vase sold for £7,800. In Jesse’s era this had the equivalent purchasing power of £700,000. Auctioneers Duke’s of Dorchester secured this record for a Carter, Stabler and Adams “Bush Velt” earthenware vase.

Hailing from Abbots Worthy, near Winchester in Hampshire, Jesse Carter’s father and brothers were bricklayers. In 1850, he married Elizabeth Callaway at St Pancras, Middlesex. By 1861, and with five children – Alfred, William, Annie, Ernest and Charles – to support, his business acumen had yielded fruit. He was a builder employing 49 men and five boys. The family lived at Alfred Place, Winchester. Another son, Owen, was born later.

Jesse’s move into the pottery business came in 1873 when he acquired the failed business of James Walker, a brick and tile maker with a factory on Poole Quay, Dorset close to the excellent red clay of the area. In the beginning, Jesse Carter devoted the factory to the production of decorative glazed and painted wall tiles meeting the late Victorian and early 20th century demand for interior design.

Carter’s tiles graced the walls of the London Underground, were used on the frontages of public houses, as well as in hospitals, schools and shops.

Business thrived, aided by the development of nearby Bournemouth as a health resort. Bournemouth Winter Gardens opened in 1877 with an attractive lounge and concert hall. The entrances were paved with Carter & Co tiles from Poole Pottery.